Sami al-Oraydi

Sami al-Oraydi is the chief religious authority for al-Nusra Front and the group's second-in-command.

Early life
Sami al-Oraydi was born in Amman in 1973, and received his bachelor's degree in religious studies from the University of Jordan. In 1997 he received a master's degree from the same university in Hadith studies and, in 2001, completed his PhD in the same subject. He has written a number of books about the 14th century scholar Ibn Taymiyyah.

Al-Oraydi was influenced by the teachings of Syrian jihadist Abu Musab al-Suri, a Syrian jihadist who fought against the Syrian regime in the 1970s and 80's.

Syrian Civil War
Al-Oraydi is a member of the al-Nusra Front. He acts as the group's chief sharia authority and reportedly serves as the group's second-in-command. He was previously the al-Nusra's second highest sharia authority under former religious leader and military commander Abu Mariya al-Qahtani. Al-Oraydi was promoted over al-Qahtani after the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) overran Nusra Front positions in eastern Syria in 2014.

He has used social media to release sermons and declarations on behalf of the Nusra Front. He maintains a Twitter account under the handle @sami_oride and reportedly tweeted that the “ideal” jihadist is a moral individual watched by God and the public. Al-Oraidi has also used social media to attack ISIL, particularly after the group declared its caliphate in June 2014. Al-Oraydi said ISIL spokesman Abu Mohammad al-Adnani “does not know what comes out of his head.” He also referred to ISIL’s leaders as “Muslim killers.” He declared war on ISIL in a December 2014 sermon.

Al-Oraydi has accused ISIL of being Kharijites and has denounced the group for being too extreme, saying in an audio released in 2014 that "Jihad has taught me that leniency in dealing with extremists and Kharijites is disregard for the blood of the Sunnis and the Mujaheddin. Every Jihad arena they enter, they shed the blood of the mujahideen."