Sri Lanka lost one of the figures of Islamic advocacy and thought last Friday, March 29, 2024. God destined for him a blessed ending in the blessed month, as the deceased spent his life for the sake of the Islamic religion.

Professor Sheikh Muhammad Ibrahim Hassan Lebbe died last Friday, March 29. We ask God to have mercy on him and grant him paradise.

The Sri Lankan Muslim community in the State of Kuwait, in coordination with the Islamic Cooperation Office of the Social Reform Society, held a condolence reception for the Sheikh on Sunday, March 31, 2024, at the Society’s office, during which Professor  Agar Muhammad, Rector of Islamic university of Naleemiah in Sri Lanka, the guest of the community in the last ten days of Ramadan, gave a speech about the deceased.

Born in 1937 in Uyanwatte, Sheikh Ibrahim began his education at the village school and later joined Maharagama Ghafooriya Arabic College. He established ties with the Sri Lanka Jamaathe Islami.

• He joined the teaching profession under the ministry of Education and studied Arabic under Professor S.A. Imam at the University of Peradeniya.
• After his degree results, he was appointed as a lecturer in Arabic and Islamic Civilization at the University of Kelaniya and then at the University of Peradeniya.
• Sheikh Ibrahim joined the Sri Lanka Jamaat-e-Islami in 1957 and was appointed its General Secretary in 1958. He held several important positions in Jamaat, including the Ameer of the Jamaath from 1976 to 1982.
• After retirement, he held the position of deputy Ameer and dedicated himself to establishing two important educational institutions.
• Sheikh Ibrahim is a founder member of the International Islamic Charity Organization (IICO) and acted as the student counsellor of the Islamic Development Bank Scholarship program in Sri Lanka.
• He held the post of Vice President of the All Ceylon Jamiatul Ulema, the umbrella organization of Muslim theologians in the country.
• He contributed to university and national education curricula related to Islam and Islamic Civilization and served as the chief examiner for these subjects for the G.C.E. Advanced Level and Ordinary Level examinations conducted by the Department of Examinations under the Ministry of Education.
• He was a pioneer in the Islamic religious education sector in Sri Lanka, leading to the establishment of institutions such as Madampe Islahiya Arabic College, Puttalam Islaahiya Ladies College, and Tanweer Academy.
• He established the Serendib Institute for Research and Development (SIRD) and served as its head for several years.
• He was the Chief Editor of the monthly publication of the Jamaat 'Al Hasanath' and spearheaded the formation of an umbrella organization of the Muslim civil society organizations named Ittihadul Muslimeen.
• Despite his long involvement with the Jamaat-e-Islami, he never accepted any remuneration for his services.
• Sheikh Muhammad Ibrahim Hassan Lebbe died last Friday, March 29.

Al-Mujtama Magazine expresses its sadness and condolences for the deceased, and we ask Allah to have mercy on him and grant him the highest paradise.