Usāmah al-Rifāʻī

Sheikh Osama al-Rifai (born 1944) is a Syrian Sunni Muslim scholar who has been the grand mufti of Syria since March 2025, the highest religious authority in the country. He belongs to the Ash'ari school of theology, and is affiliated with the "Zayd Group", a Sufi movement founded by his father. He was an advocate for the Syrian revolution until the fall of the Assad regime in 2024.

Career al-Rifai has been active in Sunni Islamic scholarship since the 1970s. He is a member of the "Zayd Group", a Sufi movement led by his father that emerged in the 1940s. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, his influence in religious circles brought him under scrutiny from the Syrian government. In 1981, he left Syria for Saudi Arabia following his affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood amid a government crackdown on Islamic groups. While in Saudi Arabia, he continued his religious and scholarly activities, with a focus on community outreach. On 27 August 2011, Syrian security forces and militia reportedly attacked the mosque during the tahajjud prayer of the Laylat al-Qadr, injuring al-Rifai and numerous worshippers. While in Turkey, he operated primary and university level educational institutions. Following the start of the 2017 Idlib Governorate clashes, Al-Rifai took the side of the Syrian rebel factions led by Ahrar al-Sham and declared the Al-Nusra Front to be heretical Khawarij, calling on all of its members to defect from the organisation. He denounced "takfiri ideology" and accused both al-Qaeda and the Islamic State of adhering to it.

Controversies

Appointment Some Salafist figures, including the cleric Tariq Abdelhaleem and the Telegram channel Aqwal al-Arab, criticised the Syrian authorities for appointing a "polytheist, Asharite, Mu'tazilite tomb-worshipper" to the position of grand mufti. Al-Rifai was also attacked by them for previously issuing a fatwa supporting the expulsion of foreign fighters from Syria.

Gender roles Al-Rifai has been criticized for remarks regarding gender roles and foreign influence in Syria. During a sermon in Azaz, he alleged that United Nations workers and other organizations were promoting women's liberation ideas that he viewed as disruptive to Syrian family structures.

Shia Islam Al-Rifai has been accused of holding sectarian positions against Shia Muslims, having declared Shiites to be apostates and a “danger to Islam” who bear a "great hatred to Sunni Muslims" in a 2020 sermon.

Meeting with Ismail Haniyeh In July 2022, Al-Rifai attended a meeting honouring Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh's granddaughter for becoming a Hafiza of the Qur'an. This caused controversy among the Syrian opposition groups, as Hamas had recently restored its relations with the Ba'athist-led regime at the time. The Syrian Islamic Council's spokesperson later claimed that they had discouraged Hamas from taking this course of action during the meeting.