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{{Short description|Public university in Cairo, Egypt}} {{Short description|Public university in Cairo, Egypt}}
{{for multi|the historic mosque building|Al-Azhar Mosque|the university in Gaza|Al-Azhar University – Gaza|people named Azhar|Azhar (name)|and|Azhari (name)}} {{for-multi|the historic mosque building|Al-Azhar Mosque|the university in Gaza|Al-Azhar University – Gaza}}
{{Infobox university {{Infobox university
| name = Al-Azhar University
| native_name = جامعة الأزهر الشريف | native_name = جامعة الأزهر الشريف
| image = Al-Azhar University logo.svg | image = Al-Azhar University logo.svg
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| type = ] | type = ]
| endowment = | endowment =
| president = Dr. Salama Dawood | president = Salama Dawood
| head_label = | head_label =
| head = | head =
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| country = ] | country = ]
| campus = Urban | campus = Urban
| religious_affiliation = ] ] | religious_affiliation = ]
| calendar = | calendar =
| faculty = | faculty =
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}} }}


The '''Al-Azhar University''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɑː|z|h|ɑr}} {{respell|AHZ|har}}; {{lang-arz|1=<span dir="rtl">جامعة الأزهر (الشريف)</span>}}, {{IPA-arz|ˈɡæmʕet elˈʔɑzhɑɾ eʃʃæˈɾiːf|IPA}}, {{lit|University of (the honorable) Al-Azhar}}) is a ] in ], Egypt. Associated with ] in ], it is Egypt's oldest degree-granting university and is known as one of the most prestigious universities for ]ic learning.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Delman |first1=Edward|title=An Anti-ISIS Summit in Mecca A|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/02/ISIS-summit-Islam-Obama/386303 |work=The Atlantic |date=February 26, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Aishah Ahmad Sabki|title=Pedagogy in Islamic Education: The Madrasah Context|page=16|publisher=]|year=2018}}</ref> In addition to higher education, Al-Azhar oversees a national network of schools with approximately two million students.<ref name=PRAA-4>{{cite book|last1=Brown|first1=Nathan J.|title=Post-Revolutionary al-Azhar|date=September 2011|publisher=Carnegie Endowment for International Peace|page=4|url=http://carnegieendowment.org/files/al_azhar.pdf|access-date=4 April 2015}}</ref> {{asof|1996|post=,}} over 4,000 teaching institutes in Egypt were affiliated with the university.<ref name=Roy2004-92>{{cite book|last1=Roy|first1=Olivier|title=Globalized Islam: The Search for a New Ummah|date=2004|publisher=Columbia University Press|pages=92–93|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b9eFGcsWnwEC&q=conservative+islam&pg=PA92|access-date=4 April 2015|quote=In Egypt the number of teaching institutes dependent on Al-Azhar University increased from 1855 in 1986–7 to 4314 in 1995–6.|isbn=9780231134996}}</ref> The '''Al-Azhar University''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɑː|z|h|ɑr}} {{respell|AHZ|har}}; {{langx|arz|جامعة الأزهر (الشريف)}}, {{IPA|arz|ˈɡæmʕet elˈʔɑzhɑɾ eʃʃæˈɾiːf|IPA}}, {{lit|University of (the honorable) Al-Azhar}}) is a ] in ], Egypt. Associated with ] in ], it is Egypt's oldest degree-granting university and is known as one of the most prestigious universities for ]ic learning.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Delman |first1=Edward|title=An Anti-ISIS Summit in Mecca A|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/02/ISIS-summit-Islam-Obama/386303 |work=The Atlantic |date=February 26, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Aishah Ahmad Sabki|title=Pedagogy in Islamic Education: The Madrasah Context|page=16|publisher=]|year=2018}}</ref> In addition to higher education, Al-Azhar oversees a national network of schools with approximately two million students.<ref name=PRAA-4>{{cite book|last1=Brown|first1=Nathan J.|title=Post-Revolutionary al-Azhar|date=September 2011|publisher=Carnegie Endowment for International Peace|page=4|url=http://carnegieendowment.org/files/al_azhar.pdf|access-date=4 April 2015}}</ref> {{as of|1996|post=,}} over 4,000 teaching institutes in Egypt were affiliated with the university.<ref name=Roy2004-92>{{cite book|last1=Roy|first1=Olivier|title=Globalized Islam: The Search for a New Ummah|date=2004|publisher=Columbia University Press|pages=92–93|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b9eFGcsWnwEC&q=conservative+islam&pg=PA92|access-date=4 April 2015|quote=In Egypt the number of teaching institutes dependent on Al-Azhar University increased from 1855 in 1986–7 to 4314 in 1995–6.|isbn=978-0-231-13499-6}}</ref>


Founded in 970 or 972 by the ] as a centre of Islamic learning, its students studied the ] and ] in detail, along with logic, grammar, rhetoric, and how to calculate the phases of the moon. Today it is the chief centre of ] and ] in the world.<ref name="Britannica Article">{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/al-Azhar-University |title=Al-Azhar University |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |website=Encyclopædia Britannica Online |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=2015-08-19 }}</ref> In 1961 additional non-religious subjects were added to its curriculum.<ref name="Encyclopaedia of Islam: al-Azhar, modern period" /> Founded in 970 or 972 by the ] as a centre of Islamic learning, its students studied the ] and ], along with logic, grammar, rhetoric, and how to calculate the phases of the moon. Today it is the chief centre of ] and ] in the world.<ref name="Britannica Article">{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/al-Azhar-University |title=Al-Azhar University |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |website=Encyclopædia Britannica Online |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=2015-08-19 }}</ref> In 1961 additional non-religious subjects were added to its curriculum.<ref name="Encyclopaedia of Islam: al-Azhar, modern period" />


Its library is considered second in importance in Egypt only to the ].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q5QEfAEACAAJ |title=Egyptian National Library Publications |publisher=Egyptian National Library Press |language=en}}</ref> In May 2005, Al-Azhar in partnership with a Dubai information technology enterprise, IT Education Project (ITEP) launched the H.H. ] project to preserve Al-Azhar scripts and publish them online (the "Al-Azhar Online Project") to eventually publish online access to the library's entire rare manuscripts collection, comprising about seven million pages of material.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ameinfo.com/68624.html |title=AME Info, 26 September 2005 |publisher=AME Info |access-date=2010-03-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100419071542/http://www.ameinfo.com/68624.html |archive-date=19 April 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>ITEP press release, 10 October 2006</ref> Its library is considered second in importance in Egypt only to the ].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q5QEfAEACAAJ |title=Egyptian National Library Publications |publisher=Egyptian National Library Press |language=en}}</ref> In May 2005, Al-Azhar in partnership with a Dubai information technology enterprise, IT Education Project (ITEP) launched the H.H. ] project to preserve Al-Azhar scripts and publish them online (the "Al-Azhar Online Project") to eventually publish online access to the library's entire rare manuscripts collection, comprising about seven million pages of material.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ameinfo.com/68624.html |title=AME Info, 26 September 2005 |publisher=AME Info |access-date=2010-03-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100419071542/http://www.ameinfo.com/68624.html |archive-date=19 April 2010 }}</ref><ref>ITEP press release, 10 October 2006</ref>


==History== ==History==
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Al-Azhar is one of the relics of the ] ] dynasty, which claimed descent from ], daughter of ] and wife of ], son-in-law, and cousin of Muhammad. Fatimah was called ''al-Zahra'' (the luminous), and the institution was named in her honor.<ref>Halm, Heinz. ''The ] and their Traditions of Learning''. London: The Institute of Ismaili Studies and I.B. Tauris. 1997.</ref> It was founded as a mosque by the Fatimid commander ] at the orders of the Caliph and Imam ] as he founded the city for Cairo. It was begun (probably on Saturday) in ] in the year ] 359 (March/April 970 CE). Its building was completed on the 9th of Ramadan in AH 361 (24 June 972 CE). Both Caliph ] and Caliph ] added to its premises. It was further repaired, renovated, and extended by ] and ].<ref name="imamreza.net"/> Al-Azhar is one of the relics of the ] ] dynasty, which claimed descent from ], daughter of ] and wife of ], son-in-law, and cousin of Muhammad. Fatimah was called ''al-Zahra'' (the luminous), and the institution was named in her honor.<ref>Halm, Heinz. ''The ] and their Traditions of Learning''. London: The Institute of Ismaili Studies and I.B. Tauris. 1997.</ref> It was founded as a mosque by the Fatimid commander ] at the orders of the Caliph and Imam ] as he founded the city for Cairo. It was begun (probably on Saturday) in ] in the year ] 359 (March/April 970 CE). Its building was completed on the 9th of Ramadan in AH 361 (24 June 972 CE). Both Caliph ] and Caliph ] added to its premises. It was further repaired, renovated, and extended by ] and ].<ref name="imamreza.net"/>
] ]
The Fatimid caliphs always encouraged scholars and jurists to have their study-circles and gatherings in this mosque and thus it was turned into a madrasa which has the claim to be considered as the oldest such institution still functioning.<ref name="imamreza.net">Shorter Shi'ite Encyclopaedia, By: Hasan al-Amin, http://www.imamreza.net/old/eng/imamreza.php?id=574</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-11-30 |title=The World's Oldest Universities, Some That Have Been Around For More Than A Thousand Years |url=https://www.indiatimes.com/trending/social-relevance/list-of-oldest-universities-in-the-world-586276.html |access-date=2022-12-17 |website=IndiaTimes |language=en-IN}}</ref> The mosque provided teaching on a variety of subjects from a variety of scholars.<ref name="Edinburgh University Press">{{Cite book |last=Goddard |first=Hugh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pcbBAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA99 |title=A History of Christian-Muslim Relations |publisher=] |year=2000 |isbn=0-7486-1009-X |page= |url-access=limited}}</ref> According to Syed Farid Alatas, these subjects included ] and ], ], ], ], and ].<ref name="Alatas">{{Cite journal |last=Alatas |first=Syed Farid |year=2006 |title=From Jāmi'ah to University: Multiculturalism and Christian–Muslim Dialogue |url=https://zenodo.org/record/29439 |journal=Current Sociology |volume=54 |issue=1 |pages=123 |doi=10.1177/0011392106058837 |s2cid=144509355}}</ref> Under the Fatimids, Al-Azhar also notably promoted ].<ref>{{cite book |last=Hassan |first=S. F. |date=2016 |chapter=Al-Azhar: The Challenge of Reforming Religious Education in Egypt |title=Education and the Arab Spring |publisher=Brill |pages=129–149 |url=https://brill.com/view/book/edcoll/9789463004718/BP000009.xml |isbn=9789463004718 |quote="al-Azhar was the center where the Shia ideology of the Fatimids was advocated"}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Abdullayev |first=Z. |date=2023 |title=Al-Azhar Madras |journal=Innovations of Modern Scientific Development in the Age of Globalization: Problems and Solutions |volume=1 |issue=2 |pages=39–40 |url=https://uzresearchers.com/index.php/NSNR/article/view/712}}</ref> The Fatimid caliphs always encouraged scholars and jurists to have their study-circles and gatherings in this mosque and thus it was turned into a madrasa which has the claim to be considered as the oldest such institution still functioning.<ref name="imamreza.net">Shorter Shi'ite Encyclopaedia, By: Hasan al-Amin, http://www.imamreza.net/old/eng/imamreza.php?id=574</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-11-30 |title=The World's Oldest Universities, Some That Have Been Around For More Than A Thousand Years |url=https://www.indiatimes.com/trending/social-relevance/list-of-oldest-universities-in-the-world-586276.html |access-date=2022-12-17 |website=IndiaTimes |language=en-IN}}</ref> The mosque provided teaching on a variety of subjects from a variety of scholars.<ref name="Edinburgh University Press">{{Cite book |last=Goddard |first=Hugh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pcbBAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA99 |title=A History of Christian-Muslim Relations |publisher=] |year=2000 |isbn=0-7486-1009-X |page= |url-access=limited}}</ref> According to Syed Farid Alatas, these subjects included ] and ], ], ], ], and ].<ref name="Alatas">{{Cite journal |last=Alatas |first=Syed Farid |year=2006 |title=From Jāmi'ah to University: Multiculturalism and Christian–Muslim Dialogue |url=https://zenodo.org/record/29439 |journal=Current Sociology |volume=54 |issue=1 |page=123 |doi=10.1177/0011392106058837 |s2cid=144509355}}</ref> Under the Fatimids, Al-Azhar also notably promoted ].<ref>{{cite book |last=Hassan |first=S. F. |date=2016 |chapter=Al-Azhar: The Challenge of Reforming Religious Education in Egypt |title=Education and the Arab Spring |publisher=Brill |pages=129–149 |url=https://brill.com/view/book/edcoll/9789463004718/BP000009.xml |isbn=978-94-6300-471-8 |quote="al-Azhar was the center where the Shia ideology of the Fatimids was advocated"}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Abdullayev |first=Z. |date=2023 |title=Al-Azhar Madras |journal=Innovations of Modern Scientific Development in the Age of Globalization: Problems and Solutions |volume=1 |issue=2 |pages=39–40 |url=https://uzresearchers.com/index.php/NSNR/article/view/712}}</ref>


=== Saladin === === Saladin ===
In the 12th century, following the overthrow of the ] ] dynasty, ] (the founder of the Sunni ]) converted Al-Azhar to a ] ] center of learning.<ref name="Britannica Article" /><ref>'']'' p.37 1993 edition {{ISBN|0-85229-571-5}}</ref> Therefore, "he had all the treasures of the palace, including the books, sold over a period of ten years. Many were burned, thrown into the ], or thrown into a great heap, which was covered with sand, so that a regular "hill of books" was formed and the soldiers used to sole their shoes with the fine bindings. The number of books said to have disposed of varies from 120,000 to 2,000,000."<ref>'']'', Leiden, 1936, 3rd vol., p.&nbsp;353</ref><ref>, End of the Fatimid Caliphate</ref> ] delivered ]s on ] at Al-Azhar, while according to legend the ] ] delivered lectures on medicine and astronomy there during the time of Saladin though no historical proof has corroborated this.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Muqarnas, Volume 13|first=Gulru|last=Necipogulu|publisher=]|year=1996|isbn=90-04-10633-2|page=56}}</ref> In the 12th century, following the overthrow of the ] ] dynasty, ] (the founder of the Sunni ]) converted Al-Azhar to a ] ] center of learning.<ref name="Britannica Article" /><ref>'']'' p.37 1993 edition {{ISBN|0-85229-571-5}}</ref> Therefore, "he had all the treasures of the palace, including the books, sold over a period of ten years. Many were burned, thrown into the ], or thrown into a great heap, which was covered with sand, so that a regular "hill of books" was formed and the soldiers used to sole their shoes with the fine bindings. The number of books said to have been disposed of varies from 120,000 to 2,000,000."<ref>'']'', Leiden, 1936, 3rd vol., p.&nbsp;353</ref><ref>, End of the Fatimid Caliphate</ref> ] delivered ]s on ] at Al-Azhar, while according to legend the ] ] delivered lectures on medicine and astronomy there during the time of Saladin though no historical proof has corroborated this.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Muqarnas, Volume 13|first=Gulru|last=Necipogulu|publisher=]|year=1996|isbn=90-04-10633-2|page=56}}</ref>


Saladin introduced the college system in Egypt, which was also adopted in Al-Azhar. Under this system, the college was a separate institution within the mosque compound, with its own classrooms, dormitories and a library.<ref name=dictionary>{{cite book|title=International Dictionary of University Histories|publisher=]|author=Sina Dubovoy|editor=Carol Summerfield and Mary Elizabeth Devine|page=10}}</ref> Saladin introduced the college system in Egypt, which was also adopted in Al-Azhar. Under this system, the college was a separate institution within the mosque compound, with its own classrooms, dormitories and a library.<ref name=dictionary>{{cite book|title=International Dictionary of University Histories|publisher=]|author=Sina Dubovoy|editor=Carol Summerfield and Mary Elizabeth Devine|page=10}}</ref>


===Mamluks=== ===Mamluks===
Under the Mamluks, Al-Azhar gained influence and rose in prestige.<ref name=founding/> Under the Mamluks, Al-Azhar gained influence and rose in prestige.<ref name=founding/>
The Mamluks established salaries for instructors and stipends for the students and gave the institution an endowment.<ref name=dictionary/> A college was built for the institution in 1340, outside of the mosque. In the late 1400s, the buildings were renovated and new dormitories were built for the students.<ref name=dictionary/> The Mamluks established salaries for instructors and stipends for the students and gave the institution an endowment.<ref name=dictionary/> A college was built for the institution in 1340, outside of the mosque. In the late 1400s, the buildings were renovated and new dormitories were built for the students.<ref name=dictionary/>


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By the mid 19th century, al-Azhar had surpassed ] and was considered the capital of Sunni legal expertise;<ref>], ''ABDU, MUHAMMAD'', The Quran: an Encyclopedia ]</ref> a main centre of power in the Islamic world; and a rival to Damascus, Mecca and Baghdad. By the mid 19th century, al-Azhar had surpassed ] and was considered the capital of Sunni legal expertise;<ref>], ''ABDU, MUHAMMAD'', The Quran: an Encyclopedia ]</ref> a main centre of power in the Islamic world; and a rival to Damascus, Mecca and Baghdad.


When the ] was established in 1923, the signing of the new nation's ] was delayed because of ]'s insistence that Al-Azhar and other religious institutions were to be subject to him and not the Egyptian parliament.<ref>], ''Egyptian Constitution Delay.'' 19 April 1923</ref> The ] of the ]<ref>Brill, “”, in: Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, General Editor: Jane Dammen McAuliffe, Georgetown University, Washington DC. Consulted online on 10 July 2020</ref> was first published on 10 July 1924 by a committee from Al-Azhar University<ref name=SW>Stefan Wild, "basmallah" ''The Quran: an Encyclopedia'', ]</ref> Prominent committee members included Islamic scholar, Muhammad b. ‘Ali al-Husayni al-Haddad. Noteworthy Western scholars/academics working in Egypt at the time include ] and ]. Methodological differences aside, speculation alludes to a spirit of cooperation. Bergsträsser was certainly impressed with the work.<ref>Reynolds, "Quranic studies and its controversies", 2008</ref> When the ] was established in 1923, the signing of the new nation's ] was delayed because of ]'s insistence that Al-Azhar and other religious institutions were to be subject to him and not the Egyptian parliament.<ref>], ''Egyptian Constitution Delay.'' 19 April 1923</ref> The ] of the ]<ref>Brill, "", in: Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, General Editor: Jane Dammen McAuliffe, Georgetown University, Washington DC. Consulted online on 10 July 2020</ref> was first published on 10 July 1924 by a committee from Al-Azhar University<ref name=SW>Stefan Wild, "basmallah" ''The Quran: an Encyclopedia'', ]</ref> Prominent committee members included Islamic scholar, Muhammad b. 'Ali al-Husayni al-Haddad. Noteworthy Western scholars/academics working in Egypt at the time include ] and ]. Methodological differences aside, speculation alludes to a spirit of cooperation. Bergsträsser was certainly impressed with the work.<ref>Reynolds, "Quranic studies and its controversies", 2008</ref>


In March 1924, ] had been ], supreme religious and political leader of all Muslims across the world.{{sfn|Özcan|1997|pp=45–52}} The ] repudiated the abolition<ref>The Times, ''The Caliphate'', 18 March 1924</ref> and was part of a call from Al-Azhar for an ]. The unsuccessful "caliphate conference" was held under the presidency of the Grand Chancellor of Azhar in 1926{{sfn|Ardıç|2012|p=85}}{{sfn|Pankhurst|2013|p=59}} but no one was able to gain a consensus for the candidacy across the Islamic world. Candidates proposed for the caliphate included King Fuad.{{sfn|Ardıç|2012|p=85}}{{sfn|Pankhurst|2013|p=59}} In March 1924, ] had been ], supreme religious and political leader of all Muslims across the world.{{sfn|Özcan|1997|pp=45–52}} The ] repudiated the abolition<ref>The Times, ''The Caliphate'', 18 March 1924</ref> and was part of a call from Al-Azhar for an ]. The unsuccessful "caliphate conference" was held under the presidency of the Grand Chancellor of Azhar in 1926{{sfn|Ardıç|2012|p=85}}{{sfn|Pankhurst|2013|p=59}} but no one was able to gain a consensus for the candidacy across the Islamic world. Candidates proposed for the caliphate included King Fuad.{{sfn|Ardıç|2012|p=85}}{{sfn|Pankhurst|2013|p=59}}


===Modernization=== ===Modernization===
]]]The pioneering Pakistani journalist ] became the first woman to address the university in 1955. In 1961, Al-Azhar was re-established as a university under the government of Egypt's second President ] when a wide range of secular faculties were added for the first time, such as ], ], ], ], ], ] and ]. Before that date, the '']'' classifies the Al-Azhar variously as madrasa, center of higher learning and, since the 19th century, religious university, but not as a university in the full sense, referring to the modern transition process as "from madrasa to university".<ref name="Encyclopaedia of Islam: al-Azhar, modern period">Skovgaard-Petersen, Jakob. "al-Azhar, modern period." ''Encyclopaedia of Islam'', THREE. Edited by: Gudrun Krämer, Denis Matringe, John Nawas and Everett Rowson. Brill, 2010, retrieved 20/03/2010: {{blockquote|Al-Azhar, the historic centre of higher Islamic learning in Cairo, has undergone significant change since the late 19th century, with new regulations and reforms resulting in an expanded role for the university. 1. From madrasa to university}}</ref><ref>Jomier, J. "al- Azhar (al-Ḏj̲āmiʿ al-Azhar)." Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel and W. P. Heinrichs. Brill, 2010, retrieved 20/03/2010: {{blockquote|This great mosque, the 'brilliant one' ... is one of the principal mosques of present-day Cairo. This seat of learning ... regained all its activity—Sunnī from now on—during the reign of Sultan Baybars. ... Al-Azhar at the beginning of the 19th century could well have been called a religious university; what it was not was a complete university giving instruction in those modern disciplines essential to the awakening of the country.}}</ref> Other academic sources also refer to al-Azhar as a madrasa in pre-modern times before its transformation into a university.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Lulat, Y. G.-M.|title=A history of African higher education from antiquity to the present : a critical synthesis|date=2005|publisher=Praeger Publishers|isbn=0-313-32061-6|location=Westport, Conn.|pages=70|oclc=57243371|quote=As for the nature of its curriculum, it was typical of other major madrasahs such as al-Azhar and Al Quaraouiyine, though many of the texts used at the institution came from Muslim Spain. Al Quaraouiyine began its life as a small mosque constructed in 859 C.E. by means of an endowment bequeathed by a wealthy woman of much piety, Fatima bint Muhammed al-Fahri.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-02-04|title=Al-Azhar University|url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/al-azhar-university|access-date=2020-08-28|website=Times Higher Education (THE)|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Qantara - Al-Azhar Mosque|url=https://www.qantara-med.org/public/show_document.php?do_id=1067&lang=en|access-date=2020-08-28|website=www.qantara-med.org}}</ref> An Islamic women's faculty was also added in the same year.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Anwar |first1=Zainah |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f0_aAAAAMAAJ&q=Islamic+women's |title=Islam, Reproductive Health, and Women's Rights |last2=Abdullah |first2=Rashidah |date=2000 |publisher=Sisters in Islam (SIS Forum Malaysia) |isbn=978-967-947-249-3 |language=en}}</ref> ]]]The pioneering Pakistani journalist ] became the first woman to address the university in 1955. In 1961, Al-Azhar was re-established as a university under the government of Egypt's second President ] when a wide range of secular faculties were added for the first time, such as ], ], ], ], ], ] and ]. Before that date, the '']'' classifies the Al-Azhar variously as madrasa, center of higher learning and, since the 19th century, religious university, but not as a university in the full sense, referring to the modern transition process as "from madrasa to university".<ref name="Encyclopaedia of Islam: al-Azhar, modern period">Skovgaard-Petersen, Jakob. "al-Azhar, modern period." ''Encyclopaedia of Islam'', THREE. Edited by: Gudrun Krämer, Denis Matringe, John Nawas and Everett Rowson. Brill, 2010, retrieved 20/03/2010: {{blockquote|Al-Azhar, the historic centre of higher Islamic learning in Cairo, has undergone significant change since the late 19th century, with new regulations and reforms resulting in an expanded role for the university. 1. From madrasa to university}}</ref><ref>Jomier, J. "al- Azhar (al-Ḏj̲āmiʿ al-Azhar)." Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel and W. P. Heinrichs. Brill, 2010, retrieved 20/03/2010: {{blockquote|This great mosque, the 'brilliant one' ... is one of the principal mosques of present-day Cairo. This seat of learning ... regained all its activity—Sunnī from now on—during the reign of Sultan Baybars. ... Al-Azhar at the beginning of the 19th century could well have been called a religious university; what it was not was a complete university giving instruction in those modern disciplines essential to the awakening of the country.}}</ref> Other academic sources also refer to al-Azhar as a madrasa in pre-modern times before its transformation into a university.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Lulat, Y. G.-M.|title=A history of African higher education from antiquity to the present: a critical synthesis|date=2005|publisher=Praeger Publishers|isbn=0-313-32061-6|location=Westport, Conn.|page=70|oclc=57243371|quote=As for the nature of its curriculum, it was typical of other major madrasahs such as al-Azhar and Al Quaraouiyine, though many of the texts used at the institution came from Muslim Spain. Al Quaraouiyine began its life as a small mosque constructed in 859 C.E. by means of an endowment bequeathed by a wealthy woman of much piety, Fatima bint Muhammed al-Fahri.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-02-04|title=Al-Azhar University|url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/al-azhar-university|access-date=2020-08-28|website=Times Higher Education (THE)|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Qantara - Al-Azhar Mosque|url=https://www.qantara-med.org/public/show_document.php?do_id=1067&lang=en|access-date=2020-08-28|website=www.qantara-med.org}}</ref> An Islamic women's faculty was also added in the same year.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Anwar |first1=Zainah |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f0_aAAAAMAAJ&q=Islamic+women's |title=Islam, Reproductive Health, and Women's Rights |last2=Abdullah |first2=Rashidah |date=2000 |publisher=Sisters in Islam (SIS Forum Malaysia) |isbn=978-967-947-249-3 |language=en}}</ref>


==Religious ideology== ==Religious ideology==
{{Ash'arism}} {{Ash'arism}}
] ]
Historically, Al-Azhar had a membership that represented diverse opinions within Islam. The theological schools of al-] and al-] were both represented. It has a long tradition of teaching all four schools of Sunni Islamic jurisprudence (], ], ], and ]). The chief ] of each school of thought acted as the ], responsible for the teachers and students in that group.<ref name=petersen/> During the time of the Ottomans, the Hanafi dean came to hold a position as '']''.<ref name=petersen>{{cite book|author=Jakob Skovgaard-Petersen|title=Defining Islam for the Egyptian State: Muftis and Fatwas of the Dār Al-Iftā|publisher=]|year=1997|page=100}}</ref> It also had membership from the seven main ]s.<ref> July 29, 2012</ref> Al-Azhar has had an antagonistic relationship with ].<ref></ref> According to a 2011 report issued by the ], Al Azhar is strongly ] in character: Historically, Al-Azhar had a membership that represented diverse opinions within Islam. The theological schools of al-] and al-] were both represented. It has a long tradition of teaching all four schools of Sunni Islamic jurisprudence (], ], ], and ]). The chief ] of each school of thought acted as the ], responsible for the teachers and students in that group.<ref name=petersen/> During the time of the Ottomans, the Hanafi dean came to hold a position as '']''.<ref name=petersen>{{cite book|author=Jakob Skovgaard-Petersen|title=Defining Islam for the Egyptian State: Muftis and Fatwas of the Dār Al-Iftā|publisher=]|year=1997|page=100}}</ref> It also had membership from the seven main ]s.<ref> July 29, 2012</ref> Al-Azhar has had an antagonistic relationship with ].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.islamopediaonline.org/country-profile/egypt/al-azhar-and-dar-al-ifta/al-azhar%E2%80%99s-relations-other-sunni-groups |website=Islamopedia |title=Al-Azhar's relations with other Sunni groups}}</ref> According to a 2011 report issued by the ], Al Azhar is strongly ] in character:
<blockquote>Adherence to a Sufi order has long been standard for both professors and students in the al-Azhar mosque and university system. Although al-Azhar is not monolithic, its identity has been strongly associated with Sufism. The current Shaykh al-Azhar (rector of the school), ], is a hereditary Sufi shaykh from Upper Egypt who has recently expressed his support for the formation of a world Sufi league; the former Grand Mufti of Egypt and senior al-Azhar scholar ] is also a highly respected Sufi master.<ref name=CarnegirEndowment> December 2011, p 12</ref></blockquote> <blockquote>Adherence to a Sufi order has long been standard for both professors and students in the al-Azhar mosque and university system. Although al-Azhar is not monolithic, its identity has been strongly associated with Sufism. The current Shaykh al-Azhar (rector of the school), ], is a hereditary Sufi shaykh from Upper Egypt who has recently expressed his support for the formation of a world Sufi league; the former Grand Mufti of Egypt and senior al-Azhar scholar ] is also a highly respected Sufi master.<ref name=CarnegirEndowment> December 2011, p 12</ref></blockquote>


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==Council of Senior Scholars== ==Council of Senior Scholars==
] ]
Al-Azhar University's Council of Senior Scholars was founded in 1911 but was replaced in 1961 by the Center for Islamic Research. In July 2012, after the law restricting Al-Azhar University's autonomy was modified by the incoming president ], the council was reformed.<ref name="AlArabiyaSeniorScholars">Hani Nasira and Saeid al-Sonny, , Al Arabiya, January 10, 2013</ref> The Council consists of 40 members and as of February 2013 had 14 vacancies<ref name="ForeignPolicyMufti">Nathan J. Brown, {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224060054/https://foreignpolicy.com/2013/02/12/egypts-new-mufti/ |date=2021-02-24 }}, ''Foreign Policy'', February 12, 2013</ref> all appointed by the current imam of Al-Azhar, ],<ref name="NYTGoodbyePope">Issandr El Amrani, , ''New York Times''], February 13, 2013</ref> who was appointed by the prior president, ]. Once the remaining 14 vacancies are filled, new vacancies will be appointed by the existing Council itself.<ref name="ForeignPolicyMufti" /> All four ] (schools) of ] Islamic jurisprudence are proportionally represented on the council (], ], ], ]) and voting is on a majority basis.<ref name="AlArabiyaSeniorScholars" /> In addition to El-Tayeb, other prominent members of the Council include the outgoing Grand Mufti ].<ref>, ''Ahram Online'', February 11, 2013</ref> The council is tasked with nominating the ] of Egypt (subject to presidential approval), electing the next ] of ], and is expected to be the final authority in determining if new legislation is compliant with Islamic law.<ref name="AlArabiyaSeniorScholars" /> Although the council's decisions are not binding (absent new legislation), it is expected that it would be difficult for the parliament to pass legislation deemed by the council as against Islamic law.<ref name="AlArabiyaSeniorScholars" /> Al-Azhar University's Council of Senior Scholars was founded in 1911 but was replaced in 1961 by the Center for Islamic Research. In July 2012, after the law restricting Al-Azhar University's autonomy was modified by the incoming president ], the council was reformed.<ref name="AlArabiyaSeniorScholars">Hani Nasira and Saeid al-Sonny, , Al Arabiya, January 10, 2013</ref> The Council consists of 40 members and as of February 2013 had 14 vacancies<ref name="ForeignPolicyMufti">Nathan J. Brown, {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224060054/https://foreignpolicy.com/2013/02/12/egypts-new-mufti/ |date=2021-02-24 }}, ''Foreign Policy'', February 12, 2013</ref> all appointed by the current imam of Al-Azhar, ],<ref name="NYTGoodbyePope">Issandr El Amrani, , ''New York Times'', February 13, 2013</ref> who was appointed by the prior president, ]. Once the remaining 14 vacancies are filled, new vacancies will be appointed by the existing Council itself.<ref name="ForeignPolicyMufti" /> All four ] (schools) of ] Islamic jurisprudence are proportionally represented on the council (], ], ], ]) and voting is on a majority basis.<ref name="AlArabiyaSeniorScholars" /> In addition to El-Tayeb, other prominent members of the Council include the outgoing Grand Mufti ].<ref>, ''Ahram Online'', February 11, 2013</ref> The council is tasked with nominating the ] of Egypt (subject to presidential approval), electing the next ] of ], and is expected to be the final authority in determining if new legislation is compliant with Islamic law.<ref name="AlArabiyaSeniorScholars" /> Although the council's decisions are not binding (absent new legislation), it is expected that it would be difficult for the parliament to pass legislation deemed by the council as against Islamic law.<ref name="AlArabiyaSeniorScholars" />


In January 2013, Al-Tayeb referred a relatively minor issue related to Islamic bonds to the council, for the first time asserting the council's jurisdiction.<ref name=AlArabiyaSeniorScholars /> In 2013, the Council elected ] to be the next Grand Mufti of Egypt. This marks the first time that the Grand Mufti would be elected by Islamic scholars since the position was created in 1895. Prior to this, the Egyptian head of state made the appointment.<ref name=NYTGoodbyePope /> In January 2013, Al-Tayeb referred a relatively minor issue related to Islamic bonds to the council, for the first time asserting the council's jurisdiction.<ref name=AlArabiyaSeniorScholars /> In 2013, the Council elected ] to be the next Grand Mufti of Egypt. This marks the first time that the Grand Mufti would be elected by Islamic scholars since the position was created in 1895. Prior to this, the Egyptian head of state made the appointment.<ref name=NYTGoodbyePope />
Line 108: Line 107:
Sheikh Tantawy also reasserted that his is the best faith to follow and that Muslims have the duty of active ]. He has made declarations about Muslims interacting with non-Muslims who are not a threat to Muslims. There are non-Muslims living apart from Muslims and who are not enemies of Islam ("Muslims are allowed to undertake exchanges of interests with these non-Muslims so long as these ties do not tarnish the image of the faith"), and there are "the non-Muslims who live in the same country as the Muslims in cooperation and on friendly terms, and are not enemies of the faith" ("in this case, their rights and responsibilities are the same as the Muslims so long as they do not become enemies of Islam"). Shi'a ] (according to a fatwa by Al-Azhar)<ref> – ''Shi'ite Encyclopedia'' v2.0, Al-islam</ref> is accepted as a fifth ]. Sheikh Tantawy also reasserted that his is the best faith to follow and that Muslims have the duty of active ]. He has made declarations about Muslims interacting with non-Muslims who are not a threat to Muslims. There are non-Muslims living apart from Muslims and who are not enemies of Islam ("Muslims are allowed to undertake exchanges of interests with these non-Muslims so long as these ties do not tarnish the image of the faith"), and there are "the non-Muslims who live in the same country as the Muslims in cooperation and on friendly terms, and are not enemies of the faith" ("in this case, their rights and responsibilities are the same as the Muslims so long as they do not become enemies of Islam"). Shi'a ] (according to a fatwa by Al-Azhar)<ref> – ''Shi'ite Encyclopedia'' v2.0, Al-islam</ref> is accepted as a fifth ].


In October 2007, ], then the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, drew allegations of stifling freedom of speech when he asked the Egyptian government to toughen its rules and punishments against journalists. During a Friday sermon in the presence of ] ] and a number of ministers, Tantawy was alleged to have stated that journalism which contributes to the spread of false rumours rather than true news deserved to be boycotted, and that it was tantamount to sinning for readers to purchase such newspapers. Tantawy, a supporter of then Egyptian President ], also called for a punishment of eighty lashes to "those who spread rumors" in an indictment of speculation by journalists over Mubarak's ill health and possible death.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.feedsyndicate.com/articles/7008789310 |title=allheadlinenews |publisher=Feedsyndicate |date=2007-10-10 |access-date=2010-03-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101001040913/http://www.feedsyndicate.com/articles/7008789310 |archive-date=2010-10-01}}</ref><ref> ()</ref> This was not the first time that he had criticized the Egyptian press regarding its news coverage nor the first time he in return had been accused by the press of opposing freedom of speech. During a religious celebration in the same month, Tantawy had released comments alluding to "the arrogant and the pretenders who accuse others with the ugliest vice and unsubstantiated charges". In response, Egypt's press union issued a statement suggesting that Tantawy appeared to be involved in inciting and escalating a campaign against journalists and freedom of the press.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/10/11/africa/ME-GEN-Egypt-Azhar-Journalists.php |title= International Herald Tribune |date=2009-03-29|access-date=2010-03-21}}</ref> Tantawy died in 2010 and was succeeded by ]. In October 2007, ], then the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, drew allegations of stifling freedom of speech when he asked the Egyptian government to toughen its rules and punishments against journalists. During a Friday sermon in the presence of ] ] and a number of ministers, Tantawy was alleged to have stated that journalism which contributes to the spread of false rumours rather than true news deserved to be boycotted, and that it was tantamount to sinning for readers to purchase such newspapers. Tantawy, a supporter of then Egyptian President ], also called for a punishment of eighty lashes to "those who spread rumors" in an indictment of speculation by journalists over Mubarak's ill health and possible death.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.feedsyndicate.com/articles/7008789310 |title=allheadlinenews |publisher=Feedsyndicate |date=2007-10-10 |access-date=2010-03-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101001040913/http://www.feedsyndicate.com/articles/7008789310 |archive-date=2010-10-01}}</ref><ref> ()</ref> This was not the first time that he had criticized the Egyptian press regarding its news coverage nor the first time he in return had been accused by the press of opposing freedom of speech. During a religious celebration in the same month, Tantawy had released comments alluding to "the arrogant and the pretenders who accuse others with the ugliest vice and unsubstantiated charges". In response, Egypt's press union issued a statement suggesting that Tantawy appeared to be involved in inciting and escalating a campaign against journalists and freedom of the press.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/10/11/africa/ME-GEN-Egypt-Azhar-Journalists.php |title= International Herald Tribune |date=2009-03-29|access-date=2010-03-21}}</ref> Tantawy died in 2010 and was succeeded by ].


In 2016 ] reissued ], calling Shia the fifth school of Islam and seeing no problem with conversions from Sunni to Shia Islam.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ijtihadnet.com/fatwa-al-azhars-grand-imam-shia/|title=Fatwa of Al-Azhar's Grand Imam on Shia|date=19 October 2016}}</ref> However, the NGOs report that violence and propaganda against the country's Shia minority continues. Shia Muslims are frequently denied services in addition to being called derogatory names. Anti-Shia sentiment is spread through education at all levels. Clerics educated at Al-Azhar University publicly promote sectarian beliefs by calling Shia Muslims infidels and encourage isolation and marginalization of ].<ref>]: </ref><ref>]: {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171016173855/http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/12/anti-shia-al-azhar-essay-competition.html |date=2017-10-16}}</ref> In 2016 ] reissued ], calling Shia the fifth school of Islam and seeing no problem with conversions from Sunni to Shia Islam.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ijtihadnet.com/fatwa-al-azhars-grand-imam-shia/|title=Fatwa of Al-Azhar's Grand Imam on Shia|date=19 October 2016}}</ref> However, the NGOs report that violence and propaganda against the country's Shia minority continues. Shia Muslims are frequently denied services in addition to being called derogatory names. Anti-Shia sentiment is spread through education at all levels. Clerics educated at Al-Azhar University publicly promote sectarian beliefs by calling Shia Muslims infidels and encourage isolation and marginalization of ].<ref>]: </ref><ref>]: {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171016173855/http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/12/anti-shia-al-azhar-essay-competition.html |date=2017-10-16}}</ref>


Scholars from Al-Azhar declared the writings to ] to be blasphemous.<ref name=geneiveabdo>{{cite book|title=No God but God: Egypt and the Triumph of Islam|author=Geneive Abdo|publisher=]|page=68}}</ref> Muhammad al-Ghazali, a member of Al-Azhar, declared Foda to be guilty of ].<ref name=geneiveabdo/> According to ], Muhammad al-Ghazali also added that anyone killing an apostate would not be punished, while according to ], Muhammad al-Ghazali stopped just short of condoning Foroda's assassination. Scholars from Al-Azhar declared the writings to ] to be blasphemous.<ref name=geneiveabdo>{{cite book|title=No God but God: Egypt and the Triumph of Islam|author=Geneive Abdo|publisher=]|page=68}}</ref> Muhammad al-Ghazali, a member of Al-Azhar, declared Foda to be guilty of ].<ref name=geneiveabdo/> According to ], Muhammad al-Ghazali also added that anyone killing an apostate would not be punished, while according to ], Muhammad al-Ghazali stopped just short of condoning Foroda's assassination.
<ref>{{cite book |last=Brown |first=Nathan J. |author-link=Nathan J. Brown (political scientist) |title=The Rule of Law in the Arab World: Courts in Egypt and the Gulf |year=1997 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |page=114|quote=While he stopped just short of condoning Fawda's assassination, his testimony also implied that the government was operating outside the bounds of Islam...}}</ref> Foda was assassinated in June 1992,<ref name=Miller>{{cite book|last1=Miller|first1=Judith|title=God Has Ninety-Nine Names: Reporting from a Militant Middle East|publisher=Simon and Schuster|page=26|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tH_ThgVEoAcC&q=foda+kishk&pg=PA26|isbn=9781439129418|date=2011-07-19}}</ref><ref name="Amnesty">{{cite web |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde12/022/1998/en/ |title=EGYPT: Human Rights Abuses by Armed Groups |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=September 1998 |work=amnesty.org |publisher=] |access-date=2 December 2015}}</ref> by an Egyptian terrorist group ], who claimed justification from Al-Azhar's fatwas.<ref>{{cite book |last=Bar |first=Shmuel |title=Warrant for Terror: The Fatwas of Radical Islam and the Duty to Jihad |year=2008 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |page=16, footnote 8}}</ref> In response, a scholar at Al-Azhar published ''Man Qatala Faraj Fawda''.<ref name="de Baets">{{cite book|last1=de Baets|first1=Antoon|title=Censorship of Historical Thought: A World Guide, 1945-2000|publisher=Greenwood Publishing|page=196|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4DlMSrtOGLIC&q=Farag+Foda&pg=PA196|quote=In December 1992 Foda's collected works were banned|isbn=9780313311932|year=2002}}</ref> <ref>{{cite book |last=Brown |first=Nathan J. |author-link=Nathan J. Brown (political scientist) |title=The Rule of Law in the Arab World: Courts in Egypt and the Gulf |year=1997 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |page=114|quote=While he stopped just short of condoning Fawda's assassination, his testimony also implied that the government was operating outside the bounds of Islam...}}</ref> Foda was assassinated in June 1992,<ref name=Miller>{{cite book|last1=Miller|first1=Judith|title=God Has Ninety-Nine Names: Reporting from a Militant Middle East|publisher=Simon and Schuster|page=26|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tH_ThgVEoAcC&q=foda+kishk&pg=PA26|isbn=978-1-4391-2941-8|date=2011-07-19}}</ref><ref name="Amnesty">{{cite web |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde12/022/1998/en/ |title=EGYPT: Human Rights Abuses by Armed Groups |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=September 1998 |work=amnesty.org |publisher=] |access-date=2 December 2015}}</ref> by an Egyptian terrorist group ], who claimed justification from Al-Azhar's fatwas.<ref>{{cite book |last=Bar |first=Shmuel |title=Warrant for Terror: The Fatwas of Radical Islam and the Duty to Jihad |year=2008 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |page=16, footnote 8}}</ref> In response, a scholar at Al-Azhar published ''Man Qatala Faraj Fawda''.<ref name="de Baets">{{cite book|last1=de Baets|first1=Antoon|title=Censorship of Historical Thought: A World Guide, 1945-2000|publisher=Greenwood Publishing|page=196|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4DlMSrtOGLIC&q=Farag+Foda&pg=PA196|quote=In December 1992 Foda's collected works were banned|isbn=978-0-313-31193-2|year=2002}}</ref>


==Notable people== ==Notable people==
{{Alumni|date=May 2012}} {{Alumni|date=May 2012}}
'''10th–17th centuries''' '''10th–17th centuries'''
*] (1423 – 1506) Arab physicist, mathematician and astronomer{{Citation needed|date=May 2024|reason=No source provided here or at linked article about relation to al-Azhar}} * ] (1423–1495/1506, aged {{circa|72–83}}) Arab physicist, mathematician and astronomer{{Citation needed|date=May 2024|reason=No source provided here or at linked article about relation to al-Azhar}}
*] (15th century) Arab physicist, mathematician and astronomer{{Citation needed|date=May 2024|reason=No reliable source provided here or at linked article about relation to al-Azhar}} * ] (1408–1471, aged 63), Arab physicist, mathematician and astronomer{{Citation needed|date=May 2024|reason=No reliable source provided here or at linked article about relation to al-Azhar}}
*] (1620–1682 AD) author, philologist, grammarian, magistrate, bibliophile and a leading literary figure of the Ottoman era{{Citation needed|date=May 2024|reason=No source provided here or at linked article about relation to al-Azhar}} * ] (1620–1682, aged {{circa|62}}) author, philologist, grammarian, magistrate, bibliophile and a leading literary figure of the Ottoman era.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024|reason=No source provided here or at linked article about relation to al-Azhar}}
* ] (1735–1823, aged {{circa|88}}) Jordanian ] and chieftain.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024|reason=No source provided here or at linked article about relation to al-Azhar}}


'''19th – early 20th centuries''' '''19th – early 20th centuries'''
* ] and ], founder of ] * ] (1849–1905, aged 56), Egyptian activist and ], co-founder of ].
* ] (1838/1839–1897, aged 58), Afghan or Iranian activist, co-founder of Islamic Modernism.
* ], founder and leader of ] * ] (1882–1935, aged 52), Syrian ], founder and leader of ].
* ], ] of ] * ] ({{circa|1897}}–1974, 76/77), ] of ].
* ], Egyptian nationalist and army general who led the ] against Khedive ] * ] (1841–1911, aged 70), Egyptian nationalist and army ] who led the ] against Khedive ].


'''1910s–1950s''' '''1910s–1950s'''
* ], founder of the ] (he graduated from ] which is an affiliate of Cairo University) * ] (1906–1949, aged 42), Egyptian schoolteacher, imam, founder of the ], assassinated by ]. (He graduated from ] which is an affiliate of Cairo University)
* ], Bangladeshi author, journalist, travel enthusiast, academic, scholar and linguist; studied at the Al-Azhar University in Cairo during 1934–1935. * ] (1904–1974, aged 69), Bangladeshi author, journalist, travel enthusiast, academic, scholar and linguist; studied at the Al-Azhar University in Cairo during 1934–1935.
* Dr. ], Bangladeshi Islamic scholar and educationist * Dr. ] (1919–1995, aged 75/76), Bangladeshi Islamic scholar and educationist.
* ], a leader of ] revivalists, one of authors of ] and chairman of the Committee of National Salvation * ] (1906–1944, aged 37), a leader of ] revivalists, one of authors of ], and chairman of the Committee of National Salvation.
* ], leader of ], which has been designated a terrorist group by the governments of the United States and Egypt; currently serving a life term for the ] * ] (1938–2017, aged 78), leader of ], which has been designated a terrorist group by the governments of the United States and Egypt; died while serving a life term for the ].
* ], the leader and founder of The Islamic Political Party, Hizb ut-Tahrir (The Party of Liberation) * ] (1914–1977, aged 62/63), the leader and founder of The Islamic Political Party, Hizb ut-Tahrir (The Party of Liberation).
* ], co-founder and leader of ] * ] (1936–2004, aged 67), Palestinian politician, imam, co-founder and leader of ], ] by ].
* ], leader of 1919 revolution in Egypt * ] (1857/1859–1927, aged 66/68) Egyptian revolutionary and statesman, leader of ] and ].
* ], Egyptian writer and intellectual * ] (1889–1973, aged 83), Egyptian writer and intellectual.
* ], translator of the ] into the ] * ] (1906–1978, aged 72), ] Chinese translator of the ] into the ].
* ], Kuwaiti poet and writer of Kuwait's national anthem '']'' * ] (1923–1990, aged 67), Kuwaiti poet and writer of Kuwait's national anthem '']''.
* ], Moroccan cleric, enrolled in 1921, dropped out due to a death in the family * ] (1902–1961, aged {{circa|59}}), Moroccan cleric, enrolled in 1921, dropped out due to a death in the family.
* ], Moroccan cleric, graduated from Azhar in 1931 * ] (1910–1993, aged {{circa|83}}), Moroccan cleric, graduated from Azhar in 1931.
* ], Indian-born Saudi Arabian writer * ] (1923–2002, aged 79), Indian-born Saudi Arabian linguist, jurist, theologian, and journalist.


'''1950–present''' '''1950–present'''
* ], Nigerian business mogul, studied business at Al-Azhar * ] ({{born in|1957}}), Nigerian business mogul, studied business at Al-Azhar.
* ], former ].<ref>{{cite web |title=THE 500 MOST INFLUENTIAL MUSLIMS 2010 |url=https://rissc.jo/docs/0A-FullVersion-LowRes.pdf |publisher=The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre |access-date=30 June 2022}}</ref> * ] (1943–2018, aged 74), Indian scholar, former ], founder of the ].<ref>{{cite web |title=THE 500 MOST INFLUENTIAL MUSLIMS 2010 |url=https://rissc.jo/docs/0A-FullVersion-LowRes.pdf |publisher=The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre |access-date=30 June 2022}}</ref>
* ] (1932–1979, aged {{circa|47}}), Afghan professor, father of Political Islam in ], killed in prisoner massacre on promised day of release.
*] (1922-2015) - former president of ] (1995-2004) * ] (1922–2015, aged 93), Indian politician, former president of ] (1995–2004), author of
⚫ * ], Pakistani journalist who in 1955 became the first woman to give a speech at the university
* ], Dai of Dawoodi Bohra researched and rediscovered Al-Azhar University's past history, awarded PhD from Al-Azhar University.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mumineen.org |title=Serving Dawoodi Bohras Worldwide |publisher=Mumineen.org |date=2010-03-04 |access-date=2010-03-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100318053056/http://www.mumineen.org/| archive-date= 18 March 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref> * ], Former Chief Justice, and Justice Supreme Court of The Republic of Maldives.<ref name="supremecourt.gov.mv"> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100910234940/http://www.supremecourt.gov.mv/di/ |date=2010-09-10}}</ref>
⚫ * ] (1918–2000, aged 81), Pakistani feminist and journalist who in 1955 became the first woman to give a speech at the university.
* ] founder of the terrorist group ], and a Palestinian Sunni Islamic scholar and theologian
* ] (1915–2014, aged 98), 52nd ] of ]. Bohra researched and rediscovered Al-Azhar University's past history, awarded PhD from Al-Azhar University.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mumineen.org |title=Serving Dawoodi Bohras Worldwide |publisher=Mumineen.org |date=2010-03-04 |access-date=2010-03-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100318053056/http://www.mumineen.org/| archive-date= 18 March 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref>
⚫ * ], ] linguist who devised a Latin script for the ]<ref>David D. Laitin, ''Politics, Language, and Thought: The Somali Experience'', (University Of Chicago Press: 1977), p. 102</ref>
* ] (1941–1989, aged 48), Palestinian Sunni Islamic scholar, theologian, founder of the terrorist group ], assassinated in unsolved car bombing.
⚫ * ],<ref>{{Cite book |last=ATIGHETCHI |first=DARIUSCH |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Tdm9V89lW3IC&dq=Mahmud+Shaltut+Grand+Sheikh+of+Al-Azhar&pg=PA99 |title=Islamic Bioethics: Problems and Perspectives |date=2006-12-02 |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |isbn=978-1-4020-4962-0 |language=en}}</ref> Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar, ] a ], declaring that Al-Azhar recognizes ] as a valid branch of Islam
⚫ * ] (1936–1999, aged 62/63), ] linguist who devised a Latin script for the ].<ref>David D. Laitin, ''Politics, Language, and Thought: The Somali Experience'', (University Of Chicago Press: 1977), p. 102</ref>
⚫ * ], ] and Qur'anic scholar
⚫ * ] (1893–1963, aged 70),<ref>{{Cite book |last=ATIGHETCHI |first=DARIUSCH |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Tdm9V89lW3IC&dq=Mahmud+Shaltut+Grand+Sheikh+of+Al-Azhar&pg=PA99 |title=Islamic Bioethics: Problems and Perspectives |date=2006-12-02 |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |isbn=978-1-4020-4962-0 |language=en}}</ref> Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar, ] a ], declaring that Al-Azhar recognizes ] as a valid branch of Islam.
⚫ * ],{{Citation needed|date=October 2010}} Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar, introduced the study of ] as a science through his writings and lectures on the matter
⚫ * ] (1917–1980, aged 63), Egyptian ] and Qur'anic scholar.
⚫ * ], Islamic scholar, cleric, and founder of the Quranists, who was exiled from Egypt, lived in the United States as a political refugee{{cn|date=June 2022}}
⚫ * ] (1901–1978, aged 77), Egyptian philosopher and Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, introduced the study of ] as a science through his writings and lectures on the matter.{{Citation needed|date=October 2010}}
⚫ * ], president of ] (Ashburn, VA, USA), former chairman of the ] Council of North America, and the president of the ] in Herndon, ]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cordobauniversity.org/gsiss/faculty/Alalwani.asp |title=Cordoba University |publisher=Cordoba University |access-date=2010-03-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100213011849/http://www.cordobauniversity.org/gsiss/faculty/Alalwani.asp |archive-date=13 February 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref>
⚫ * ] ({{born in|1949}}), Egyptian Islamic scholar, cleric, and founder of ], who was exiled from Egypt, lived in the United States as a political refugee.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}}
⚫ * ],{{Citation needed|date=October 2010}} former President of ]
⚫ * ] (1935–2016, aged {{circa|86}}), Iraqi scholar, president of ] (Ashburn, VA, USA), founder and chairman of the ] Council of North America, and the president of the ] in Herndon, ]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cordobauniversity.org/gsiss/faculty/Alalwani.asp |title=Cordoba University |publisher=Cordoba University |access-date=2010-03-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100213011849/http://www.cordobauniversity.org/gsiss/faculty/Alalwani.asp |archive-date=13 February 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* ],{{Citation needed|date=October 2010}} former Grand Imam of Al-Azhar (17 March 1996 to 10 March 2010)
⚫ * ] (1940–2009, aged 69),{{Citation needed|date=October 2010}} Indonesian politician, fourth ] ] (1999–2001).
* ], Grand Imam of Al-Azhar.
* ]{{Citation needed|date=October 2010}} * ] (1928–2010, aged 81),{{Citation needed|date=October 2010}} Egyptian scholar, Grand Mufti of Egypt (1986–1996), Grand Imam of Al-Azhar (1996–death).
* ] ({{born in|1946}}), Egyptian Islamic scholar, ] (2003–2010), Grand Imam of Al-Azhar (2010–present).
* Egyptian Muslim jurist
* ] (1911–1998, aged 87), Egyptian Muslim jurist, Minister of Awqaf (1976–1978).{{Citation needed|date=October 2010}}
* ], former President of The Republic of Maldives.
* ] ({{born in|1937}}), Maldivian statesman, diplomat, and scholar, 3rd ] ] (1978–2008).
* ] Al-Qasimi, Al-Baqavi, Islamic scholar from Indian state, Kerala; former President of ],(1995-2004), writer of
* ], Former Chief Justice, and Justice Supreme Court of The Republic of Maldives<ref name="supremecourt.gov.mv"> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100910234940/http://www.supremecourt.gov.mv/di/ |date=2010-09-10}}</ref> * ] ({{born in|1966}}), Maldivian judge, Chief Judge of Criminal Court of The Republic of Maldives (2008–present).<ref name="supremecourt.gov.mv" />
* ] (1939–2003, aged 64), Filipino militant, co-founder and leader of the ] in the ].
* ], chief judge, Criminal Court of The Republic of Maldives.<ref name="supremecourt.gov.mv" />
* ], founder and leader of the ] in the ]. * ] (1940/1941–2023, aged 81), co-founder of the ] in the ] and ] of the ].
* ] (1942–2012, aged 69), Maldavian politician, former Foreign Minister of Maldives Minister of Foreign Affairs of Maldives (1978–2005).
* ], co-founder of the ] in the ] and ] of the ].
⚫ * ] (1940–2011, aged 71), Afghan politician, teacher, ] ] leader, 6th ].
* ], former Foreign Minister of Maldives.
⚫ * ] (1915–1989, aged 73), Maldivin author and writer.
⚫ * ], former ] ] leader and president of Afghanistan
* ] (1931–2015, aged 84), Malaysian politician and Muslim cleric, Mursyidul Am of the ] (PAS, 1991–death), ] (1990–2013).
⚫ * ], Maldives author and writer
* ] Mursyidul Am (spiritual leader) of the ] (PAS) and former ] (Chief Minister) of the Malaysian state of ] * ] ({{born in|1947}}), Malaysian politician and religious teacher, 7th ] (PAS, 2002–present) and former ] (1999–2004).
⚫ * ] (1980–2017, aged 37), Filipino Islamist militant, co-founder and leader of the ], killed in ].
* ] president of the ] (PAS) and former ] (Chief Minister) of the Malaysian state of ]
* ] (1936–2009, aged 73), Indian community leader, Islamic religious leader and scholar, politician. President of the Kerala state committee of the ] (1975-death).
⚫ * ], co-founder and leader of the ] in ], ]
⚫ * ] ({{born in|1934}}), Indian Islamic scholar, 10th Principal of ] (2000–present) and chancellor of ].{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}
* ], Muslim religious leader, politician and Islamic scholar from the Indian state of Kerala; Qazi to hundreds of mahals in Kerala, President IUML Kerala 1975–2009
⚫ * ] ({{born in|1960}}), English academic, theologian and Islamic scholar. Founder of the ], Aziz Foundation Professor of Islamic Studies at Cambridge Muslim College and Ebrahim College, director of studies (theology and religious studies) at ], and Shaykh Zayed Lecturer in Islamic Studies in the Faculty of Divinity at the ].
⚫ * ], principal of ] and chancellor of ]
⚫ * ] (1943–2002, aged 58), Bruneian Muslim scholar.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/313647369 |title=Essays in memory of Vice-Chancellor, UBD 1992-2002 |publisher=] |year=2005}}</ref>
⚫ * ], founder of the ], Aziz Foundation Professor of Islamic Studies at Cambridge Muslim College and Ebrahim College, director of studies (theology and religious studies) at ], and Shaykh Zayed Lecturer in Islamic Studies in the Faculty of Divinity at the ]
⚫ * ], Canadian–Egyptian Muslim scholar, author, youth mentor, public speaker, imam, and university chaplain. English translator of the ] and author of 'The Clear Quran' Series.
⚫ * ], Bruneian muslim scholar<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |url=https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Asbol-Mail/publication/313647369_Professor_Mahmud_Saedon_Riwayat_Hidup/links/58a15f6b45851598bab874dc/Professor-Mahmud-Saedon-Riwayat-Hidup.pdf |title=Essays in memory of Vice-Chancellor, UBD 1992-2002 |publisher=] |year=2005}}</ref>
* ] ({{born in|1945}}), Iraqi politician, Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister of Iraq (2006–2010), senior advisor.
⚫ * ], English translator of the ] and author of 'The Clear Quran' Series
* ] ({{born in|1944}}), Indonesian Muslim scholar in the sciences of Quran and ] (1998).
* ] ({{born in|1946}}), Indonesian professor of religion and politician, 14th ] (1999–2001), ] (2004–2005).
* ] ({{born in|1973}}), Bruneian academician and educator, rector of ] (UNISSA, 2014–present) since 2014<ref name=":12">{{Cite news |date=2017 |title=Majlis Ilmu 2017 |url=https://www.mora.gov.bn/Majlis%20Ilmu/Program/Program_Majlis_Ilmu_2017.pdf |access-date=2024-09-10 |work=Ministry of Religious Affairs |page=63 |language=ms}}</ref>


==See also== ==See also==
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Public university in Cairo, Egypt For the historic mosque building, see Al-Azhar Mosque. For the university in Gaza, see Al-Azhar University – Gaza.
Al-Azhar University
جامعة الأزهر الشريف
[REDACTED] Al-Azhar University logo
TypePublic
Establishedc. 970/972 – founded as institution for higher Islamic learning
1961 – gained university status
Religious affiliationSunni Islam
PresidentSalama Dawood
LocationCairo, Egypt
30°02′45″N 31°15′45″E / 30.04583°N 31.26250°E / 30.04583; 31.26250
CampusUrban
Websiteazhar.edu.eg
University rankings
Global – Overall
QS World1201–1400 (2024)
THE World801–1000 (2024)
USNWR Global=739 (2023)

The Al-Azhar University (/ˈɑːzhɑːr/ AHZ-har; Egyptian Arabic: جامعة الأزهر (الشريف), IPA: [ˈɡæmʕet elˈʔɑzhɑɾ eʃʃæˈɾiːf], lit. 'University of (the honorable) Al-Azhar') is a public university in Cairo, Egypt. Associated with Al-Azhar Al-Sharif in Islamic Cairo, it is Egypt's oldest degree-granting university and is known as one of the most prestigious universities for Islamic learning. In addition to higher education, Al-Azhar oversees a national network of schools with approximately two million students. As of 1996, over 4,000 teaching institutes in Egypt were affiliated with the university.

Founded in 970 or 972 by the Fatimid Caliphate as a centre of Islamic learning, its students studied the Qur'an and Islamic law, along with logic, grammar, rhetoric, and how to calculate the phases of the moon. Today it is the chief centre of Arabic literature and Islamic learning in the world. In 1961 additional non-religious subjects were added to its curriculum.

Its library is considered second in importance in Egypt only to the Egyptian National Library and Archives. In May 2005, Al-Azhar in partnership with a Dubai information technology enterprise, IT Education Project (ITEP) launched the H.H. Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum project to preserve Al-Azhar scripts and publish them online (the "Al-Azhar Online Project") to eventually publish online access to the library's entire rare manuscripts collection, comprising about seven million pages of material.

History

Beginnings under the Fatimids

The courtyard of the Al-Azhar Mosque, which largely dates to the Fatimid period

Al-Azhar is one of the relics of the Isma'ili Shi'a Fatimid dynasty, which claimed descent from Fatimah, daughter of Muhammad and wife of Ali, son-in-law, and cousin of Muhammad. Fatimah was called al-Zahra (the luminous), and the institution was named in her honor. It was founded as a mosque by the Fatimid commander Jawhar al-Siqilli at the orders of the Caliph and Imam Al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah as he founded the city for Cairo. It was begun (probably on Saturday) in Jumada al-Awwal in the year AH 359 (March/April 970 CE). Its building was completed on the 9th of Ramadan in AH 361 (24 June 972 CE). Both Caliph al-Aziz Billah and Caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah added to its premises. It was further repaired, renovated, and extended by al-Mustansir Billah and al-Hafiz li-Din Allah.

Prayer hall of Al-Azhar Mosque

The Fatimid caliphs always encouraged scholars and jurists to have their study-circles and gatherings in this mosque and thus it was turned into a madrasa which has the claim to be considered as the oldest such institution still functioning. The mosque provided teaching on a variety of subjects from a variety of scholars. According to Syed Farid Alatas, these subjects included Islamic law and jurisprudence, Arabic grammar, Islamic astronomy, Islamic philosophy, and logic. Under the Fatimids, Al-Azhar also notably promoted Shia Islam.

Saladin

In the 12th century, following the overthrow of the Isma'ili Fatimid dynasty, Saladin (the founder of the Sunni Ayyubid dynasty) converted Al-Azhar to a Shafi'ite Sunni center of learning. Therefore, "he had all the treasures of the palace, including the books, sold over a period of ten years. Many were burned, thrown into the Nile, or thrown into a great heap, which was covered with sand, so that a regular "hill of books" was formed and the soldiers used to sole their shoes with the fine bindings. The number of books said to have been disposed of varies from 120,000 to 2,000,000." Abd-el-latif delivered lectures on Islamic medicine at Al-Azhar, while according to legend the Jewish philosopher Maimonides delivered lectures on medicine and astronomy there during the time of Saladin though no historical proof has corroborated this.

Saladin introduced the college system in Egypt, which was also adopted in Al-Azhar. Under this system, the college was a separate institution within the mosque compound, with its own classrooms, dormitories and a library.

Mamluks

Under the Mamluks, Al-Azhar gained influence and rose in prestige. The Mamluks established salaries for instructors and stipends for the students and gave the institution an endowment. A college was built for the institution in 1340, outside of the mosque. In the late 1400s, the buildings were renovated and new dormitories were built for the students.

During this time Cairo had 70 other institutions of Islamic learning, however, Al-Azhar attracted many scholars due to its prestige. The famed Ibn Khaldun taught at Al-Azhar starting in 1383.

During this time texts were few and much of the learning happened by students memorizing their teachers' lectures and notes. In fact, blind young boys were enrolled at Al-Azhar in the hopes that they could eventually earn a living as teachers.

Ottomans

The Gate of the Barbers, one of the entrances to the mosque embellished during the Ottoman period

During the Ottoman period, Al-Azhar's prestige and influence grew to the point of becoming the preeminent institution for Islamic learning in the Sunni Muslim world. During this time, the Shaykh Al-Azhar was established, an office given to the leading scholar at the institution; prior to this the head of the institution was not necessarily a scholar. In 1748, the Ottoman pasha tried to get Al-Azhar to teach astronomy and mathematics, to little avail.

During the time there wasn't a system of academic degrees, instead the shaykh (professor) determined if the student was sufficiently trained to enter a professor (ijazah). The average length of study was 6 years. Despite the lack of bureaucracy, the training remained rigorous and prolonged. Students were loosely organized into riwaq (a sort of fraternity) organized according to their nationality and branch of Islamic law they studied. Each riwaq was supervised by a professor. A rector, usually a senior professor, oversaw the finances.

Post-Ottoman

By the mid 19th century, al-Azhar had surpassed Istanbul and was considered the capital of Sunni legal expertise; a main centre of power in the Islamic world; and a rival to Damascus, Mecca and Baghdad.

When the Kingdom of Egypt was established in 1923, the signing of the new nation's constitution was delayed because of King Fuad I's insistence that Al-Azhar and other religious institutions were to be subject to him and not the Egyptian parliament. The King Fuad I Edition of the Qur'an was first published on 10 July 1924 by a committee from Al-Azhar University Prominent committee members included Islamic scholar, Muhammad b. 'Ali al-Husayni al-Haddad. Noteworthy Western scholars/academics working in Egypt at the time include Bergsträsser and Jeffery. Methodological differences aside, speculation alludes to a spirit of cooperation. Bergsträsser was certainly impressed with the work.

In March 1924, Abdülmecid II had been deposed as Caliph, supreme religious and political leader of all Muslims across the world. The Grand Sheikh of al-Azhar repudiated the abolition and was part of a call from Al-Azhar for an Islamic Conference. The unsuccessful "caliphate conference" was held under the presidency of the Grand Chancellor of Azhar in 1926 but no one was able to gain a consensus for the candidacy across the Islamic world. Candidates proposed for the caliphate included King Fuad.

Modernization

An Azhari institute in Tanta

The pioneering Pakistani journalist Zaib-un-Nissa Hamidullah became the first woman to address the university in 1955. In 1961, Al-Azhar was re-established as a university under the government of Egypt's second President Gamal Abdel Nasser when a wide range of secular faculties were added for the first time, such as business, economics, science, pharmacy, medicine, engineering and agriculture. Before that date, the Encyclopaedia of Islam classifies the Al-Azhar variously as madrasa, center of higher learning and, since the 19th century, religious university, but not as a university in the full sense, referring to the modern transition process as "from madrasa to university". Other academic sources also refer to al-Azhar as a madrasa in pre-modern times before its transformation into a university. An Islamic women's faculty was also added in the same year.

Religious ideology

Part of a series on
Ash'arism
Rock carved with al-'Aqida al-Murshida by Ibn Tumart
Background
Eminent scholars
3rd AH/9th AD
4th AH/10th AD
5th AH/11th AD
6th AH/12th AD
7th AH/13th AD
8th AH/14th AD
9th AH/15th AD
10th AH/16th AD
11th AH/17th AD
12th AH/18th AD
13th AH/19th AD
14th AH/20th AD
Theological works
Institutions
Events
Related groups
Classic
Modern
One of the study halls attached to the mosque

Historically, Al-Azhar had a membership that represented diverse opinions within Islam. The theological schools of al-Ash'ari and al-Maturidi were both represented. It has a long tradition of teaching all four schools of Sunni Islamic jurisprudence (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi, and Hanbali). The chief mufti of each school of thought acted as the dean, responsible for the teachers and students in that group. During the time of the Ottomans, the Hanafi dean came to hold a position as primus inter pares. It also had membership from the seven main Sufi orders. Al-Azhar has had an antagonistic relationship with Wahhabism. According to a 2011 report issued by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Al Azhar is strongly Sufi in character:

Adherence to a Sufi order has long been standard for both professors and students in the al-Azhar mosque and university system. Although al-Azhar is not monolithic, its identity has been strongly associated with Sufism. The current Shaykh al-Azhar (rector of the school), Ahmed el-Tayeb, is a hereditary Sufi shaykh from Upper Egypt who has recently expressed his support for the formation of a world Sufi league; the former Grand Mufti of Egypt and senior al-Azhar scholar Ali Gomaa is also a highly respected Sufi master.

However, in the early 20th century, enlightened Modernist thinkers such as Muhammad Abduh led a reform of the curriculum, reintroducing a desire for legal reform through ijtihad. Subsequently, disputes were had between modernist intellectuals and traditionalists within al-Azhar. Al-Azhar now maintains a modernist position, advocating "Wasatiyya" (centrism), a reaction against the extreme textualism of many Wahhabi Salafi ideologues. Wasatiyya covers a range of thinkers, some of whom are liberal intellectuals with religious inclinations, preachers such as Yusuf al-Qaradawi and many members of the Muslim Brotherhood. Since the 2013 coup however, Al-Azhar has taken a position against the brotherhood.

The nineteenth and current Grand Mufti of Egypt and Al Azhar scholar, is Shawki Ibrahim Abdel-Karim Allam. The university is opposed to overt liberal reform of Islam and issued a fatwa against the liberal Ibn Rushd-Goethe mosque in Berlin because it banned face-covering veils such as burqa and niqab on its premises while allowing women and men to pray together. The fatwa encompassed all present and future liberal mosques.

Council of Senior Scholars

Al-Azhar University Campus

Al-Azhar University's Council of Senior Scholars was founded in 1911 but was replaced in 1961 by the Center for Islamic Research. In July 2012, after the law restricting Al-Azhar University's autonomy was modified by the incoming president Mohamed Morsi, the council was reformed. The Council consists of 40 members and as of February 2013 had 14 vacancies all appointed by the current imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmed El-Tayeb, who was appointed by the prior president, Hosni Mubarak. Once the remaining 14 vacancies are filled, new vacancies will be appointed by the existing Council itself. All four madhahib (schools) of Sunni Islamic jurisprudence are proportionally represented on the council (Hanafi, Shafi'i, Hanbali, Maliki) and voting is on a majority basis. In addition to El-Tayeb, other prominent members of the Council include the outgoing Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa. The council is tasked with nominating the Grand Mufti of Egypt (subject to presidential approval), electing the next Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Mosque, and is expected to be the final authority in determining if new legislation is compliant with Islamic law. Although the council's decisions are not binding (absent new legislation), it is expected that it would be difficult for the parliament to pass legislation deemed by the council as against Islamic law.

In January 2013, Al-Tayeb referred a relatively minor issue related to Islamic bonds to the council, for the first time asserting the council's jurisdiction. In 2013, the Council elected Shawki Ibrahim Abdel-Karim Allam to be the next Grand Mufti of Egypt. This marks the first time that the Grand Mufti would be elected by Islamic scholars since the position was created in 1895. Prior to this, the Egyptian head of state made the appointment.

Views

Al-Azhar's muftis have a history of being consulted on political issues. Muhammad Ali Pasha appointed Al-Azhar muftis to the Consultative Council in 1829 and this would be repeated by Abbas I and later Isma'il Pasha. At the same time, there were many cases where the Egyptian ruler would disregard the opinion of Al-Azhar scholars. Sheikh Muhammad Sayyid Tantawy noted that among the priorities of Muslims are "to master all knowledge of the world and the hereafter, not least the technology of modern weapons to strengthen and defend the community and faith". He added that "mastery over modern weaponry is important to prepare for any eventuality or prejudices of the others, although Islam is a religion of peace".

Sheikh Tantawy also reasserted that his is the best faith to follow and that Muslims have the duty of active da'wa. He has made declarations about Muslims interacting with non-Muslims who are not a threat to Muslims. There are non-Muslims living apart from Muslims and who are not enemies of Islam ("Muslims are allowed to undertake exchanges of interests with these non-Muslims so long as these ties do not tarnish the image of the faith"), and there are "the non-Muslims who live in the same country as the Muslims in cooperation and on friendly terms, and are not enemies of the faith" ("in this case, their rights and responsibilities are the same as the Muslims so long as they do not become enemies of Islam"). Shi'a fiqh (according to a fatwa by Al-Azhar) is accepted as a fifth school of Islamic thought.

In October 2007, Muhammad Sayyid Tantawy, then the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, drew allegations of stifling freedom of speech when he asked the Egyptian government to toughen its rules and punishments against journalists. During a Friday sermon in the presence of Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif and a number of ministers, Tantawy was alleged to have stated that journalism which contributes to the spread of false rumours rather than true news deserved to be boycotted, and that it was tantamount to sinning for readers to purchase such newspapers. Tantawy, a supporter of then Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, also called for a punishment of eighty lashes to "those who spread rumors" in an indictment of speculation by journalists over Mubarak's ill health and possible death. This was not the first time that he had criticized the Egyptian press regarding its news coverage nor the first time he in return had been accused by the press of opposing freedom of speech. During a religious celebration in the same month, Tantawy had released comments alluding to "the arrogant and the pretenders who accuse others with the ugliest vice and unsubstantiated charges". In response, Egypt's press union issued a statement suggesting that Tantawy appeared to be involved in inciting and escalating a campaign against journalists and freedom of the press. Tantawy died in 2010 and was succeeded by Mohamed Ahmed el-Tayeb.

In 2016 Ahmed el-Tayeb reissued the fatwa on Shia Muslims, calling Shia the fifth school of Islam and seeing no problem with conversions from Sunni to Shia Islam. However, the NGOs report that violence and propaganda against the country's Shia minority continues. Shia Muslims are frequently denied services in addition to being called derogatory names. Anti-Shia sentiment is spread through education at all levels. Clerics educated at Al-Azhar University publicly promote sectarian beliefs by calling Shia Muslims infidels and encourage isolation and marginalization of Shia Muslims in Egypt.

Scholars from Al-Azhar declared the writings to Farag Foda to be blasphemous. Muhammad al-Ghazali, a member of Al-Azhar, declared Foda to be guilty of apostasy. According to Geneive Abdo, Muhammad al-Ghazali also added that anyone killing an apostate would not be punished, while according to Nathan Brown, Muhammad al-Ghazali stopped just short of condoning Foroda's assassination. Foda was assassinated in June 1992, by an Egyptian terrorist group al-Jama'a al-Islamiyya, who claimed justification from Al-Azhar's fatwas. In response, a scholar at Al-Azhar published Man Qatala Faraj Fawda.

Notable people

This article's list of alumni may not follow Misplaced Pages's verifiability policy. Please improve this article by removing names that do not have independent reliable sources showing they merit inclusion in this article AND are alumni, or by incorporating the relevant publications into the body of the article through appropriate citations. (May 2012)

10th–17th centuries

  • Sibt al-Maridini (1423–1495/1506, aged c. 72–83) Arab physicist, mathematician and astronomer
  • Abd al-'Aziz al-Wafa'i (1408–1471, aged 63), Arab physicist, mathematician and astronomer
  • Abd al-Qadir al-Baghdadi (1620–1682, aged c. 62) author, philologist, grammarian, magistrate, bibliophile and a leading literary figure of the Ottoman era.
  • Nimr ibn Adwan (1735–1823, aged c. 88) Jordanian poet and chieftain.

19th – early 20th centuries

1910s–1950s

1950–present

See also

Notes

  1. "QS World University Rankings: Al-Azhar University". Top Universities. 29 June 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  2. "Al-Azhar University". Times Higher Education (THE). 28 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  3. U.S. News & World Report. "Al-Azhar University". Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  4. Delman, Edward (February 26, 2015). "An Anti-ISIS Summit in Mecca A". The Atlantic.
  5. Aishah Ahmad Sabki (2018). Pedagogy in Islamic Education: The Madrasah Context. Emerald Group Publishing. p. 16.
  6. Brown, Nathan J. (September 2011). Post-Revolutionary al-Azhar (PDF). Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. p. 4. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  7. Roy, Olivier (2004). Globalized Islam: The Search for a New Ummah. Columbia University Press. pp. 92–93. ISBN 978-0-231-13499-6. Retrieved 4 April 2015. In Egypt the number of teaching institutes dependent on Al-Azhar University increased from 1855 in 1986–7 to 4314 in 1995–6.
  8. ^ "Al-Azhar University". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 2015-08-19.
  9. ^ Skovgaard-Petersen, Jakob. "al-Azhar, modern period." Encyclopaedia of Islam, THREE. Edited by: Gudrun Krämer, Denis Matringe, John Nawas and Everett Rowson. Brill, 2010, retrieved 20/03/2010:

    Al-Azhar, the historic centre of higher Islamic learning in Cairo, has undergone significant change since the late 19th century, with new regulations and reforms resulting in an expanded role for the university. 1. From madrasa to university

  10. Egyptian National Library Publications. Egyptian National Library Press.
  11. "AME Info, 26 September 2005". AME Info. Archived from the original on 19 April 2010. Retrieved 2010-03-21.
  12. ITEP press release, 10 October 2006
  13. Halm, Heinz. The Fatimids and their Traditions of Learning. London: The Institute of Ismaili Studies and I.B. Tauris. 1997.
  14. ^ Shorter Shi'ite Encyclopaedia, By: Hasan al-Amin, http://www.imamreza.net/old/eng/imamreza.php?id=574
  15. "The World's Oldest Universities, Some That Have Been Around For More Than A Thousand Years". IndiaTimes. 2022-11-30. Retrieved 2022-12-17.
  16. Goddard, Hugh (2000). A History of Christian-Muslim Relations. Edinburgh University Press. p. 99. ISBN 0-7486-1009-X.
  17. Alatas, Syed Farid (2006). "From Jāmi'ah to University: Multiculturalism and Christian–Muslim Dialogue". Current Sociology. 54 (1): 123. doi:10.1177/0011392106058837. S2CID 144509355.
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