Professor Al-Seddiq M. Al-Darir

Al-Seddiq Al-Darir graduated from Law School and obtained his Ph.D. in Islamic religious law (Sharia) from Cairo University in Egypt in 1967. He was a Professor Emeritus at Khartoum University, and a member of Arabic Language Academy in Khartoum, the Islamic Fiqh Academy in Jeddah, and the Islamic Fiqh Academy of the Organization of the Islamic Conference in Makkah, and an honorary member of the Indian Islamic Academy at Aligarh. He was also a member of the Supervisory Commission of Islamic Financial Institutions in Bahrain, and Chairman of the Supervisory Commission of Islamic Banks, Financing, and Insurance Institutions in Sudan and was considered the pioneer of that field in Sudan.

Shaikh Al-Darir started his career as an administrator before joining the Faculty of Law in Khartoum University, where he became a Professor of Islamic Sharia. He authored a number of books on Islamic financial dealings such as terms of contracts, insurance, banking, equities and loans. These books include: Insurance Contracts in Islam; Family Law System in Sharia Courts in the Sudan, and Al-Gharar in Contracts and its effect on Contemporary Transaction. The last-mentioned text is particularly important, thoroughly researched and well-documented work that reflects Al-Darir’s deep knowledge of the fundamental economic concepts of Islam and their applications in contemporary economics and finance. Professor Al-Darir also wrote many scholarly articles on Islamic financial dealings and participated in conferences and lectured at several Arab universities.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.