Innā lillāhi wa innā ilayhī rājiʿūn. Indeed, to Allah we belong, and to Him we are returning.
It is with sadness that we share the news of the passing of Shaykh Dr. al-Fatih Ali Hassanayn Muhammad Sharif, a Sudanese caller to Islam, medical doctor, author, political advocate, and former advisor to the President of Bosnia, Alija Izetbegović.
Shaykh Dr. Hassanayn, 78, passed away in the Turkish city of Istanbul two weeks following admission into intensive care, on account of a bout of severe pneumonia. He played a major role in the advancement of Islam in Eastern Europe.
He had lived in Turkey since at least 2018, when President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan dispatched a medical team to visit and arrange his transfer to receive treatment for ill health.
Background
Shaykh Dr. al-Fatih Ali Hassanayn was born in Kirkuk, located in Sennar State, Sudan, in the year 1946 (1365).
Up until the late 1950s, he attended primary and middle schools in Sennar. This was followed by secondary education in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, during the mid-60s.
Beginning his medical studies, he enrolled at the University of Belgrade, ultimately graduating in 1973.
Shaykh Dr. Hassanayn then expanded upon his medical degree by attaining a diploma in internal medicine from the Medical Academy at the University of Vienna, Austria.
He worked as a specialist physician in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Austria, and his native Sudan.
Funeral and burial
Following Shaykh Dr. Hassanayn’s passing, hundreds gathered to perform Salat al-Janaza at the Sultan Eyüp Mosque on Tuesday afternoon.
Immediately thereafter, his burial took place at the nearby Abu Ayyub al-Ansari Cemetery.
Along with family members, also in attendance were senior Muslim leaders from around the world, including the President of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, Shaykh Dr. Ali al-Qaradaghi, and Shaykh Muhammad al-Hassan al-Dedew.
Local and national politicians such as the Governor of Istanbul, Davut Gül, and others from the Grand National Assembly were also present.
Politics and advocacy
The loss of any Muslim scholar or thinker is a loss to the entire world, but the legacy that each person leaves behind continues their life’s work.
Here is a list of some of the accomplishments of Shaykh Dr. al-Fatih Ali Hassanayn in the field of advocacy and political development:
| 1966 | Founded the Muslim Students Union in Yugoslavia |
| 1967 | Founded the Muslim Students Union of Eastern Europe |
| 1987 | Founded the Islamic Council for Eastern Europe in Vienna, which included leaders and heads of organisations from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Serbia, and Slovakia |
| 1991 | Played a role in the establishment of the Democratic Action Party (SDA) in Bosnia, which won power that year |
| 1993 | Founded the International Council for Human Rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina. |
Humanitarian efforts
On top of his extensive works related to developing European Muslims in the political sense, the late Shaykh Dr. al-Fatih Ali Hassanayn also launched and or contributed to dozens of relief organisations.
In 1987, he co-founded the Third World Relief Agency in Vienna, Austria.
And in around 1992-3, he co-founded and served as Vice President and later President of the International Association of Muslims in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
That same year, he founded the Bosnian Association for Refugee and Orphan Care in Zagreb, followed by the formation of the Friends of Bosnia and Herzegovina Foundation in Istanbul, Turkey, in 1995.
Literary endeavours
Shaykh Dr. Hassanayn is remembered for his printing of the Qur’ān into various languages, including Albanian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Czech, and Romanian.
He is also remembered for his efforts in translating a number of Islamic books that ultimately benefited the masses in that part of the world.
May Allah have mercy upon him and grant him the highest level of Paradise for his life’s work in advancing Islam in Eastern Europe and beyond.
Source: Islam21c
