Scholars and religious figures
Sheikh Omar Farouk (Sheekh Cumar Faaruuq)
Sheikh Omar Farouk Haji Abdi Sultan (1939–2011) was a Somali Islamic scholar and preacher, known for recording a full Somali commentary (tafsir) on the Quran. Born near Kebri Dahar, he studied at the Islamic University of Madinah. He took part in the 2000 Arta peace conference and administered the oath to President Abdiqasim Salad Hassan. He died in Mecca in March 2011.
Sheikh Omar FaroukSheekh Cumar Faaruuq · Omar Farouk Haji Abdi Sultan
- Lived
- 1939 to 2011
- Known as one of
- Scholars and religious figures
- Places
- Muqdisho and Banaadir
- Era
- Toward independence, 1920 to 1960; The Republic, 1960 to 1991; Rebuilding without a state, 1991 to 2012
- Sources
- 1 sources
Who was he?
Sheikh Omar Farouk Haji Abdi Sultan was a Somali cleric, scholar, Quran interpreter and preacher (Wikipedia, 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, in the Somali Region of Ethiopia (Wikipedia). 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 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). Under the Supreme Revolutionary Council 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 (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). 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). 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). He took part in the Somali National Peace Conference at Arta, Djibouti, in 2000 (same source). Djibouti's President 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 (same source). In 2009 he supported the reconciliation initiative of Sharif Sheikh Ahmed (same source). See the transitional governments, 2000 to 2012.
Death and legacy
He died in Mecca on 8 March 2011, aged 71, and was buried there (Wikipedia). 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.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Omar Farouk · en.wikipedia.org
Sheikh Omar FaroukSheekh Cumar Faaruuq · Omar Farouk Haji Abdi Sultan
- Lived
- 1939 to 2011
- Known as one of
- Scholars and religious figures
- Places
- Muqdisho and Banaadir
- Era
- Toward independence, 1920 to 1960; The Republic, 1960 to 1991; Rebuilding without a state, 1991 to 2012
- Sources
- 1 sources
Toosoo!
Calankii is made by Toosoo, which works for one united, prosperous Somalia.
Can you help with Sheikh Omar Farouk (Sheekh Cumar Faaruuq)? Tell us what you can give.
I want to help with this
Where this matters
Same era
- Australia18,401 people of Somali ancestry and 8,101 born in Somalia lived in Australia at the 2021 Census, more than half in Victoria. History, work, issues.
- Birmingham (Somali diaspora)About 17,000 to 21,600 Somalis live in Birmingham (Census 2021), mostly in Nechells, Newtown, Small Heath and Alum Rock. History, work, health and ties home.
- Bristol (Somali diaspora)9,167 people in Bristol identified as Somali or Somalilander in Census 2021, the city's largest minority group. Where they live, work, housing, leaders and ties home.
- Calgary, Alberta, Canada2,845 people of Somali origin lived in Calgary at the 2021 Census, plus 890 in Brooks. How they came, who serves them and what they face.
- Denmark (Somali diaspora)21,885 people of Somali origin lived in Denmark in 2026, half born there. Numbers, history, work, permit reviews, and ties home.
- DjiboutiAbout 13,900 refugees from Somalia live in Djibouti (Aug 2026): numbers since 1990, Ali Addeh, Holl-Holl, the 2017 refugee law, Arta 2000 and 2025 returns.
Keep reading
- Aw Barkhadle (Sheikh Yusuf al-Kawneyn)Aw Barkhadle (Sheikh Yusuf al-Kawneyn), medieval scholar and saint: his teaching, the Somali names for Arabic letters, and his tomb near Hargeisa.
- Sa'id of Mogadishu (Saciid Muqdisho)Sa'id of Mogadishu (1301–about 1361): 14th-century Somali scholar who studied in Mecca and Medina, travelled to India and China, and met Ibn Battuta.
- Sheikh Uways al-Barawi (Sheekh Uweys)Sheikh Uways al-Barawi (1847–1909), Baraawe scholar who spread the Qadiriyya across East Africa: his life, teaching, poems and death.
- Osman Yusuf Kenadid (Cismaan Yuusuf Keenadiid)Osman Yusuf Kenadid (1889–1972), inventor of the Osmanya script for Somali, poet, teacher and founding member of the Somali Youth League.
- Shire Jama Ahmed (Shire Jaamac Axmed)Shire Jama Ahmed (1936–1999), the linguist who designed the Somali Latin alphabet adopted in 1972 and used by Somalis today.
- Musa Haji Ismail Galaal (Muuse Xaaji Ismaaciil Galaal)Musa Galaal (1917–1980): scholar of Somali language, poetry and weather lore, and a maker of the Somali alphabet.