Education: Sheikh bin Bayyah was raised in a houseÂhold famous for its scholars, and his father, Sheikh Mahfoudh bin Bayyah, was the head of the ConferÂence of Mauritanian Scholars established after the countryâs independence. Sheikh bin Bayyah studied in the Mauritanian centres of learning known as maÂhadhir, in which all the sacred sciences were taught including: jurisprudence, legal theory, syntax, lanÂguage, rhetoric, Qurâanic exegesis and its auxiliary sciences, and the science of Prophetic tradition.
Diplomat: As a member of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy or Al-Majmaâ Al-Fiqhi of the OrganiÂzation of the Islamic Conference, Sheikh bin Bayyah is at the forefront of the legal arm of a dynamic orÂganization with a permanent delegation to the UnitÂed Nations.
Author: Having written numerous texts, Sheikh bin Bayyahâs scholarly explorations have gone globÂal through speaking engagements that draw crowds of tens of thousands. He has spoken at length about the endurance of the Islamic legal tradition and also written extensively on rulings for Muslims living as minorities in foreign lands, or fiqh al-aqaliyyat.
Activist: In 2013, Sheikh Abdullah bin Bayyah visited the White House where he met with senior advisers and aides to the then-President Obama. He called for the protection of the Syrian people and the Muslim minority in Myanmar. Also, he met with Bill Gates during the Global Vaccine Summit in Abu Dhabi in April 2013. He initiated the Muslim Council of Elders which embraces leading scholars (including the Sheikh of Al-Azhar), and presided over a large gathering of religious scholars at a forum entitled âForum for Promoting Peace in Muslim SoÂcietiesâ, which has now been established as an organiÂzation (based in the UAE). He has been criticized for accepting support from the UAE, which is currently involved in several regional conflicts.
The Marrakesh Declaration: Sheikh Abdallah bin Bayyah led around 250 Muslim religious leaders, in addition to approximately 50 non-Muslim religious leaders, in a three-day summit in Marrakesh entitled: âThe Rights of Religious Minorities in PredominantÂly Muslim Majority Communities: Legal Framework and a Call to Actionâ. The summit used the original Charter of Medina, drawn up by the Prophet MuÂhammad ď§ himself, as a basis for addressing the current crisis of religious minorities in parts of the Muslim world. With extremists committing violence in the name of Islam against other religions, as well as against most Muslims, it was necessary to voice the position of normative Islam vis-Ă -vis religious minorÂities through a gathering of its leading scholars. The summit concluded with the release of the 750-word Marrakesh Declaration (see page <124>).
