Hikmat al-Hiraki

Who was Hikmat al-Hiraki?

Hikmat Beik al-Hiraki al-Husseini was a Syrian nationalist, statesman and one of the original writers of the Syrian constitution.

Sayed Hikmat was born in Ma'arrat al-Numan in 1886 to the well-known notable Hiraki family. The family descends from a famous religious figure and pseudo-saint of his time, Sayed Abdullah al-Hiraki al-Husseini. Hikmat's father, Sayed Nawras Pasha al-Hiraki was a respected figure throughout the Syrian land who held the post of "Naqeeb al-Asharf" of their home town. Naqeeb al-Ashraf was the head of the Ashraf class, descendents of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. This prestigious position was handed down through the generations within the Hiraki family in Ma'arrat al-Numan. Several scion of this family also held the post in the city of Homs.

Hiraki was educated locally and in Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, where aristocratic Arab families typically sent their children for higher education. At the time of his return to his home town, Syria was undergoing major changes. In 1919 the Turks withdrew from the Arab land in face of the advancing Arabian troops of Prince Faisal al-Hashemi. Sami Beik al-Hiraki, the older brother of Hikmat Beik, was appointed district governor of Ma'arrat al-Numan by Prince Faisal. The two brothers received the Arabian troops and their leader, Nuri Pasha as-Said, at their home.