Ekrima Sa'id Sabri

Biography

Ekrima Sa'id Sabri is a Palestinian Islamic scholar and cleric who served as Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine and who has long been the leading preacher of the al-Aqsa Mosque, making him one of the most recognizable religious authorities in contemporary Jerusalem. Born in Qalqilya in 1939, he pursued a thorough religious education, including study at al-Azhar in Cairo, earning advanced qualifications in Islamic jurisprudence. In 1994 he was appointed Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine by Yasser Arafat, a post he held until 2006. Over those years he built a reputation for learning, eloquence and an uncompromising defense of the sanctity of al-Aqsa and the wider Islamic character of Jerusalem, issuing rulings and sermons that addressed both spiritual and communal concerns of Palestinians living under occupation. Beyond the muftiship, Sabri has been a central institutional figure as head of the Supreme Islamic Council and the Islamic Higher Council in Jerusalem and as imam and khatib of al-Aqsa, where his Friday sermons reach large congregations and far beyond. His leadership of the religious establishment has made him a guardian of the mosque's status and of the rights of Muslim worshippers in the city. His prominence has repeatedly brought him into conflict with Israeli authorities, who have arrested him, interrogated him and at times banned him from entering al-Aqsa, actions that drew condemnation across the Muslim world and reinforced his standing as a symbol of steadfastness in defense of the holy sites. He has consistently framed the protection of al-Aqsa as a religious duty incumbent on all Muslims. For civil society and religion, Sabri matters as the contemporary embodiment of Jerusalem's senior Islamic religious authority, a scholar-preacher who has anchored the institutional and spiritual life of Muslim Jerusalem across decades of upheaval, keeping al-Aqsa at the center of Palestinian and pan-Islamic consciousness.

Why This Person Matters

As Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and the longtime preacher of al-Aqsa, Sabri has anchored the institutional and spiritual life of Muslim Jerusalem and become a leading symbol of the defense of the holy sites.

Historical Context

Ekrima Sa'id Sabri was born in Qalqilya in 1939 in the last decade of Mandatory Palestine and pursued his religious education through to advanced study at al-Azhar in Cairo, maturing as a scholar amid the occupation that followed 1967. His appointment in 1994 as Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine by Yasser Arafat came in the early Oslo period, placing him at the head of the city's Islamic religious establishment during years of deep political tension. Throughout his muftiship until 2006 he confronted what he framed as escalating threats to al-Aqsa and the Islamic character of Jerusalem under occupation. His repeated arrests, interrogations and bans from entering the mosque by Israeli authorities marked him as a figure of religious steadfastness in a contested city.

Historical Context

1. 1939 — Born in Qalqilya, Mandatory Palestine
2. 1948 — The Nakba – Palestinian catastrophe and mass displacement
3. 1967 — Six-Day War and occupation of West Bank and Gaza

Legacy & Influence

Sabri's legacy is his role as the contemporary embodiment of Jerusalem's senior Islamic religious authority, anchoring the institutional and spiritual life of the Muslim city across decades of upheaval. As head of the Supreme Islamic Council and the Islamic Higher Council and as longtime imam and khatib of al-Aqsa, his Friday sermons have reached vast congregations and helped keep the mosque at the center of Palestinian and pan-Islamic consciousness. His framing of the protection of al-Aqsa as a religious duty incumbent on all Muslims continues to resonate across the Muslim world. His repeated confrontations with the Israeli authorities reinforced his standing as a symbol of steadfastness, and he remains one of the most recognizable guardians of the holy sites in contemporary Jerusalem.

Topics & Themes

• British Mandate
• West Bank

References & Sources

1. Ekrima Sa'id Sabri — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ekrima_Sa'id_Sabri
2. Ekrima Sabri: Muslim Leader and Defender of al-Aqsa Mosque - Jerusalem Story — https://www.jerusalemstory.com/en/bio/ekrima-sabri