Al-Atassi Family - Atassi Muftis of Homs and Tripoli

Atassi Muftis of Homs and Tripoli

The office of Mufti of the town of Homs, the highest religious jurisdiction in the city, was hereditary in the Atassi family for over four centuries. At least 18 Atassi scholars held this position. In addition, two Atassis are known to have been Muftis of the city of Tripoli as well. The Sibaie House of Homs was another scholarly family of notables who were often in competition for the same seat, and were able to secure it at least five times in the town history.

The following are members of the family who assumes the position of Mufti:

(Dates represent period served in that position)

  • Al-Shihab Ahmad Sham al-Deen ibn Khalil al-Atassi, The first. 1533-1596.
  • Mahmood ibn Ahmad al-Atassi. Held position starting in 1596.
  • Ahmad ibn Mahmood al-Atassi, the second. Held position until death in 1653.
  • Hasan ibn Mahmood al-Atassi. Held position starting in 1653.
  • Mohammad ibn Ahmad al-Atassi, the first. Held position until death in 1698.
  • Ali ibn Hasan al-Atassi. Held position starting in 1703.
  • Abdul-Wahhab ibn Ali al-Atassi. mid-18th century, period not exactly known.
  • Burhan Al-Deen Ibraheem ibn Ali al-Atassi. Late 18th century, period in Homs not known, Mufti of Homs, later of Tripoli.
  • Yaseen ibn Ibraheem al-Atassi, Mufti of Tripoli.
  • Abdul-Sattar ibn Ibraheem al-Atassi. 1805-1829.
  • Saeed ibn Abdul-Sattar al-Atassi. 1830-1854.
  • Mohammad Abu-Al-Fath ibn Abdul-Sattar al-Atassi, the second. 1852-1882.
  • Mohammad Khaled ibn Mohammad al-Atassi. 1885-1894.
  • Abdul-Lateef ibn Mohammad Al-Atassi. 1894-1914
  • Mohammad Taher ibn M. Khaled al-Atassi. 1914-1940.
  • Mohammad Tawfeeq ibn Abdul-Lateef al-Atassi. 1940-1965.
  • Badr Al-Deen ibn Mahmood al-Atassi. 1965-1966.
  • Mohammad Tayyeb ibn Abdul-Fattah al-Atassi. 1966-1984.

Other members served as religious scholars in other capacities such as judges, chief clerks, and imams. One mufti, Sayed Ibraheem Efendi al-Atassi, also served as Mufti of Tripoli in the late 18th century. Taher al-Atassi served as the supreme judge of Basra in Iraq, and Nablus and Jerusalem in Palestine in the late Ottoman period.

Although members of the Atassi family were naturally involved in the politics of the city of Homs by virtue of holding the Mufti position and by belonging to the class of notables and Ashraf, it was not until the late 19th century that they started holding non-religious governmental offices. Two scholars who held the position of Mufti also held political offices: Khaled al-Atassi (1837–1908), and his son, Taher al-Atassi (1860–1940). Sayed Khaled Efendi Al-Atassi was elected as a deputy of Homs and Hama in 1876 to the first Parliament of the Ottoman Empire. In 1922, Sayed Taher Efendi was elected to the membership of the Council of the Syrian Union as a representative of Homs in the state of Damascus. Other Atassis followed suit.

Further influence through education was achieved by a tradition of sending the young men of the family to be educated at the Imperial capital of Istanbul during the Ottoman administration, and then to the Sorbonne and other European centers of learning during the French Mandate.

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