Sami al-Oraydi (1973-) was the chief religious authority of the al-Nusra Front, Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, and Hurras al-Din and the second-in-command to Abu Mohammad al-Julani.
Biography[]
Sami al-Oraydi was born in 1973 in Amman, Jordan, and he received a bachelor's degree in religious studies from the University of Jordan. He wrote books about the 14th century Islamic scholar Ibn Taymiyyah, and he was influenced by the teachings of the Mujahideen veteran Abu Musab al-Suri. al-Oraydi proceeded to join the al-Nusra Front and became their chief sharia authority after replacing Abu Maria al-Qahtani. Oraydi released sermons and al-Nusra Front declarations on social media, and in December 2014 he declared war on the Islamic State due to their killing of fellow Muslims. After the formation of Tahrir al-Sham, he left the group due to its disassociation from al-Qaeda, and HTS had him arrested in a move condemned by the Islamic State. In February 2018, he joined the shura council of the Hurras al-Din.