Abdulbari al-Thubaiti

Abdulbari Bin Awad al-Thubaiti (born 1961) is an imam and preacher at the Prophet’s Mosque. He was appointed in 1993 and previously served as an imam at the Grand Mosque. He was a Quran memorization teacher in Makkah al-Mukarramah and is an associate professor at the Institute of Imams and Preachers at Taibah University. He also serves as the chairman of the executive committee of the Board of Trustees of King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Endowment for His Parents and as the secretary-general of the Coordination Council between Charitable Societies in al-Madinah al-Munawwarah Province.

Abdulbari al-Thubaiti was born in Makkah al-Mukarramah City, where he grew up and received religious education that enabled him to memorize the Quran at an early age. In 1969, he enrolled at Darul Arqam Bin Abi al-Arqam Institute to study Islamic sciences at the Grand Mosque, which helped him begin teaching and memorizing the Quran to other students at the age of nine.

He spent six years as a Quran teacher while continuing his education. At fifteen, he was appointed as an imam at one of the mosques in Makkah al-Mukarramah by a decision of the Ministry of Hajj and Endowments (currently the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah). In 1977, he was sent on a scholarship to the United Kingdom by the Quran Memorization Association in Makkah al-Mukarramah, where he had the opportunity to lead Tarawih prayers at an Islamic center at the age of seventeen.

Abdulbari al-Thubaiti completed his primary and secondary education in the schools of Makkah al-Mukarramah. He participated in the local Quran memorization competition, securing first place at the national level. In 1979, he won first place in the International Competition for Quran Memorization and Recitation held in Makkah al-Mukarramah. He then pursued higher education at King Abdulaziz University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in 1984. Later, he obtained a higher diploma in Islamic law from Umm al-Qura University in 1989. He continued his studies at the same university, earning a master's degree in Islamic law in 1994. Afterward, he enrolled at the Islamic University in al-Madinah al-Munawwarah, where he obtained a doctorate in jurisprudence in 2001.

Abdulbari al-Thubaiti was appointed as an imam of the Grand Mosque in 1990, leading the Tarawih and Qiyam prayers. He spent several years in the education sector, serving as a teacher and later as assistant principal at Nahrawan Secondary School in Jeddah City in 1991. He then moved to the Quran Memorization Secondary and Middle School in the same city, where he was appointed principal in 1992. Two years later, a decision was issued appointing him as a lecturer at the Teachers’ Training College in al-Madinah al-Munawwarah. In 1993, he was approved for appointment as an imam and preacher at the Prophet’s Mosque. After earning his doctorate, he was appointed as an associate professor at the Institute of Imams and Preachers at Taibah University in al-Madinah al-Munawwarah.

Following his appointment as an imam and preacher at the Prophet’s Mosque, Abdulbari al-Thubaiti held various roles in al-Madinah al-Munawwarah. He is a member and chairman of the executive committee of the Board of Trustees of the King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Endowment for His Parents. From 2011 to 2013, he served as the supervisor of the Model Village for Orphan Care. He is also the secretary-general of the Charitable Society for Social Services, the secretary-general of the Coordination Council between Charitable Societies in al-Madinah al-Munawwarah Province, and the chairman of the Board of Directors of the Charitable Society for Marriage and Family Care (Osrati Association). Additionally, he serves as the vice chairman of the Board of Directors of the International Islamic University Malaysia and the chairman of its executive committee.