Born in 1945 in Libya, Dr. Hamza Abu Fares earned a special teaching license in Arabic language and religion in 1967, and a secondary certificate (literary stream) in 1971, then studied at the Faculty of Education (formerly École Normale Supérieure) in Tripoli in the Languages Department, obtaining a French language and literature bachelor’s in 1975, then he enrolled in postgraduate studies at the Faculty of Education in Tripoli. His Eminence also earned a diploma in Islamic studies in 1980, a master’s from the Faculty of Education in Tripoli in 1984, and a state doctorate in 2000 in Islamic sciences (comparative jurisprudence) from Al-Zaytouna University in Tunis, entitled “Qadi Abdul-Wahhab Al-Baghdadi and his Exegesis Methodology of Al-Rissala”. His Eminence has worked as a professor at the Department of Sharia – Faculty of Law at the University of Tripoli, as a visiting professor at the European Institute of Humanities in Paris the Château de Chinon. His Eminence has examined and supervised more than eighty theses and dissertations and has participated in numerous research seminars in Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania, United Arab Emirates, United States, Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. He has also served as Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs in Libya. As a member of the Council of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy, H.E. Dr. Hamza Abu Fares has represented the State of Libya since September 13, 2012.