Usama al-Rifai أسامة الرفاعي

1944–present CE

Syrian Islamic scholar and preacher appointed Grand Mufti of Syria in January 2025 by the Transitional Salvation Government following the fall of the Assad regime. Born in Damascus and educated in its traditional scholarly circles, he studied under leading Syrian ulema and became a prominent Sunni Hanafi scholar and preacher. He was a student of Sheikh Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghuddah and part of the Damascus scholarly tradition rooted in the Umayyad Mosque's teaching circles. He spent years in exile during the Assad era due to his opposition to the regime's religious policies, returning to Syria after the December 2024 revolution. As Grand Mufti, he replaced the Assad-era appointee Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun, symbolizing the break from the former regime's co-optation of religious authority.

Why They Mattered

His appointment as Grand Mufti represents the restoration of independent religious scholarship in Syria after decades of state manipulation. Under the Assad regime, the Grand Mufti's office was a tool of political legitimation — Hassoun served as a regime loyalist who endorsed the military campaign against the Syrian people. Al-Rifai's selection signals the transitional government's commitment to authentic, independent Islamic scholarship rooted in Syria's centuries-old Hanafi-Sufi tradition rather than politicized religion. His return from exile and elevation to Syria's highest religious off…

Intellectual Role

As a prominent Sunni Hanafi scholar and preacher, al-Rifai occupies a significant intellectual role within Islamic civilization, particularly in the context of post-Assad Syria. Unlike many contemporaneous scholars who may have aligned themselves with state interests, al-Rifai's adherence to the principles of authentic religious scholarship sets him apart. His deep roots in the traditional Damascus scholarly heritage emphasize a blend of Hanafi jurisprudence and Sufi spirituality, which informs his approach to both religious teaching and public discourse. Al-Rifai's methodology emphasizes the…

Legacy

As the first Grand Mufti of post-Assad Syria, al-Rifai carries the weight of redefining the relationship between religious authority and the state in a country where that relationship was profoundly corrupted. His scholarly grounding in the classical Damascus tradition — combining Hanafi jurisprudence with tasawwuf — positions him to represent a moderate, rooted Syrian Islam distinct from both regime sycophancy and violent fringe movements. His tenure will shape whether Syria's religious instit…