The Shrine of Sheikh Mahmoud Al-Habbal Al-Shafi‘i Al-Saghir

He was born in Damascus in 1907 and distinguished himself in many branches of knowledge, including Islamic jurisprudence, Hadith, Qur’anic exegesis, and the Arabic language. He studied under a number of eminent scholars, foremost among them the renowned Hadith scholar Sheikh Muhammad Badr al-Din al-Hasani. He also attended the lessons of the great scholar Muhammad ibn Ja‘far al-Kattani and received knowledge from Sheikh Muhammad ibn al-Hashimi al-Tilimsani al-Dimashqi, Sheikh Abu al-Khayr al-Maydani, Sheikh Amin Suwayd, Sheikh Muhammad Hashim al-Khatib, Sheikh Mahmoud al-Attar, Sheikh Saleh al-Aqqad, and many others. He learned the recitation of the Holy Qur’an, both by listening and direct reading, under the accomplished Qur’an reciter Sheikh Mahmoud Faiz al-Dayr Atani. He was regarded as one of his most distinguished and senior students. The Sheikh’s recitation was known for its remarkable precision and mastery of the subtle details of Qur’anic words and letters. At the same time, it was delivered with ease, clarity, and sweetness, free from affectation or excessive strain—a quality acknowledged by many renowned Qur’an reciters and scholars.