আহমাদ আল রাইসুনি

Sheikh Dr. Ahmad Al-Raysuni is a Moroccan Islamic scholar and jurist. He served as president of the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) until his retirement in 2022. He was the former head of the Movement of Unity and Reform (MUR), an organization closely linked to the Muslim Brotherhood and the Moroccan Justice and Development Party. Raysuni, is one of main figures in the Moroccan Sufi Islamic reform and revivalist movement started by Allal al-Fassi. Raysuni retired from the IUMS in 2022 after stating that Mauritania's existence was "a mistake". Raysuni was born on 1953, in the village of Ouled Soltane, near Ksar el-Kebir. He finished his primary and secondary education in the Ksar el-Kebir, where he obtained a Baccalaureate in modern literature. Raysuni earned his bachelor's degree in Sharia from the University of al-Qarawiyyin in 1978. He completed his postgraduate studies at Mohammed V University, where he obtained a master's degree in 1989 and a doctorate in 1992. He was the first secretary-general of the Moroccan Association of Alumni in Greater Islamic Studies from 1992 to 1996. Raysuni founded the Islamic Future Association (LAI) in 1994. The LAI later merged with the Reform and Renewal Movement, led by Abdelilah Benkirane, creating the Movement of Unity and Reform (MUR) in 1996. He presided the MUR until his resignment in 2003. Raysuni was the editor-in-chief of the daily newspaper Attajadid from 2000 until 2004. Raysuni is a founding member of the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), he was a member of the union's executive board before being elected vice-president in 2013. He later became president of the IUMS from 2018 until his retirement in 2022. Raysuni is a senior expert at the International Islamic Fiqh Academy, and a visiting professor the Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies. He is a former professor of Islamic jurisprudence and Sharia at Mohammed V University. On August 28, 2022, Raysuni announced his retirement and resigned from presidency at the International Union of Muslim Scholars, he stated that his retirement was to "exercise my freedom of expression, without conditions, compromises or pressure, standing firmly to my positions and opinions". Raysuni is married and has five children.