Abdul Hamid Al-Sayeh (1907-2001) was a fighter who participated in all stages of the Palestinian national struggle, and dedicated his life to supporting and protecting the holy city of Jerusalem. He was born in the city of Nablus, and is one of the most prominent founders of the Supreme Islamic Council in Jerusalem, after Israel occupied the city in 1967.
He served as Chief Justice of the West Bank, and chaired the Palestinian National Council between 1984 and 1993. He was known by the nickname “The Red Sheikh” because of his progressive revolutionary positions.
The birth and upbringing of Sheikh Abdul Hamid Al-Sayeh
Sheikh Abdul Hamid Al-Sayeh was born in the Qaysariyah neighborhood in the city of Nablus in 1907 AD, to his father Abdul Halim Al-Sayeh and his mother Subha Bakri.
He married Mrs. Fadhila Bakri, and they had three sons: Qadri, Osama, and Bassam, and three daughters: Nawal, Naila, and Basma.
Study and training
Abdul Hamid Al-Sayeh studied primary school at the “Al-Khan School” in Nablus, and continued his secondary education at the “Al-Rashidiya Al-Sharqiya School,” which later became known as the “Al-Salehiya School.” He attended teaching sessions in mosques.
After completing his secondary education in 1920, Abdul Hamid Al-Sayeh traveled to the Egyptian capital, Cairo, as part of a study mission chosen by a committee of Nablus scholars and dignitaries, so that its members could join Al-Azhar University.
He studied jurisprudence and Islamic sciences and obtained a certificate of eligibility in 1923, then obtained a certificate of universality in 1925.
During his studies at Al-Azhar, he joined the Sharia Judiciary School affiliated with the Egyptian Ministry of Education, and in 1927 he obtained a certificate specializing in Islamic Sharia.
Jobs and responsibilities held by Abdul Hamid Al-Sayeh
Abdul Hamid Al-Sayeh held many positions, including:
- Teacher at An-Najah National College in Nablus (1928-1929).
- Writer and Chief Clerk of the Nablus Sharia Court in 1930.
- Sharia judge in Nablus in 1935.
- Secretary General of the Supreme Islamic Council in 1939.
- Sharia judge of Jerusalem in 1941.
- Member of the Sharia Court of Appeal in 1946.
- Secretary General of the Supreme Islamic Council in Palestine.
- After the unification of the two banks of the Jordan, he was appointed President of the Sharia Court of Appeal in Jordan in 1950.
- Member of the Council of Endowments and Islamic Affairs.
- Member of the Al-Aqsa Mosque Reconstruction Council.
The political experience of Sheikh Abdul Hamid Al-Sayeh
After the “Buraq Revolution” in August 1929, Sheikh Abdul Hamid Al-Sayeh participated in establishing a secret society in Nablus whose goal was to educate people about the dangers of Zionist ambitions in Palestine and to urge them to struggle against British colonialism.
He was also a member of the conference held in Nablus on August 1, 1931 to protest the arming of the Jews. When the “Arab Independence Party” was founded (August 1932), he became one of its supporters and speakers at its meetings, without officially joining it. In October 1932, he also participated in the founding of the “Muslim Youth Association” in Nablus.
Abdul Hamid Al-Sayeh opposed the Israeli occupation, and because he was at the forefront of those opposing it, and called on citizens to resist it through the sermons and lessons he gave in Al-Aqsa Mosque, the occupation authorities decided on September 23, 1967 to deport him to Jordan. He was the first Palestinian to be deported by Israel from the Palestinian territories it occupied in the June 1967 war.
Sheikh Abdul Hamid Al-Sayeh was appointed Minister of Religious Affairs and Holy Places in Jordan in 1968, and continued in this position until the end of June 1970, then he was appointed Chief Justice and Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs and Holy Places again.
He was elected President of the Palestinian National Council, which was held in Amman in November 1984, succeeding Khaled Al-Fahoum, after political differences between the Palestinian factions, as those opposing Yasser Arafat’s leadership boycotted the council.
A new executive committee was elected and Sheikh Abdul Hamid Al-Sayeh continued as the council’s president until he retired from political work and resigned from the council’s presidency in 1993.
Al-Sayeh lived as a national fighter who dedicated his life to supporting the Palestinian cause and protecting the holy city of Jerusalem. After his expulsion from his homeland in 1967, he continued his struggle and fighting, and carried the banner of educating Arabs and Muslims about the issue of Jerusalem. He worked to hold the major conference in Amman in 1968, which resulted in the establishment of a permanent committee to save Jerusalem.
Awards and Honors
Sheikh Abdul Hamid Al-Sayeh received several medals and awards, including:
- Order of the Renaissance, First Class, from Jordan, September 1967.
- Medal of Intellectual Efficiency, Excellent Class, January 1968, from Morocco.
- In 2013, President of the Palestinian National Authority Mahmoud Abbas awarded him the “Star of Honor Medal, Highest Class” in recognition of his national role.
The writings of Sheikh Abdul Hamid Al-Sayeh
The late Abdul Hamid Al-Sayeh left many books, the most prominent of which are:
- Principles of Islam.
- The approach of Islam.
- Islamic education.
- The Palestinian Intifada: Its Future and Role in Liberation.
- What after burning Al-Aqsa Mosque?
- Palestine, No Prayer Under the Bayonets: The Memoirs of Sheikh Abdul Hamid Al-Sayeh.
- The status of Jerusalem in Islam.
His death
Sheikh Abdul Hamid Al-Sayeh died on January 8, 2001 in Amman, and was buried in Jerusalem according to his will.
