Mohammad Amin Sheikho

Mohammad Amin Sheikho (محمد أمين شيخو) was a Kurdish scholar and interpreter of the Quran born in 1890 CE (1308 AH).

Early life and education
Sheikho was born at al-Ward district of the Sarouja Quarter in Damascus, Syria. His parents were emigrés from Northern Kurdistan. He was raised in an Arab-styled house situated opposite the public Al-Ward Bath house, which still stands today.

Sheikho was still young when his father, the merchant Ismael Sheikho, died. Mohammad Saleem, the elder and only brother of Mohammad Amin, was appointed as the director of the Military School during Ottoman rule.

At the age of twelve, he was enrolled at the Al-Rashidiya School. He then went on to complete his studies at Amber, the Royal Ottoman Faculty in Damascus. Sheiko earned certificates of commendation and praise during the Ottoman rule, as well as under the reign of King Faisal of Syria, copies of which still exist to this day.

Public administration
During the period of Turkish rule, he served as the head of many police stations in Damascus and its dependent counties. During the French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon he was appointed as a director of the prisons of the citadel of Damascus.

When the Great Syrian Revolt took place against the French forces, he helped the Syrian revolutionaries in their attempts to overthrow French rule. Due to his subversive activities the French governor of Syria issued an order for his execution.

Academic career
He was the companion of Sheikh Mohammed Amin Kuftaro for almost twenty years, and following his death, Sheikho became the next in succession to guide and teach the disciples of the eminent sheikh.

In 1953, philosopher Sir John Godolphin Bennett came from Britain to visit him. He remained in his company for three weeks which were filled with lengthy dialogues about Islam. Bennett asked Sheikho many questions about the exact definition of the ‘spirit’ and the difference between that and the ‘soul’, as well as seeking for clarification about Godly Justice, a topic which he found difficult to comprehend. As a result of this visit, Bennett practiced Islamic legislation and performed the prayers along with the followers of Mohammad Amin Sheikho.

Publications
Mohammad Amin Sheikho dictated many books about Islam in the Arabic language to his pupils, some of which have been translated into English and French.


 * The Envoy of Peace Looms on the Horizon: the Return of Jesus Christ.