Ahmed Al-Waeli

Al-Waeli died in Baghdad on July 14, 2003 in his homeland after 24 years in exile. Thousands of people gathered in his funeral in the city of Najaf to express their sorrow and sympathy for his departure.

Ahmed Al-Waeli Al-Laithi Al-Kinani (1928–2003) (Arabic: الدكتور الشيخ أحمد الوائلي الليثي الكناني) was a prominent Arab Shia Islamic Scholar, who preached the Islamic thoughts through books and lectures. He was also a poet. His poems represent his personality, spirituality and belief. In addition to his traditional studies in Najaf, he obtained a master's degree from University of Baghdad and a PhD from Cairo University.

Ahmed Al-Waeli was born in September, 1928 in Najaf, Iraq. He came from a very well cultured family. His father (Sheikh Hassoun Al-Waeli) was also a religious cleric and a poet. However, he did not become as famous as his son Ahmed. From his youth, Ahmed Al-Waeli was smart and ambitious. He studied and memorized the Qur'an when he was seven years old. He graduated with an honor degree in 1962 in Arabic language and Islamic Jurisprudence. Then, he pursued his education in the institute of higher education –one of the institutes of university of Baghdad- and finished his master's degree in the same subject. The title of his thesis is “Custody Rules in Sharia and Law” which was published as a book later. He then left Iraq and went to Egypt to pursue his doctorate education. He received his PhD in economics in 1972 and his dissertation discusses the Islamic view of exploitation of labor.