The funeral of the His Majesty the King’s former Advisor, the late Abbes Jirari took place on January 21 in Rabat.
The funeral of the late Jirari, who passed away on January 20, at the age of 86, took place following Addohr and funeral prayers at Chouhada mosque, in the presence of His Majesty the King’s Advisor, Fouad Ali El Himma, and the Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs, Ahmed Toufiq, per the High Directives of His Majesty King Mohammed VI.
The remains of the late Abbès Jirari were buried at Chouhada cemetery in the presence of members of his family and close friends, and several other personalities.
Born on February 15, 1937, in Rabat, the late Jirari was considered the Dean of literature in Morocco and one of the pioneers of culture both in Morocco and the Arab world.
The deceased held several academic and scientific positions, as he was a member of the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco, Professor at the Faculties of Letters in Fez, Meknes, and Rabat, Professor at the Royal College, and Dean of the Faculty of Letters at Cadi Ayyad University in Marrakech.
Jirari had also held the functions of Chargé de Mission in the Royal Cabinet, Secretary of Foreign Affairs at the Moroccan Embassy in Cairo in 1962, President of the Council of Ulemas of Rabat-Salé in 1994, and Khatib of Lalla Soukaina Mosque in Rabat in 1989.
It is worth noting that the late Jirari was a member of the Arabic Language Academies of Cairo and Damascus, a member of the Jordanian Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought (formerly known as the Royal Academy for Islamic Civilization Research), the League of Researchers in Arab Popular Heritage, the Association of Middle East Anthropology, and the Association of Moroccan Historians.
Jirari was also a member of the Council of Al Qarawiyine University, Vice-President of Ribat Al Fath Association, and honorary President of the Association for Research in Muslim Western Literature.
The deceased was decorated with Wissam Al Arch first class (Great Officer). He also received the Arab Historian Decoration, the Medallion of the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco as well as the Grand Prize of Merit and the Decoration of Merit (Egypt).
The late Jirari holds a Bachelor’s degree in Arabic Literature (Cairo University, 1961), a Master’s degree in Arabic Letters (1965), and a State Doctorate in Letters at the same university (1969). He is the author of several works and research papers covering Arab heritage and Islamic thought, including “Freedom and Literature”, “Culture in the Era of Change” and “Religion and Politics”, among others.
