, ,August 2026 ,Pages 25-35
Prof. Dr. Anas Hamza Al-Jilawi
The scholar Sheikh Abdul Karim al-Mudarris (1901-2005) was one of the most prominent scholars of Kurdistan and Iraq in the 20th century. A polymath, he combined linguistics, jurisprudence, and Quranic exegesis, and served as a model of a scholar who embodied both tradition and openness. His influence remains strong in Kurdish and Iraqi academic circles to this day. Sheikh al-Mudarris studied at the al-Kilani Mosque in Baghdad and contributed to the revival of Arabic and Islamic studies in the city. He authored numerous works on jurisprudence and Kurdish and Arabic history.
He received his religious and linguistic education from leading Iraqi scholars and progressed through his studies until he became a teacher, mufti, and religious authority of considerable standing in Iraq and the Arab world. He played a significant role in disseminating Islamic and legal teachings in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq. He authored numerous books on Islamic jurisprudence and linguistics, most notably his commentary on the Holy Quran. He had a long and distinguished career in teaching and issuing religious rulings (fatwas), leaving a clear religious and scholarly impact on his students and society at large. He passed away in 2005, may God have mercy on him, after a life dedicated to scholarship