Draft:Muhammad Hasan Hitu

Muhammad Hasan Hitu (October 10, 1943 - February 24, 2026) was a Syrian Islamic scholar, jurist, and theologian. He focused on the Shafi'i school of Sunni jurisprudence (fiqh) and Islamic legal theory (usul al-fiqh). He wrote numerous academic books and was instrumental in the establishment of modern Islamic educational institutions in Europe and Southeast Asia.

Early life and education

In Damascus, Syria, on October 10, 1943, Hitu was born. When he was younger, his family had hoped that he would study secular subjects like geography or European education, but he chose to focus on the traditional Islamic sciences. He studied at Cairo's Al-Azhar University in Egypt during the 1960s. His only source of support during his early years at Al-Azhar was a small scholarship from the university. Al-Azhar University awarded him a PhD in usul al-fiqh, or the principles of Islamic jurisprudence, after he studied Islamic law.

Institutional labor and academic career

For many years, Hitu worked as a teacher, administrator, and writer across numerous continents:

• Kuwait: He shaped legal and educational frameworks centered on the Shafi'i school of law for many years as a prominent scholar in Kuwait.
• Germany: In order to provide Muslim communities in Western Europe with structured, traditional Islamic education, he founded and oversaw the International Center for Islamic Sciences in Germany.
• Indonesia: As the dean of Imam al-Shafi'i University in Indonesia and a member of its founding team, he contributed to the formalization of Southeast Asia's traditional legal curriculum.

Scholarly contributions and writing

Hitu was well-known for his use of traditional academic methods and modern systematic organization. His most famous works were on creed (aqidah), logic (mantiq), legal theory and comparative jurisprudence. His main academic project was the Encyclopedia of Shafi'i Fiqh (Comparative). Creating a comprehensive catalogue of Shafi'i legal rulings was a massive academic undertaking. At the time of his death, he had completed approximately 60 volumes of this work.

Selected bibliography

• Al-Wajiz fi Usul al-Fiqh al-Islami (An Introduction to the Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence).
• Al-Khulasa fi Usul al-Fiqh (A concise book on legal theory).
• Al-Ijtihad wa Tabaqat Mujtahidi al-Shafi'iyya (A Study on Independent Legal Reasoning and Historical Rankings of Shafi'i Jurists).
• Al-Mu'jiza al-Qur'aniyya (A Study of the Koran's Scientific and Historical Inimitability).
• Al-Hadith al-Mursal: Hujjiyyatuhu wa Atharuhu (The Hurried Hadith: Its Authority and Impact).
• Kashf al-Sitr an Sunniyyat al-Qunut fi Salat al-Fajr (Unveiling the Cover on the Sunnah of Qunut in Fajr Prayer).
• Al-Aql wa al-Ghayb (Reason and the Unseen)

Death

Hitu passed away on February 24, 2026, in Kuwait City at the age of 82. His death was officially marked and commemorated by several international Islamic scholarship bodies, as well as the Syrian scholarly community.