Sheikh Ismail Mohamed (popularly known as Thoiba Sheikh), who dedicated a significant portion of his life to the service of Islam and Islamic education in the Maldives, passed away last night.

He was 85 years old and was undergoing treatment at ADK Hospital at the time of his passing. Originally from Dh. Meedhoo, Sheikh Ismail made profound contributions to religious awareness and education, for which he was honored with the National Award of Honor. On April 19 last year, he was also awarded the first-ever Honorary Doctorate by the Islamic University of Maldives (IUM).

Having spent more than half a century teaching Islamic education, Sheikh Ismail was privately funding the construction of a mosque in Hulhumalé Phase 1, named after Ummul Mu'minin Aisha. The foundation stone for the mosque was laid by President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu on March 5 last year. Sheikh Ismail, who began his educational journey in F. Magoodhoo, made history as the first Maldivian student to graduate from the Islamic University of Madinah.

To teach Islam and the Arabic language, he founded the well-known Thoiba School in Malé, which was built on the land where Masjid Hassan Izzuddin currently stands. The school served as the initial educational foundation for numerous contemporary Maldivian scholars.

Additionally, Sheikh Ismail facilitated higher education opportunities for well over 100 Maldivian students at Jamia Salafia and various other universities in Pakistan. Prominent figures among them include the late Dr. Abdul Majeed Abdul Bari, Dr. Ali Zahir, Dr. Mohamed Jameel Ahmed, Dr. Hassan Saeed, and many other leading religious scholars and academics.

Throughout his life, Sheikh Ismail published around 40 books. Up until his passing, he was working on the Dhivehi translation of "Al-Tafseer Al-Muyassar," a well-known Quranic exegesis published by the King Fahd Glorious Qur'an Printing Complex. He had completed reviewing 22 volumes of the translation, and the Ministry of Islamic Affairs had already granted permission to print half of them.

His funeral prayer (Janazah) is scheduled to be held at the Islamic Centre today following the Dhuhr prayer. President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has extended his heartfelt condolences to the family following the scholar's passing.