After a journey that lasted nearly ninety-six years, spent among the pages of books in research and authorship, and in lecture halls as both student and professor, drawing from the knowledge of others and pouring out from the abundance of his own learning, the eminent Arabic language scholar and one of Syria’s sheikhs of grammar, Dr. Mazen Al-Mubarak, passed away in Damascus on Saturday, July 25, 2026. A member of the Arabic Language Academy in Damascus, he made the Arabic language and its heritage the center of his scholarly path, and serving it a mission that extended across generations.
Mazen ibn Abdul Qader Al-Mubarak was born in Damascus in 1930 and grew up in a distinguished scholarly family. His father was the great linguist Sheikh Abdul Qader Al-Mubarak, a founding member of the Arab Scientific Academy, and his brother was Professor Mohammad Al-Mubarak, the scholar and minister. His family roots go back to Algeria, as his grandfather, Sheikh Mohammad Al-Mubarak Al-Dulsi, migrated to Damascus with Emir Abdul Qader Al-Jazairi after 1854 and settled there.
Al-Mubarak began his academic journey at Damascus University, where he earned a degree in arts and a qualification for secondary education. He then continued his academic studies at Cairo University, obtaining both a master’s degree and a doctorate in arts. From that time onward, his name became associated with study, research, and teaching, making him one of the prominent figures in Arabic language and grammar in Syria and the Arab world.
His academic career extended across several universities and educational institutions. He taught at Damascus University, chaired the Department of Arabic Language at the College of Islamic and Arabic Studies at the University of Dubai, and also headed the Department of Arabic Language at Qatar University. He was a member of the Association for Research and Studies, then became a member of the Arabic Language Academy in Damascus in 2002, and continued his work in Damascus as a teacher at the Higher Institute of Al-Sham.
Arabic was present in all aspects of his scholarly project. He did not limit himself to teaching it, but devoted himself to writing books dealing with grammar, language, rhetoric, and linguistic awareness, leaving behind a number of works that became part of his journey in serving Arabic.
Among his most notable works are Al-Zajjaji: His Life, Works, and Grammatical Doctrine, and Al-Rummani the Grammarian in Light of His Commentary on Sibawayh’s Book, alongside Arabic Grammar, Linguistic Texts, A Brief History of Rhetoric, Toward Linguistic Awareness, and The Arabic Language in Higher Education and Scientific Research.
In his writings, Al-Mubarak addressed issues related to the history of grammar and its leading figures. He was concerned with strengthening awareness of the Arabic language and its presence in higher education and scientific research, combining in his career the academic and research dimensions with attention to the issues of language and its reality.
Scholarly editing also occupied a prominent place in his efforts, as he contributed to serving Arabic heritage through the verification and editing of several linguistic and grammatical works. He edited Al-Idah fi ‘Ilal Al-Nahw by Al-Zajjaji, and participated, alongside Professor Mohammad Ali Hamdallah and under the supervision of their teacher Saeed Al-Afghani, in editing Mughni Al-Labib by Ibn Hisham. He also edited Kitab Al-Lamat by Al-Zajjaji, Al-Mabahith Al-Mardiyyah Al-Muta‘alliqa bi-Man Al-Shartiyyah by Ibn Hisham, Al-Muqtadab by Ibn Jinni, as well as Al-Alfaz Al-Mahmuzah and ‘Uqud Al-Hamz by Ibn Jinni.
His interest also extended to studying the major figures of grammar and researching their heritage. Among his most notable works in this field is the study Al-Zajjaji: His Life, Works, and Grammatical Doctrine Through His Book Al-Idah, which was published in the Arabic Language Academy in Damascus in five parts between 1959 and 1960. He also wrote introductions to several published works and editions, including A‘yan Al-‘Asr wa A‘wan Al-Nasr by Salah Al-Din Al-Safadi, I‘lam Al-Sa’ilin ‘an Kutub Sayyid Al-Mursalin by Ibn Tulun, and Al-Misbah fi Al-Nahw by Al-Mutarrazi.
In 2025, Mazen Al-Mubarak received the King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language Award, in the category of spreading linguistic awareness and creating community linguistic initiatives, in recognition of a long career connected to Arabic through teaching, authorship, editing, and research.
His student, Dr. Ahmad Mohammad Qaddour, dedicated a book to his biography titled Mazen Al-Mubarak: His Scholarly Efforts and His Struggle in the Service of Arabic, a title that summarizes part of the journey of a scholar who made Arabic the field of his work and knowledge, and whose efforts in it extended across long decades.
With the passing of Dr. Mazen Al-Mubarak in Damascus, a chapter closes on a scholar who spent long decades in the realm of the Arabic language, moving between university halls and the fields of research and textual editing, leaving behind a scholarly legacy in grammar, language, and rhetoric, and notable contributions to editing Arabic heritage, serving the language of ḍād, and strengthening awareness of it.
May God have mercy on Dr. Mazen Al-Mubarak, reward him generously for his service to Arabic and its people, and grant him the highest place in Paradise.
