Mohammed Rashid Qabbani


Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani is the former Grand Mufti of Lebanon and the most prominent Sunni Muslim cleric in the country. Qabbani succeeded former Grand Mufti Hassan Khaled. The current Grand Mufti of Lebanon is Abdul Latif Derian.

Life and education

Qabbani was born in Beirut. He finished his secondary education in Sharia studies in Azahar Lebanon in 1962. He earned his License in Sharia and Law in 1966 from the College of Sharia and Law in Cairo, Egypt in 1966. For his post graduate studies, he received his masters in Comparative Fiqh in 1968 and a Doctorate in Comparative Fiqh in 1976 from the same college and university.
An alleged assassination attempt against Qabbani was foiled by Lebanese internal security forces on September 21, 2009, during Eid al-Fitr celebrations in Beirut.

Religious and political views

In his 2014 Eid al-Fitr sermon, Qabbani called for jihad to " Palestine's sacred land from Jewish foreign occupation."
In an interview broadcast on Al-Manar TV in September 2012, Qabbani condemned the anti-Islam film Innocence of Muslims as "intensely painful and disgusting" and stressed that broadcasting the movie was a step towards "instigating Christian-Islamic tension" during the Pope's visit to Lebanon. He also suggested that five million dollars were reportedly donated by Jews for its accomplishment.
Qabbani is against the legalization of civil marriage in Lebanon. On January 28, 2013, Qabbani made a fatwa declaring any Muslim politician who supports the introduction of civil marriage, as an apostate.
In his 2014 Eid al-Fitr sermon Qabbani condemned the Islamic [State of Iraq and the Levant#Religious and minority group persecution|persecution of Christians by ISIL], stating "We Muslims, will not rest until our Christian brothers, notably in the Levant, are able to live in peace, security and tranquility."

Academic and religious positions

He occupied many functions including:
  • Director General of the Islamic Wakf
  • Professor of Islamic law at the Faculty of Law, Arab University of Beirut
  • Professor of Islamic Teachings at the College of Higher Islamic Studies of the Islamic Makassed Wakf
  • Member of "The Fiqh Council" part of Muslim World League in Makkah al Moukarramah since 1979.
  • Secretary of Fatwa in Lebanon since 1984.
  • Appointed by the Higher Council of Islamic Sharia on June 29, 1989, to act as Grand mufti of the Lebanese Republic following the death of Grand Mufti Sheikh Hassan Khaled. This provisional status continued until December 28, 1996.
  • From December 29, 1996, officially elected Grand Mufti of the Lebanese Republic. In addition to his duties as Mufti, he is the president of the following entities and committees.
  • *Higher Islamic Sharia Council
  • *Higher Sharia Courts Council
  • *Higher Reference for Islamic Awqaf in Lebanon
  • *President of Dr. Mohammed Khaled Social Institutions
  • *Honorary President of Beirut Islamic University

Publications

  • The right of divorce in Islamic Sharia - Comparative study
  • The limits of adultery in Islamic Sharia - Comparative study
  • Pandemics and Emergency Conditions - Comparative Study
  • General rules of the Islamic Economy
  • The Status of Islamic Fiqh in International Rights
  • Study of "Wisdom in God's Creations" by Abi Hamed al Ghazali" - A report
  • Paper Money and Its Economic Value