You won’t find mention of him in any Orientalist University or Orientalist published worked, but among the scholars of the Qur’an, he is perhaps one of the greatest to have ever lived. Today, he has passed away and with him, a wealth of knowledge which has been disseminated to thousands of Muslims globally. Shaykh Luhafi was one of the greatest scholars of the Qur’an, having specialized in the 10 Qira’at:

Shaykh Shukrī read the Ten Qira’āt in the way of Shātibiyya and Durra with Shaykh Yūsuf Abū Dayl, may Allah be pleased with him, and received the ijāza from Shaykh Abū al-Hasan al-Kurdī (d. 2009), may Allah be pleased with him. He also received the ijāza of the Ten Qira’at in the way of Shātibiyya and Durra from Shaykh Kurayyim Rājih, may Allah preserve him. He memorized the entire Qur’ān with Shaykh ‘Izz al-Dīn al-’Irqsūsī, may Allah be pleased with him, and was given the ijāza of the riwāya of Hafs from ‘Āsim.

In 1966 CE (1385 H) he began preparing his book titled Tu fat al-‘Asr fī ‘Ilm al-Qira’āt al-Mutawātirat al-Ashr. In the book he mentioned the ten Qurrā’ and their respective narrators and the variations in the recitations.

The Qur’an says:

إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ

Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur’an and indeed, We will be its guardian.

By Allah, Shaykh al Luhafi was one of the means through which the Qur’an was preserved. Yet, we will not see a single mention of his work, his teaching or his scholastic capabilities by any Orientalist school or publication, only those familiar with the great scholars of Islam in Damascus would know of and take knowledge from this man. We can read Deroche, but Deroche does not compare and cannot be compared to the giant that is Shakh Luhafi.

At this time of mourning we say:

إِنَّا لِلَّـهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ

To read more about Shaykh Luhafi and his life, see this link.

and Allah knows best.