Ahmed Kuftaro
Grand Mufti of Syria (1915–2004)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ahmed Muhammad Amin Kuftaro[2] (Arabic: أحمد كفتارو; December 1915 – 1 September 2004) was the Grand Mufti of Syria, the highest officially appointed Sunni Muslim representative of the Fatwa-Administration in the Syrian Ministry of Auqaf in Syria. Kaftaro was a Sunni Muslim of the Naqshbandi Sufi order.[3]
Ahmed Kuftaro | |
|---|---|
أحمد كفتارو | |
| |
| Grand Mufti of Syria | |
| In office 4 November 1964 – 1 September 2004 | |
| Preceded by | Muhammad Abu al-Yusr |
| Succeeded by | Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun |
| Personal life | |
| Born | 1912 or 1915 |
| Died | 1 September 2004 Damascus, Syria |
| Spouse | Hawa Mili Sabah al-Jabri |
| Parent | Mohammed Amin Kuftaro |
| Relations | Asma Mahmoud Kuftaro (granddaughter) |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Islam |
| Denomination | Sunni Islam |
| School | Shafi'i |
| Tariqa | Naqshbandi[1] |
| Creed | Ash'ari |
Biography
The family of Kuftaro is Kurdish who have their origins in the village of Karma in Ömerli District of Mardin Province, Turkey.[4][5][6] In 1878, the Kuftaro family moved to Damascus and settled near the Abu al-Nur mosque in the Kurdish quarter. Kuftaro's father, Amin Kuftaro, received a traditional education and started working at the Sa'id Pasha mosque. His first wife was Najiya Sinjabi and he had four sons and two daughters with her: Musa, Taufiq, Ahmad, Ibrahim, Zaynab and Fatima. With his second wife, Is'af Badir, he had three children, Rabi', 'Abd al-Qadir and Rabi'a.[7]
Classic education in Damascus
Career in the Ifta' Administration
In 1948, Kuftaro worked as a mosque teacher in Quneitra before moving to Damascus in 1950.[citation needed] Two years later, he became Mufti of the Shafi'i Madhhab in Damascus and a member of the Higher Ifta Council under Colonel Adib al-Shishakli.[9] Kuftaro's political instinct aligned him with the Syrian Ba'ath Party in 1955. He reportedly supported the Baath Party candidate in the 1955 election for an open seat in parliament.[citation needed]
Advocacy of interreligious dialogue
Ahmad Kuftaro advocated interreligious dialogue. He visited many countries as a representative of Syrian state Islam, including a 1985 visit with the Pope in Rome.[citation needed] He signed the Amman Message, a statement calling for tolerance and unity in the Muslim world that was issued on 9 November 2004 (27 Ramadan 1425 AH) by King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein of Jordan.[10]
