Subhi bin Jassim bin Humaid al-Badri al-Samarrai (1936–2013) was a leading

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

muhaddith A muhaddith () is a scholar specialized in the study, collection, and interpretation of hadiths, which are the recorded sayings, actions, and approvals of the Prophet Muhammad. The role of a muhaddith is central to the science of hadith (ʻilm a ...

and one of the founders of

Salafi movement The Salafi movement or Salafism () is a fundamentalist revival movement within Sunni Islam, originating in the late 19th century and influential in the Islamic world to this day. The name "''Salafiyya''" is a self-designation, claiming a retu ...

History

He was born in Al-Rusafa,

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

. He was a policeman between 1951 and his retirement in 1977. In the early 1980s, he moved to

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

. He taught at

Masjid al-Haram Masjid al-Haram (), also known as the Sacred Mosque or the Great Mosque of Mecca, is considered to be the most significant mosque in Islam. It encloses the vicinity of the Kaaba in Mecca, in the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia. It is among the ...

Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...

. He also lectured at

Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU) (), commonly known as Al-Imam University (IMAMU) (Arabic: إمامو), is a public university in the sub-municipality of Shemal in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It was founded in 1950 as an Islamic semin ...

and

King Abdulaziz University King Abdulaziz University (KAU) () is a public research university in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Established in 1967 as a private university by a group of businessmen led by Muhammad Bakhashab and including author Hamza Bogary, it was named after ...

. He taught

Abdur-Rahman al-Mu'allimee al-Yamani Abd al-Rahman ibn Yahya ibn Ali (; 1894–1966), commonly known by the al-Mu'allimi al-Yamani (), was a Yemeni Islamic scholar. He played a significant role within the Salafi movement, aligning with the teachings of Ibn Taymiyya, Muhammad ibn Ab ...

at this time. He was also an honorary member of Ahl al-Hadeeth University in

Varanasi Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.* * * * The city has a syncretic tradition of I ...

, India. He also occupied a position at the

Permanent Committee for Islamic Research and Issuing Fatwas The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta (also the General Presidency of Scholarly Research and Ifta, ) is an Islamic organization in Saudi Arabia established by the King that issues rulings in Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) and prep ...

during his time in

. At some point he lectured at the Faculty of Archaeological Science in Gehalm, Pakistan. He returned to

in the late 80's and served as an imam at a mosque in

. He used this position to preach virulently about the

Shia Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

, denouncing them as

Rafida () refers to those Shia Muslims who reject the legitimacy of the caliphates of Abu Bakr (), Umar (), and Uthman (), in favor of Ali ibn Abi Talib (), the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. In particular, the term appears ...

. While in Baghdad he served various mosques, studying and teaching in them, including Al-Rawi al-Muradiya mosque in Rusafa, Mosque of Haj Mahmoud, mosque of Burhanuddin Mullah Hammadi in Karkh, the Mosque of al-Hakiki, Al-Muradiya Mosque and mosque of 12 Rabie I. He was part of the

Association of Muslim Scholars The Association of Muslim Scholars in Iraq () is a group of religious leaders in Iraq. It was formed on the 14 April 2003, four days after the 2003 invasion of Iraq, U.S.-led invasion demolished the Ba'ath Party (Iraqi-dominated faction), Ba'athi ...

and a friend of

Muhammad Nasiruddin al-Albani Muhammad Nasir al-Din (19142 October 1999), commonly known as al-Albani, was an Albanian Islamic scholar. A leading figure of Salafism, he is commemorated for his works on revaluation of hadith studies. Born in Shkodër, Albania, to a family ad ...

who he traveled with in

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

starting in 1991. He also knew Bin Baz, who said of him "this man (Subhi) is one of the remnants of the people of hadith in Iraq." He was a noted collector of Islamic manuscripts and traveled as far as

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, and

Princeton Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the Unit ...

in search of them. He wrote over 54 books on Islamic theology during his lifetime. In 1989, he began teaching at the University of Islamic Sciences in

. He later supervised the study of

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Ibrahim Awwad Ibrahim Ali al-Badri (28 July 1971 – 27 October 2019), commonly known by his ''nom de guerre'' Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was an Iraqi militant leader who was the founder and first leader of the Islamic State (IS), who proclaimed hims ...

. Between 1990 and 2003 he gained a bigger following as the government weakened and religious teachings began to spread widely. He left Iraq with his family after the 2003 invasion of Iraq by the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. In 2009, he moved to

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

, where he died in 2013 at the

American University of Beirut The American University of Beirut (AUB; ) is a private, non-sectarian, and independent university chartered in New York with its main campus in Beirut, Lebanon. AUB is governed by a private, autonomous board of trustees and offers programs le ...

Medical Center.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Samerai, Subhi al-Badri 1936 births 2013 deaths Iraqi Salafis Religious leaders from Baghdad Iraqi expatriates in Saudi Arabia Iraqi expatriates in Pakistan Iraqi expatriates in Lebanon Critics of Shia Islam Academic staff of Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University Academic staff of King Abdulaziz University