# Sheikh Omar Farouk (Sheekh Cumar Faaruuq)

> Sheikh Omar Farouk (1939–2011): Somali scholar known for his recorded Quran tafsir, Arta 2000 participant, died in Mecca.

Source page: https://calankii.com/en/people/sheikh-omar-farouk/
Last checked: 2026-11-12
Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com)

## Who was he?

Sheikh Omar Farouk Haji Abdi Sultan was a Somali cleric, scholar, Quran interpreter and preacher ([Wikipedia, Omar Farouk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omar_Farouk)). This page records his life without taking sides.

## Early life and study

He was born in 1939 in a village near Kebri [Dahar](/en/regions/dhahar/), in the Somali Region of Ethiopia ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omar_Farouk)). He lost both parents before he was six and was raised by his grandmother (same source). He memorised the Quran by 11, then studied Islamic law and Arabic in the Somali Region and the former Northern Frontier District of Kenya, before reaching Mogadishu (same source). His teachers included [Sheikh](/en/regions/sheikh/) Ibrahim Sule (same source). In 1974 he entered the Islamic University of Madinah and earned a degree in Sharia (same source).

## Teaching and arrest

He taught Islamic law and Quran commentary in Mogadishu ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omar_Farouk)). Under the [Supreme Revolutionary Council](/en/history/somali-democratic-republic-1969-1991/) he was arrested over a commentary on a verse of Surat al-An'am, which was taken as a reference to the government of [Siad Barre](/en/people/siad-barre/) (same source). He was held for 42 days (same source).

He recorded a full commentary on the Quran, as well as lessons on Arabic grammar, the life of the Prophet, the Companions and *Riyad as-Salihin* ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omar_Farouk)). He preached across Europe and Africa (same source).

## Ethiopia and al-Shabaab

Wikipedia describes him as a vocal critic of Ethiopian military involvement in Somalia ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omar_Farouk)). It says he survived two assassination attempts, in the late 1990s and in 2001, which it attributes to Ethiopian intelligence (same source). It also describes him as a strong critic of al-Shabaab's methods (same source).

## Peace work

After 1991 he visited Somalia several times to work for reconciliation ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omar_Farouk)). He took part in the Somali National Peace Conference at Arta, Djibouti, in 2000 (same source). Djibouti's President [Ismail Omar Guelleh](/en/people/ismail-omar-guelleh/) gave him Djiboutian citizenship and an honorary seat in the transitional parliament (same source). He administered the oath of office to President [Abdiqasim Salad Hassan](/en/people/abdiqasim-salad-hassan/) (same source). In 2009 he supported the reconciliation initiative of [Sharif Sheikh Ahmed](/en/people/sharif-sheikh-ahmed/) (same source). See [the transitional governments, 2000 to 2012](/en/history/transitional-governments-2000-2012/).

## Death and legacy

He died in Mecca on 8 March 2011, aged 71, and was buried there ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omar_Farouk)). On 20 November 2019 the Sheikh Omar Farouk Foundation for Da'wah and Development was launched in Mogadishu to collect his commentary and fatwas (same source).

## In short

A Somali scholar known for his recorded Quran commentary, who took part in the Arta peace conference in 2000 and died in Mecca in 2011.

---
I want to help with this: email hello@calankii.com. Fix this page: email hello@calankii.com with the page link and your source.