Wahbah al-Zuhayli

Wahbah Mustafa al-Zuhayli (1932 – 8 August 2015) born in Dair Atiah, Syria was a Syrian professor and Islamic scholar specializing in Islamic law and legal philosophy. He was also a preacher at Badr Mosque in Dair Atiah. He was the author of scores of books on Islamic and secular law, many of which have been translated to English. He was chairman of Islamic jurisprudence in the College of Sharia at Damascus University, and a signatory to the Amman Message and A Common Word documents.

Zuhayli was one of the world's leading experts on Islamic international law. His works have been quoted in western scholarly works such as Sohail Hashimi's Ethics and Weapons of Mass Destruction: Religious and Secular and Reuven Firestone's Disparity and Resolution in the Qurʾānic Teachings on War: A Reevaluation of a Traditional Problem. In a scholarly article presented in 2005 to the International Committee of the Red Cross entitled Islam and International Law al-Zuhayli argued that the basis between Muslims and non-Muslim countries under Islamic law is one of peace and not war, and that war must be avoided and a last resort to be considered jus ad bellum. Moreover, al-Zuhayli established that combative jihad was only permissible in three specific situations:

From 1963 Zuhayli taught at Damascus University where he was professor since 1975. He lectured in both the colleges of sharia and law and he specialized in Islamic law, Islamic legal philosophy, and comparative legal systems. He also taught as a visiting professor at the faculty of law at University of Benghazi in Libya (1972–1974), the faculty of sharia law at the University of the United Arab Emirates (1984–1989), the University of Khartoum, Sudan, and the Islamic University of Riyadh. Dr. Zuhayli also taught the principles of Islamic legal writing and evidence for graduate students in Sudan, Pakistan, and elsewhere. Dr. Zuhayli's erudite understanding of Islamic law caused him to be chosen to design the curriculum of Damascus University's College of Sharia in the late 1960s.

While studying in al-Azhar, Zuhayli studied law in Ain Shams University in Cairo, Egypt where he received a bachelor's degree magna cum laude in 1957. In 1959, he received a master's degree in law from Cairo University's College of Law. In 1963, he received his doctorate with honors in law with a major in Islamic sharia, his thesis was "The Influences of War on Islamic Jurisprudence: A comparative study including the eight schools of Islamic law and secular international law."

Zuhayli was born in the Syrian town of Dair Atiah, north of Damascus, to a father who was a farmer by occupation. Zuhayli studied sharia in the University of Damascus for six years, graduating in 1952 at the top of his class. Zuhayli furthered his Islamic education at the prestigious Al-Azhar University where he again graduated at the top of his class in 1956. After graduating in 1956, Dr. Zuhayli also received an ijaza in teaching Arabic from Al-Azhar.