Dr Bahige Mulla Huech was born in Deir ez-Zor, Syria, into a family of Iraqi extraction, on 5 April 1947. He arrived in Spain in 1966 and was awarded Spanish nationality in 1982. In 1973 he graduated in General Medicine at the University of Granada and subsequently, in 1981, obtained a Doctorate in Internal Medicine at the University of Madrid. He worked as a physician in hospitals in Madrid, Annaba (Algeria) and Jeddah (Saudi Arabia).
A man of faith, with a profound knowledge of Islam and Arab culture, and fully integrated into Western society, he was tireless in his endeavours to promote an understanding between people of different civilizations, as embodied in numerous publications, lectures and master classes delivered at several universities in Spain and Latin America.
He earned great international acclaim and, as a committed intellectual, never ceased to be involved in projects promoting progress in human society. In the course of his life, he held several positions, notably as a founding member of the Islamic Centre of Spain, Secretary General of the Spanish Islamic Council, Secretary General of the European Council of Mosques, as a member of the World Islamic Council of Mosques, the World Islamic League and the World Islamic Council for Relief, and as representative for Europe in the World Muslim Youth League.
His university lectures have delved into the understanding between Islam and the West: "Islam and Muslims in Western Textbooks", "Islam in the Western Media", "Cultural Dialogues Between Minds", "The Modern Reform Sector in Islamic Ideology" and "International Affairs in Islam." Prominent among his numerous publications are: The Health Future for the Islamic World (1969), Problems of the Current Islamic World (1981), Muslims (Islamism) and the Obstacles of the Gulf (1988), Koranic Dictionary and Legal Terminology (Arabic-English-Spanish-French-Portuguese, 2013), Tareq: Arabic Learning Course (in 5 volumes and 13 languages, 2004), and The Muslim Communities in the West (1983). Dr Mulla also participated in conferences and lectures at numerous congresses and other international events.
Over and above his vocation as a physician and Muslim intellectual – the personification of "enlightened devotion" – Dr Mulla was also an accomplished translator, which brought together two of his major callings: his role as a linguist, enabling him to grasp textual meanings in context and successfully interpret them, and his pedagogical vocation, which led him to disseminate knowledge among the largest possible audience. This facet of Sheikh Bahige Mulla Huech is key to understanding his station as a “true guide” committed to the common good.
His major accomplishment as a translator was undoubtedly his translation and interpretation of the Qur‘ān, considered the finest translation of the Holy Qur‘ān in the Spanish language. In addition to this magnum opus in five volumes, as well as his translation into Spanish of the Dictionary of the Holy Qur‘ān (2007) and a one-volume updated summary of the same work (pending publication), Dr Mulla also placed in the domain of the Spanish-speaking readership such works as Al Quds, the Mosque of Jerusalem (2002), Palestine, Past, Present and Future (2006), Islam Against Terrorism (2007), Reading the Muslim Mind (2011) and Muslim Minorities in the World (pending publication). He also translated popularised science works and others on medicine and language learning, notably:
Electrical Pollution (1999), Nutrition and Health: a New Lifestyle, Learning Arabic (5 volumes, 1990), Children’s Stories from the Best Universal Literature (9 volumes, 1992), The Medical Encyclopedia (3 volumes, 2007).
Learn English for Kids (Age 4-7), 1 volume, 1990.
Learn English for Teens (Age 8-14), 1 volume, 1991.
Learn English for Business, 5 volumes, 1992.
Picture English Dictionary (Arabic-English, 4 editions), 1993-2006.
The Art of Communication & Study for Teens (Arabic, 4 editions), 2000.
Audiovisual Encyclopedia.
Knowledge Adventure Encyclopedia for Kids (DVD).
Az-Zad Encyclopedia (Science & Technology) Arabic, 30 volumes, 4 editions.