What
did Sheik Kishk say about the Iraqi-Iranian war? What
Sheik Kishk will do if he was Sheik Al-Azhar?
Short Biography
of Sheik Kishk
The Egyptian sheikh
Abdul Hamid Kishk passed away on the 6th of December 1996,
at the age of 63. The Sheikh was very well known around the
world for his fiery Jumaa khutbas and his outspoken stance
against injustice and oppression in the Muslim world. Cassette
recordings of his talks have been circulating throughout the
world in Arabic speaking circles, and his knowledge, style
and eloquence have driven many to change their lives. It is
perhaps the mercy of Allah that he therefore passed away while
in Sujood, on the day of Jumu'ah, as he prayed remembering
the occasion of Isra' and Mi'raj.
The Sheikh was born in 1933 in Shibrakheet, a small village
near Alexandria, Egypt in a very poor family. His father passed
away before Abdul Hamid reached schooling age. He joined one
of the schools of Azhar and by the age of 8 he had memorized
the Quran. It was at this time that he was inflicted by an
illness which took his sight. However, rather than demoralize
him, the loss of his sight encouraged him to learn more and
persevere further.
He graduated as a scholar from the faculty of Usoul al Din
in Azhar and was appointed as an Imam, giving kutbas all over
Egypt. Around 1964 he took up the minbar of 'Ain al-Hayat
mosque in Cairo as his platform and started to speak vociferously
about the social conditions in Egypt and the suppression of
the Islamic Movement. This did not stop him from having distinctly
spiritual approach to life, something which his speeches reflect.
In 1966 he was arrested and was imprisoned and tortured for
two years.
When Sheikh Kishk was released in 1968, he did not walk out
of prison with his head bowed down to the Regime but he became
even more critical and energetic. Though he was arrested and
released many times after this, it was over the next 10 years
that the most of his audio and video tapes were recorded,
more than 2500 tapes are in circulation! His speeches became
so popular that the Mosque was extended 3 times to accommodate
the congregation. During 1981 and 1982 Sheikh Abdul Hamid
was again imprisoned, but this time on his release he was
forbidden to give any more speeches. Even this did not silent
him, for upto 1996, this blind man wrote over 115 books and
booklets, including a tafsir, (one of his books, on Angels,
has been translated to English by Dar Al-Taqwa, London).
The inspiration he gave us all, the love and respect that
people felt for him, will always keep his memory alive. May
Allah forgive and bless the soul of Sheik Abdul Hamid Kishk.(Ameen)
