Maarouf al-Dawalibi

Maarouf al-Dawalibi (Arabic: معروف الدواليبي, romanized: Maʿrūf al-Dawālībī; 29 March 1909 – 15 January 2004), was a Syrian politician and was twice the prime minister of Syria. He was born in Aleppo, and held a Ph.D. in Law. He served as a minister of economy between 1949 and 1950, and was elected speaker of the parliament in 1951. He also served as minister of defense in 1954.^[1] After the Ba'ath party came to power in 1963, he was imprisoned and later exiled, serving as an adviser to several Saudi kings, including King Khalid.^[2] His son, Nofal al-Dawalibi, is involved in the Syrian Opposition.^[3]

Maarouf al-Dawalibi
Prime Minister of Syria
In office 28 November 1951 – 29 November 1951
President	Hashim al-Atassi
Preceded by	Zaki al-Khatib
Succeeded by	Fawzi al-Silu
In office 22 December 1961 – 28 March 1962
President	Nazim al-Qudsi
Preceded by	Izzat al-Nuss
Succeeded by	Bashir al-Azma
Speaker of the Parliament of Syria
In office 23 June – 30 September 1951
Preceded by	Nazim al-Kudsi
Succeeded by	Rushdi al-Kikhya
Personal details
Born	29 March 1909 Aleppo, Aleppo vilayet, Ottoman Empire
Died	15 January 2004(2004-01-15) (aged 94) Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Political party	People's Party and the Muslim Brotherhood
Spouse	Umm Muhammad
Children	1
Alma mater	University of Damascus, Sorbonne University

Biography

Maarouf al-Dawalibi was born in Aleppo.^[4] He received his early education in Aleppo and graduated from the University of Damascus with a B.A. in Law. He did his doctoral studies at the Sorbonne University on the Roman Law.^[4]

Al-Dawalibi became a professor at the University of Damacus and authored al-Huqūq al-Rūmāniyah, which was later published by the university. When the university set up Faculty of the Shariah, he was appointed to teach the principles of Fiqh.^[4] He authored Madkhal ilā ʻilm uṣūl al-fiqh, a book that is taught in the seminaries affiliated with the Nadwatul Ulama.^[4]

Al-Dawalibi was married to Umm Muhammad,^[5] a French woman who converted to Islam after marrying him.^[6]

First government (1951)

1951 photograph showing Maarouf al-Dawalibi, the Syrian Prime Minister, on the left, next to Hashim al-Atassi, the Syrian President, in the middle.

Al-Dawalibi emerged as head of government following a cabinet crisis in November 1951;^[7] this crisis was precipitated by the resignation of Prime Minister Hassan al-Hakim, which resulted in a power vacuum in Syria.^[8][9] President Hashim al-Atassi tasked Maarouf al-Dawalibi with forming a new government, and he took office as prime minister on 28 November.^[10]

In an effort to oppose military intervention in government, al-Dawalibi retained the defense portfolio for himself, declining to appoint Colonel Fawzi Selu to the post.^[9] The tradition of appointing Selu as Minister of Defense had been established following Adib Shishakli's December 1949 coup and had been enforced in subsequent governments.^[6] Al-Dawalibi's assumption of the Ministry of Defense was soon challenged by Colonel Selu, who took his complaint to Adib Shishakli.^[9] On the same day as the government was formed, a meeting was held between Shishakli, al-Dawalibi and President Hashum Atassi, in which Shishakli demanded the dissolution of the government and the formation of a new one, aligned with the army's interests. Al-Dawalibi and Atassi refused to comply with his demands.^[10]

The al-Dawalibi cabinet was short-lived; it lasted only 12 hours after its formation before being overthrown by a Shishakli's coup d'état on 29 November.^[7] The coup resulted in the arrests of Premier al-Dawalibi and all of his ministers, who were placed in Mezzeh prison.^[10] After failed attempts to secure his resignation, al-Dawalibi finally submitted it on 1 December. President Hashim al-Atassi then tasked Hamid al-Khouja, an independent politician, with forming a new cabinet. However, growing opposition prevented the cabinet's formation, prompting Atassi to submit his resignation on December 2 to avoid a political impasse.^[8][9]

On December 3, Shishakli delegated the roles of prime minister and president to Fawzi Selu.^[9] In fact, Selu acted as a mere figurehead, while Shishakli established his military dictatorship.^[8] Al-Dawalibi was released from prison in 1952. He was subsequently subjected to a brief 1953 arrest due to his criticism of the government, after which he left the country and went into exile in Iraq.^[11] He returned to Syria after the 1954 coup d'état, which led to the overthrow of the Shishakli regime. The presidency was once again occupied by Hashim al-Atassi, who promised to complete his constitutional term.^[10] President Atassi resolved to restore the political normality that existed before the 1951 coup, and al-Dawalibi had to resubmit his resignation in accordance with constitutional procedures.^[6] Maarouf al-Dawalibi was incorporated as defense minister into Sabri al-Asali's cabinet, which lasted from 1 March to 19 June 1954.^[12] In this position, he fought to reduce the army's influence in the government and advocated for a law that prohibited military officers from participating in political parties.^[13]

Second government (1961–1962)

Following Syria's secession from its union with Egypt in 1961, President Nazim al-Qudsi tasked al-Dawalibi to form a government.^[6][13] Maarouf al-Dawalibi took office as prime minister on December 22, with a cabinet comprising 16 ministers.^[6] Besides leading the cabinet, al-Dawalibi also held the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs.^[14][11]

In January 1962, Maarouf al-Dawalibi offered the mediation of the Syrian government in the Iraq–Kuwait dispute [ar], which was sparked by Iraq's claim of sovereignty over the territory following Kuwait's independence in 1961. Iraqi President Abdul-Karim Qasim ignored the offer.^[15]

On 28 March 1962, a coup attempt led by Abdul Karim al-Nahlawi culminated in the arrest of Prime Minister Maarouf al-Dawalibi and President Nazim al-Qudsi. A few days later, on 1 April, a counter-coup by loyalist officers freed the two leaders and restored them to their positions, but al-Dawalibi was forced to submit his resignation to avoid further conflict with the military.^[6][13]

Exile and death

Al-Dawalibi's political career ended with the Ba'athist coup of 1963.^[10] The new Syrian authorities, composed of officers with Ba'athist and Nasserist ideologies, launched a campaign to arrest politicians linked to the anti-Nasser movement in Syria.^[13] The Revolutionary Command Council ordered the arrest of Maarouf al-Dawalibi and Nazim al-Kudsi for the "crime of secession."^[6] Al-Dawalibi remained imprisoned until 1964, when he went into exile.^[11][16] His first exile destination was Lebanon; after a brief stay in Beirut, he settled permanently in Saudi Arabia.^[13][6]

In 1965, he was appointed by King Faisal of Saudi Arabia to serve as a political advisor in the royal court. During the subsequent reigns of Kings Khalid and Fahd, al-Dawalibi continued his advisory role, retaining the position until his death.^[11][13] In the late 1970s, al-Dawalibi was sent to Pakistan at the request of dictator Zia-ul-Haq,^[17] to assist the Council of Islamic Ideology in drafting new Islamic legislation for the country.^[16] He initially wrote the laws in Arabic, which were subsequently translated into Urdu and English by a team of fifteen scholars.^[16] One of al-Dawalibi's contributions to Pakistan was the formulation of the 1979 Hudud Ordinances.^[17]

Maarouf al-Dawalibi died on 15 January 2004 in Riyadh.^[11] Since 2004, his remains have been buried in Al-Baqi Cemetery in Medina.^[10]