Al-Khalili talked about his studies, which were far from the regular schools, describing himself as falling short in seeking knowledge, despite his many scientific additions, as his education was at the hands of his parents and those who came from scholars calling for Islam in East Africa, specifically in Zanzibar. Others are away from school, he says.
He also recounted his first meeting with the late Sultan of Oman, Qaboos bin Said, which took place at Al Alam Palace in Muscat a week after his return from Dhofar a week in 1970, when Sultan Qaboos called opinion leaders and thinkers to a meeting that would like sedition and dialogue for the sake of the country's interest.
Regarding his relationship with Sultan Qaboos, Al-Khalili confirmed that he was critical of many things, such as drinking alcohol, sulfur and other issues, and that despite his criticism, he was not subjected to any harassment or exclusion because of his views, indicating at the same time that the late Sultan, in turn, was listening to advice.
Relationship with the ruler
And about the nature of the Mufti’s relationship with the head of state and the independence of the fatwa from political pressures, Ahmed Al-Khalili said that he assumed the role of the Mufti at the age of 33, and the first tasks he worked was to confront the communist tide in the region by engaging in lengthy dialogues with the communist-affected youth at the time.
And about the difficulties he faced at that stage, he spoke about being accused of standing with imperialism against communism, which he denied himself, stressing that he stood against all kinds of capitalist and communist oppression, praising Sultan Qaboos’s dealings with the communist revolution, explaining that he dealt with it with a golden hand by opening There is room to pardon everyone and allow them to return, and another iron hand to confront the conspirators and return them to the house of obedience, he said.
Ibadi Center
Regarding the transformation of the Sultanate of Oman to the center of the Ibadi sect, and the way it deals with the multi-sectarian environment, the Sultanate’s mufti confirmed that the roots of the sect go back to the year 130 AH, and that the sect deals with everyone openly except for 3 types, and they are polytheists and worshipers of idols, or an infidel from the People of the Book, or an imam. tyrannical domineering over the necks of people
He added that the Ibadis do not ask anyone other than the two testimonies, and consider everyone who pronounces the two testimonies a brother who must be taken care of, stressing that the Ibadi do not follow the ruler, but rather reject him if he does not rule by the law of God, denouncing the saying of some scholars - from other sects - forbidding rebellion against the ruler even if he comes out fornication. On the live air, pointing out that the Ibadhi sect only wants to rule by what God has revealed, establish justice and grant people freedom.
Al-Khalili indicated that he studied religious sciences with students of the Shafi’i, Maliki and Hanafi schools of thought, and studied the Shiite heritage, adding that the fatwa in Ibadi is derived from the Qur’an and Sunnah and the consensus of scholars from the specialists.
life in Zanzibar
Regarding religious coexistence on the island of Zanzibar during his infancy, the Grand Mufti of the Sultanate confirmed that there were many “coexisting” sects on the island, such as the Ibadhis, the Shafi’is and a few Hanafis, and the Ja’fari Twelver Shiites, explaining that the Ibadis and the Shafi’is were close to each other, and they had the same science councils.
Regarding the circumstances of his departure from Zanzibar in the early sixties after the coup, Al-Khalili described what happened as the black coup, and that it was due to the failure to confront the leftist currents that colonialism contributed to feeding, citing the failure to introduce the Arabic language to Zanzibar as one of the main reasons for facilitating the coup, in addition to neglecting Islamic education curricula. in primary schools.
On how Al-Khalili and his family survived the massacres against the Arabs after the coup, he confirmed that he left the country on board the Pakistani pilgrims ship, accompanied by his parents and brother, under the supervision of the Red Cross.
He continues that after returning to Oman, he settled in his village "Bahla", where he worked as a teacher in the village mosque, and then was asked to Muscat to study at Al Khor Mosque, which allowed him to accompany the Sultanate's Mufti at the time, Sheikh Ibrahim bin Saeed bin Mohsen Al Abri, who described him as open to world by reading newspapers and listening to radio.
Sheikh Ahmed Al-Khalili was born in Zanzibar, and lived there until he was 22 years old, as his father worked in trade during the days of the Omani rule before they left it to return to the Sultanate after the coup in Zanzibar in the early sixties of the last century.