Abdul Karim Mudarris

Mala Abdul Karim Mudarris or Maulana Sheikh Abdul Karim Mudarris (1902 — 2005) was a Kurdish Faqih, Mufti of Iraq, and Quran interpreter, as well as a poet, writer, and translator. He was known by the epithet Mudarris (English: the teacher) because he taught Islamic sciences for more than 80 years. Al-Mudarris left a legacy of approximately 150 publications (in Arabic, Kurdish, and Persian languages) on a multitude of subjects (Islamic fiqh, shariah, Quran interpretation, hadith studies, history, poetry, rhetoric, etc.). The majority of this work got published. His book, "Two Sentences" (Kurdish: دوو رشته), which was published in 1982, is a dictionary which defines Arabic words in poems in Kurdish. He was the first person to translate the Quran into Kurdish. The Kurdistan governmental region has decided to open a place for his works. He was born between 1900-1905 (most probably 1902) in Gweza Kwera village, Marivan, Qajar Iran. He died on 30 August 2005 (aged 102–103) in Baghdad, Republic of Iraq, and was buried in the Mausoleum of Abdul-Qadir Gilani. He began his studies in Marivan and continued in Sulaimaniyah, Halabje, and Baghdad, studying under various scholars and eventually becoming a teacher himself. He taught in Halabja, Biyara, Sulaimaniyah, Kirkuk, and Baghdad, serving as Imam, Khatib, and teacher at prominent mosques. After retiring from official duties in 1973, he continued teaching and was appointed head of the ‘Ulama’ League of Iraq, also regarded as the Mufti of Baghdad.