Sheikh Salih al Jafari

1910 - 1979, Egypt

Beginnings

Born on 24th June, 1910, Sheikh Salih al Jafari was from the family of the Prophet (peace be upon him). His family originated from Luxor in Egypt, but his grandfather moved to Dongola, Sudan, to set up a Quran school. Sheikh Salih was named after his grandfather and born in Sudan, where he was raised. Sheikh Salih's family were famous for being righteous scholars who were generous and studied the Quran in depth.

Back to Egypt

At a young age, Sheikh Salih learned the Quran and other Islamic sciences from his grandfather's students. However, when he was twenty years old, he decided to move to Cairo to study. He would spend the rest of his life there.

Sheikh Salih lived for almost fifty years at Al Azhar University, at first studying with some of the most renowned scholars of the time, and then teaching. His areas of speciality were Hadith and Tafsir (the study of the meanings of the Quran).

A Special Room

Incredibly, he lived for more than thirty years in a small, specially constructed room inside one of the teaching halls. He spent most of his time there, praying, reflecting, learning and teaching, and would only leave his room if he had to, for example for Hajj, which he performed twenty-seven times. He became a famous and much-loved teacher and imam, and people would attend his Friday khutbas in their hundreds and maybe even thousands.

Effort and Hard Work

Sheikh Salih had an incredible memory and powerful intelligence, which helped him in his studies. He also had a deep love of knowledge. It is important to mention that Sheikh Salih committed much time and effort to learning about Islam. He struggled and studied very hard to attain the level of knowledge and understanding that he reached. Knowledge does not come by laziness or doing nothing - it requires effort and hard work. That is the way of the great teachers and students before us, who all put much effort in acquiring and spreading knowledge.

An Astounding Story

Many of his students became well-known scholars, judges and teachers all over the world. There is one remarkable story from Sheikh Ahmed Abdul Jawad ad Doumi, who was the supervisor of all the teachers and preachers in Cairo.

Sheikh Ahmed was reading Surah al Kahf and came upon the ayah about the dog stretching out its forelegs in the 'waseed'. Sheikh Ahmed wanted to know what waseed meant, but his copy of the Quran with the meanings of each word was at his house, which was far away. So he decided that he'd give his lesson first then return home to find out the meaning of this word.

He then sat in the lesson of Sheikh Salih, who was giving a lesson about another surah of the Quran. When Sheikh Ahmed sat, Sheikh Salih suddenly went quiet, then recited the ayahs from Surah al Kahf until he reached the ayah about the dog, 'And their dog was extending his legs in the waseed'. He then stopped and said 'The dog extends its legs in such-and-such a manner, and the 'waseed' is the doorway. Now, back to our lesson O beloveds!' Upon hearing this, Sheikh Ahmed said within himself 'May Allah Most High reward you.' SubhanAllah, Sheikh Salih had been given a light from Allah that allowed him to explain the very word that Sheikh Ahmed was wondering about, without even being asked. This is a very miraculous and special thing.

His Lessons

Sheikh Salih was famous for having very meaningful lessons that impacted people's hearts. And what were his lessons mainly about? They were about the importance of following the Quran, of loving the Prophet (peace be upon him) and of learning more about Islam.

Sheikh Salih wrote hundreds of poems about the Prophet (peace be upon him) and in praise of Allah. He is buried in Cairo, Egypt.

May Allah surround him with mercy, blessings and peace.

Image and information courtesy of https://lightoftheazhar.com/biographies/biography-shaykh-salih-al-jafari/