He was born in 1960 in Damascus into a distinguished scholarly family, descended from Imam Hassan ibn Ali (may God be pleased with them both).
His father, Sheikh Muhammad Abu al-Faraj al-Khatib, was one of Damascus’s most prominent scholars and well-known preachers. His paternal grandfather, Sheikh Abdul Qadir al-Khatib, was the preacher of the Great Umayyad Mosque.
He has prominent brothers in the fields of jurisprudence, hadith, and engineering.
He studied applied geophysics at Damascus University and worked as a petrophysical engineer at the Euphrates Petroleum Company for six years.
He later earned a diploma in political science and international relations and a diploma in the art of negotiation.
He has preached at the Great Umayyad Mosque and the Dek al-Bab Mosque, attracting large audiences of young people.
He headed the Islamic Civilization Society and currently serves as its honorary president.
He has taught Sharia subjects at the Sheikh Badr al-Din al-Hasani Institute and the Institute of Refinement and Education for Sharia Sciences.
He has lectured and preached in several countries, including Nigeria, Bosnia, England, the United States, the Netherlands, and Turkey. He is a member of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, the Syrian Geological Society, and the Syrian Psychological Society.
He was arrested three times in 2011 and 2012 due to his support for the popular movement and the Syrian revolution, and left the country in July 2012 after severe security restrictions.
On November 11, 2012, he was elected president of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces.
In February 2013, he proposed an initiative for dialogue with the former regime, which was rejected by the regime and criticized by some opposition factions.
He resigned from the presidency of the coalition on March 24, 2013, preferring to operate freely, free from political pressure.
He rejected the designation of Jabhat al-Nusra as a terrorist organization in December 2012, before its affiliation with al-Qaeda was announced.
In March 2019, he published a video titled “A Calm Dialogue with the Pharaoh of Syria,” in which he called for a Syrian-Syrian dialogue without preconditions.
In December 2022, he launched an initiative titled “Syria is Dying… What’s the Solution?” In it, he proposed the formation of a technocratic government with the support of all parties, including Bashar al-Assad, with the latter subsequently withdrawing.
To this day, he remains one of the most prominent voices combining moderate Islamic discourse with a reformist political vision, and is viewed as a symbol of both moderation and boldness.
We, in the Syrian Future Movement, and out of our belief in the role of scholars and reformers in shaping awareness and confronting tyranny, announce the honoring of Sheikh Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib al-Hasani by awarding him the movement’s symbolic shield, in appreciation of his positions, his role in supporting the Syrian revolution, and his sincere support for humanitarian values, freedom, and human rights.
