16 Facts About Mustafa Sabri

Mustafa Sabri Effendi was the second last Shaykh al-Islam of the Ottoman Empire.

Mustafa Sabri is known for his opinions condemning the Turkish nationalist movement under Kemal Ataturk.

Mustafa Sabri began his education in his hometown and quickly memorized the Quran.

Mustafa Sabri pursued his education in Kayseri and Istanbul, where he studied under Ahmed Asim Efendi and received his certificate of proficiency.

Mustafa Sabri became the Shaykh al-Islam, but he resigned from this post.

Mustafa Sabri became the first president of the Cemiyet-i Muderrisin, which later became the Teali-i Islam Cemiyeti.

In 1920, Mustafa Sabri was again appointed as shaykh al-Islam to the second cabinet of Damad Ferid.

Mustafa Sabri first went to Romania and then to Greece, where he published an anti-Kemalist newspaper in which he violently attacked the new Turkish regime and its founder, Kemal Ataturk.

Mustafa Sabri later went to Hejaz, before settling in Egypt, where he continued his intellectual activities.

Mustafa Sabri proposed a program of Islamization before and after the fall of the Ottoman Empire.

Mustafa Sabri remained within the context of the traditional Ash'arite-Maturidite theology and Ottoman madrasa system.

Mustafa Sabri criticized the views of some Egyptian intellectuals such as: Qasim Amin, Zaki Mubarak, Zaki Naguib Mahmoud, Muhammed Hussein Heikal, Taha Hussein, and 'Ali 'Abdel Raziq, who remained under the influence of Westernization and interpreted the Islamic religion according to Western thought and values.

Mustafa Sabri responded to the allegations of the Arab historian Muhammad 'Abdullah 'Inan against the Ottoman Turks and refuted his theses.

Mustafa Sabri insisted that Islam was not in conflict with science and it was a religious obligation to cover women according to certain conditions.

Mustafa Sabri objected the fatwa of Shaltut who used the thesis that there is no open expression in Quran and in Hadith that support the ascension and descent of Jesus in such as extend to form the basis of faith and the person who rejected this belief would not be in trouble with in terms of faith.

Mustafa Sabri criticized Shaltut and he gave answers to his assertions and the evidences he used.