The 500 Most Influential Muslims - The Royal Islamic Strategic ...

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HER EMINENCE SHEIKHA MUNIRA QUBEYSI
Leader of the Qubeysi Movement
Munira Qubeysi is the head of the largest women-only
Islamic movement in the world. It offers Islamic education
exclusively to girls and women. Qubeysi commands
around 80 schools in Damascus alone, teaching
more than 75 thousand students. She is one of the most
significant Islamic scholars in the world; her movement
focuses on learning the Qur’an and comprehensive Hadith
collections by heart. Qubeysi is arguably the most
influential Muslim woman in the world, albeit in great
discretion.
Country: Syria
Date of Birth: 1933
Source of Influence: Scholarly
Influence: More than 75 thousand
students in Damascus
alone
School of Thought: Traditional
Sunni
Rank: 2010:24 · 2009:31
Female Muslim Order
At a time when clandestine meetings of Islamic organizations are proscribed in Syria, Sheikha
Qubeysi’s network, the Qubaisiat, has legally been permitted to host classes and meetings in
mosques since 2006—although they had been operating as a secret society for long before
that time. Members of the Qubaisiat identify themselves, and ranks within the group, based
on specific colors and articles of clothing—headscarves knotted at the neck, and overcoats
denoting membership status. Women within the network are provided a unique role within
Arab society as scholars and teachers exclusively catering to the needs of Muslim women; they
provide an open forum to address religious questions and discuss religious issues.
Milestones in Islamic Education
Qubeysi is influential as the leader of an incredibly successful educational movement. The
religious education of women in Syria had previously been neglected so the emergence of
a female-specific educational initiative has become very popular, making the al Qubaisiat,
in numbers, the leading Islamic movement in Syria. Qubeysi’s students are also at the forefront
of a significant achievement in Islamic history in regards to education—no less than
70 Qubaisiat have memorized the ‘Nine Texts of the Sunna’ which include major canonical
books of Hadith with extensive chains of narration in addition to the entire Qur’an. By
training this sizeable group of female scholars, Shiekha Qubeysi has made Islamic knowledge
widely accessible, and is credited for the resurgence of Islamic education in Syria.
Leading an Islamic Revival in Syria
Qubeysi’s influence in Syria is due to the fact that she has been able to develop a very large
network of madrassas (religious schools) without attracting the criticism of the government,
which has traditionally been dubious of large networks of Muslim organizations. The organization
follows traditional Sunni practice, and follows the Shafi’i school of thought. Although
member groups are found in Jordan, Kuwait and Lebanon, Damascus is the center of the
revivalist movement.