View source for Al-Azhar University

{{Short description|Public university in Cairo, Egypt}}
{{for-multi|the historic mosque building|Al-Azhar Mosque|the university in Gaza|Al-Azhar University – Gaza}}
{{Infobox university
 | native_name            = جامعة الأزهر
 | image                  = Al-Azhar University logo.svg
 | image_size             = 180
 | caption                = Al-Azhar University logo
 | motto                  = 
 | established            = {{circa}} 970/972 – founded as institution for higher Islamic learning<br />1961 – gained university status
 | type                   = [[Public university|Public]]
 | endowment              = 
 | president              = Salama Dawood
 | head_label             = 
 | head                   = 
 | students               = 
 | undergrad              = 
 | postgrad               = 
 | doctoral               = 
 | address                = 
 | city                   = [[Cairo]]
 | country                = [[Egypt]]
 | campus                 = Urban
 | religious_affiliation  = [[Sunni Islam]]<br /><small>(originally [[Isma'ilism|Isma'ili Shia]])</small>
 | calendar               = 
 | faculty                = 
 | divinity               = 
 | profess                = 
 | coordinates            = {{Coord|30|02|45|N|31|15|45|E|dim:200_region:EG_type:edu_source:dewiki |display=inline,title}}
 | affiliations           = 
 | logo                   = 
 | logo_size              = 120
 | nobel_laureates        = 
 | website                = {{URL|http://azhar.edu.eg/}}
}}
{{Infobox university rankings
| ARWU_W = |ARWU_W_year = | ARWU_W_ref =
| QS_W = 1201–1400 | QS_W_year = 2024| QS_W_ref = <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.topuniversities.com/universities/al-azhar-university|title=QS World University Rankings: Al-Azhar University|date=29 June 2023|website=Top Universities|access-date=29 June 2023}}</ref>
| THE_W = 801–1000  |THE_W_year = 2024| THE_W_ref = <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/al-azhar-university|title= Al-Azhar University |date=28 September 2023|website=Times Higher Education (THE)|access-date=28 September 2023}}</ref>
| USNWR_W = =739| USNWR_W_year = 2023 | USNWR_W_ref =<ref name="USNWR">{{cite web|url=https://www.usnews.com/education/best-global-universities/al-azhar-university-508017|title=Al-Azhar University|author=U.S. News & World Report|access-date=27 February 2024}}</ref>
}}

The '''Al-Azhar University''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɑː|z|h|ɑr}} {{respell|AHZ|har}}; {{langx|ar|جامعة الأزهر}}, {{IPA|ar|ˈɡæmʕet elˈʔɑzhɑɾ eʃʃæˈɾiːf|IPA}}, {{lit|University of 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 [[Islam]]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=[[Emerald Group Publishing]]|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 [[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 studies|Islamic learning]] 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 [[Egyptian National Library and Archives]].<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. [[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.<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==

=== Beginnings under the Fatimids ===
[[File:Courtyard of Al-Azhar Mosque Cairo Egypt 2019 (6).jpg|thumb|The courtyard of the [[Al-Azhar Mosque]], which largely dates to the [[Fatimid period]] ]]
Al-Azhar is one of the relics of the [[Ismailism|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.<ref>Halm, Heinz. ''The [[Fatimids]] 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 [[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 [[Anno Hegirae|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]].<ref name="imamreza.net"/>
[[File:Flickr - Gaspa - Cairo, moschea di El-Azhar (5).jpg|thumb|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.<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=[[Edinburgh University Press]] |year=2000 |isbn=0-7486-1009-X |page=[https://archive.org/details/historychristian00godd/page/n111 99] |url-access=limited}}</ref> According to Syed Farid Alatas, these subjects included [[Sharia|Islamic law]] and [[Fiqh|jurisprudence]], [[Arabic grammar]], [[Islamic astronomy]], [[early Islamic philosophy|Islamic philosophy]], and [[logic in Islamic philosophy|logic]].<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 [[Shia Islam]].<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 ===
In the 12th century, following the overthrow of the [[Isma'ili Shia|Isma'ili]] [[Fatimid]] dynasty, [[Saladin]] (the founder of the Sunni [[Ayyubid dynasty]]) converted Al-Azhar to a [[Shafi'ite]] [[Sunni]] center of learning.<ref name="Britannica Article" /><ref>''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]'' 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 [[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."<ref>''[[Encyclopaedia of Islam]]'', Leiden, 1936, 3rd vol., p.&nbsp;353</ref><ref>[http://www.ismaili.net/histoire/history05/history581.html], End of the Fatimid Caliphate</ref> [[Abd al-Latif al-Baghdadi (medieval writer)|Abd-el-latif]] delivered [[lecture]]s 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.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Muqarnas, Volume 13|first=Gulru|last=Necipogulu|publisher=[[Brill Publishers]]|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=[[Taylor & Francis]]|author=Sina Dubovoy|editor=Carol Summerfield and Mary Elizabeth Devine|page=10}}</ref>

===Mamluks===
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/>

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.<ref name=founding>{{cite book|editor=Florin Curta, Andrew Holt
|title=Great Events in Religion: An Encyclopedia of Pivotal Events in Religious History|publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]]|page=561}}</ref>

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.<ref name=dictionary/>

===Ottomans===
[[File:Cairo, moschea di al-azhar, 01.JPG|thumb|The Gate of the Barbers, one of the entrances to the mosque embellished during the [[Egypt Eyalet|Ottoman period]]]]
During the [[Ottoman Empire|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.<ref name=founding/> During this time, the ''Shaykh Al-Azhar'' was established, an office given to the leading [[Ulama|scholar]] at the institution; prior to this the head of the institution was not necessarily a scholar.{{sfn|Dodge|1961|page=82}} In 1748, the Ottoman pasha tried to get Al-Azhar to teach astronomy and mathematics, to little avail.<ref name=dictionary/>

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.<ref name=dictionary/> 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.<ref name=dictionary/>

===Post-Ottoman===

By the mid 19th century, al-Azhar had surpassed [[Istanbul]] and was considered the capital of Sunni legal expertise;<ref>[[Oliver Leaman]], ''ABDU, MUHAMMAD'', The Quran: an Encyclopedia [[Routledge]]</ref> 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 [[1923 Constitution of Egypt|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.<ref>[[The Times]], ''Egyptian Constitution Delay.'' 19 April 1923</ref> The [[King Fuad I Edition]] of the [[Quran|Qur'an]]<ref>Brill, "[ <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1875-3922_q3_intro> Supplement II - Qurʾān Concordance]", 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'', [[Routledge]]</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 [[Gotthelf Bergsträsser|Bergsträsser]] and [[Arthur Jeffery|Jeffery]]. 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, [[Abdülmecid II]] had been [[Abolition of the Caliphate|deposed as Caliph]], nominally the supreme religious and political leader of all Sunni Muslims across the world.{{sfn|Özcan|1997|pp=45–52}} The [[Muhammad al-Jizawi|Grand Sheikh of al-Azhar]] repudiated the abolition<ref>The Times, ''The Caliphate'', 18 March 1924</ref> 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{{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===
[[File:Al-Ahmadi Azhar Institute -Tanta - Egypt.JPG|thumb|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".<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>

===Recent years===
Since assuming office in 2014, Egyptian President [[Abdel Fattah el-Sisi]] has called on religious institutions, including Al-Azhar, to reform religious discourse in an effort to counter extremist ideologies that emerged in the aftermath of the [[Arab Spring]] uprisings.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/1/80044/Azhar-Conference-Sisi-urges-focusing-on-renewal-of-religious-discourse |title=Azhar Conference: Sisi urges focusing on renewal of religious discourse |website=Egypt Today |date=27 January 2020 }}</ref>

In August 2021, Al-Azhar clerics stationed in [[Afghanistan]] since 2009 under an agreement with the Afghan Ministry of Education were evacuated after the [[Fall of Kabul (2021)|Taliban takeover of Kabul]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://egyptianstreets.com/2021/08/24/egypt-evacuates-43-egyptians-from-afghanistan/ |title=Egypt Evacuates 43 Egyptians from Afghanistan |publisher=Egyptian Streets |date=24 August 2021 }}</ref>

==Religious ideology==
{{Ash'arism}}
[[File:Madrasa aqbughawiyya 05.jpg|thumb|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 (education)|dean]], 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 ''[[primus inter pares]]''.<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=[[Brill Publishers|BRILL]]|year=1997|page=100}}</ref> It also had membership from the seven main [[Sufi order]]s.<ref>[http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/6638/the-identity-of-al-azhar-and-its-doctrine Jadaliyya: "The Identity of Al-Azhar and Its Doctrine" by Ibrahim El-Houdaiby] July 29, 2012</ref> Al-Azhar has had an antagonistic relationship with [[Wahhabism]].<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 [[Carnegie Endowment for International Peace]], Al Azhar is strongly [[Sufi]] 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), [[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.<ref name=CarnegirEndowment>[http://carnegieendowment.org/files/salafis_sufis.pdf Carnegie Endowment for International Peace" "Salafis and Sufis in Egypt" by Jonathon Brown] December 2011, p 12</ref></blockquote>

However, in the early 20th century, [[Islamic Modernism|enlightened Modernist]] thinkers such as [[Muhammad Abduh]] led a reform of the curriculum, reintroducing a desire for legal reform through [[ijtihad]].<ref>Jung, Dietrich. "Islamic Reform and the Global Public Sphere." The Middle East and Globalization. Palgrave Macmillan, New York, 2012. 153-169.</ref><ref>Gauvain, Richard. "SalafiSm in modern egypt: panacea or peSt?." Political Theology 11.6 (2010): 802-825.</ref> Subsequently, disputes were had between modernist intellectuals and traditionalists within al-Azhar.<ref>Hatina, Meir. "Historical legacy and the challenge of modernity in the Middle East: the case of Al-Azhar in Egypt." The Muslim World 93.1 (2003): 51.</ref> Al-Azhar now maintains a [[Islamic Modernism|modernist]] position, advocating "Wasatiyya" (centrism), a reaction against the extreme textualism of many [[Wahhabism|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 Egyptian coup d'état|2013 coup]] however, Al-Azhar has taken a position against the brotherhood.<ref>Brown, Nathan J. Post-revolutionary al-Azhar. Vol. 3. New York, NY: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2011.</ref>

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 [[Liberalism and progressivism within Islam|liberal mosques]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jun/25/ibn-rushd-goethe-mosque-berlin-seyran-ates-egypt-fatwa-burqa-niqab|title=Liberal Berlin mosque to stay open despite fatwa from Egypt|last=Oltermann|first=Philip|date=2017-06-25|work=The Guardian|access-date=2017-07-16|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

==Council of Senior Scholars==
[[File:جامعة الأزهر بالقاهرة.jpg|thumb|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.<ref name="AlArabiyaSeniorScholars">Hani Nasira and Saeid al-Sonny, [http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2013/01/10/259734.html Al Aribiya: "Senior scholars and the new Egyptian constitution"], 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, [http://mideast.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/02/12/egypt_s_new_mufti "Egypt's new mufti"] {{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, [[Ahmed El-Tayeb]],<ref name="NYTGoodbyePope">Issandr El Amrani, [http://latitude.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/13/goodbye-pope-hello-mufti "Goodbye Pope, Hello Mufti"], ''New York Times'', February 13, 2013</ref> 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.<ref name="ForeignPolicyMufti" /> 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.<ref name="AlArabiyaSeniorScholars" /> In addition to El-Tayeb, other prominent members of the Council include the outgoing Grand Mufti [[Ali Gomaa]].<ref>[http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/64550/Egypt/Politics-/Egypts-new-Grand-Mufti-elected-for-first-time-ever.aspx "Egypt's new Grand Mufti elected for first time ever"], ''Ahram Online'', February 11, 2013</ref> The council is tasked with nominating the [[Grand Mufti]] of Egypt (subject to presidential approval), electing the next [[Grand Imam of al-Azhar|Grand Imam]] of [[Al-Azhar Mosque]], 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 [[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.<ref name=NYTGoodbyePope />

==Views==
Al-Azhar's [[mufti]]s have a history of being consulted on political issues. [[Muhammad Ali of Egypt|Muhammad Ali Pasha]] appointed Al-Azhar muftis to the ''Consultative Council'' in 1829 and this would be repeated by [[Abbas I of Egypt|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.<ref name=petersen/>
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".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sunnah.org/history/Scholars/mashaykh_azhar.htm|title=The Grand Imams of Al-Azhar|access-date=2006-06-24|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060619010446/http://sunnah.org/history/Scholars/mashaykh_azhar.htm| archive-date= 19 June 2006 | url-status= live}}</ref>

Sheikh Tantawy also reasserted that his is the best faith to follow and that Muslims have the duty of active [[Dawah|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)<ref>[http://www.al-islam.org/encyclopedia/chapter1b/14.html al-Azhar Verdict on the Shia] – ''Shi'ite Encyclopedia'' v2.0, Al-islam</ref> is accepted as a fifth [[Madh'hab|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 [[Prime Minister of Egypt|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.<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>[http://www.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/E0D3182E-7EC0-4324-AF03-8131972B4522.htm aljazeera.net] ([https://www.qiratulquran.com/intensive-arabic-course-online/ Arabic Online])</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 [[Mohamed Ahmed el-Tayeb]].

In 2016 [[Ahmed el-Tayeb]] reissued [[Al-Azhar Shia Fatwa|the fatwa on Shia Muslims]], 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 [[Shia Islam in Egypt|Shia Muslims in Egypt]].<ref>[[Shia Rights Watch]]: [http://shiarightswatch.org/egypt-for-the-people-or-against-the-people/ Egypt: For the people or against the people?]</ref><ref>[[Al-Monitor]]: [http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/12/anti-shia-al-azhar-essay-competition.html Iranian cleric calls out Egypt's Al-Azhar for anti-Shiite activities] {{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 [[Farag Foda]] to be blasphemous.<ref name=geneiveabdo>{{cite book|title=No God but God: Egypt and the Triumph of Islam|author=Geneive Abdo|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|page=68}}</ref> Muhammad al-Ghazali, a member of Al-Azhar, declared Foda to be guilty of [[Apostasy in Islam|apostasy]].<ref name=geneiveabdo/> According to [[Geneive Abdo]], Muhammad al-Ghazali also added that anyone killing an apostate would not be punished, while according to [[Nathan J. Brown (political scientist)|Nathan Brown]], 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 [Muhammad al-Ghazali] 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=[[Amnesty International]] |access-date=2 December 2015}}</ref> by an Egyptian terrorist group [[al-Jama'a al-Islamiyya]], 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==
{{Alumni|date=May 2012}}
'''10th–17th centuries'''
* [[Sibt al-Maridini]] (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}}
* [['Abd al-'Aziz al-Wafa'i|Abd al-'Aziz al-Wafa'i]] (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}}
* [[Abd al-Qadir al-Baghdadi]] (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}}
* [[Nimr ibn Adwan]] (1735–1823, aged {{circa|88}}) Jordanian [[poet]] 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'''
* [[Muhammad Abduh]] (1849–1905, aged 56), Egyptian activist and [[Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah|Grand Mufti]], co-founder of [[Modern Islamic philosophy|Islamic Modernism]].
* [[Jamal ad-Din al-Afghani|Sayd Jamal edin Afghani]] (1838/1839–1897, aged 58), Afghan or Iranian activist, co-founder of Islamic Modernism.
* [[Izz ad-Din al-Qassam]] (1882–1935, aged 52), Syrian [[anti-Zionist]], founder and leader of [[Black Hand (Palestine)|Black Hand]].
* [[Mohammad Amin al-Husayni]] ({{circa|1897}}–1974, 76/77), [[Mufti]] of [[Jerusalem]].
* [[Ahmed Urabi]] (1841–1911, aged 70), Egyptian nationalist and army [[brigadier general]] who led the [[Urabi Revolt]] against Khedive [[Tewfik Pasha|Tewfik]].

'''1910s–1950s'''
* [[Hassan al-Banna]] (1906–1949, aged 42), Egyptian schoolteacher, imam, founder of the [[Muslim Brotherhood]], assassinated by [[State Security Investigations Service]]. (He graduated from [[Dar al-Ulum]] which is an affiliate of Cairo University)
* [[Syed Mujtaba Ali]] (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. [[Ayub Ali]] (1919–1995, aged 75/76), Bangladeshi Islamic scholar and educationist.
* [[Mehmed Handžić]] (1906–1944, aged 37), a leader of [[Bosnia (region)|Bosnian]] revivalists, one of authors of [[Resolution of Sarajevo Muslims]], and chairman of the Committee of National Salvation.
* [[Omar Abdel Rahman]] (1938–2017, aged 78), leader of [[Al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya]], which has been designated a terrorist group by the governments of the United States and Egypt; died while serving a life term for the [[1993 World Trade Center bombing]].
* [[Taqi al-Din al-Nabhani]] (1914–1977, aged 62/63), the leader and founder of The Islamic Political Party, Hizb ut-Tahrir (The Party of Liberation).
* [[Sheikh Ahmed Yassin]] (1936–2004, aged 67), Palestinian politician, imam, co-founder and leader of [[Hamas]], [[Killing of Ahmed Yassin|assassinated]] by [[Israel Defense Force]].
* [[Saad Zaghlul]] (1857/1859–1927, aged 66/68) Egyptian revolutionary and statesman, leader of [[1919 Egyptian revolution]] and [[Wafd Party]].
* [[Taha Hussein]] (1889–1973, aged 83), Egyptian writer and intellectual.
* [[Muhammad Ma Jian]] (1906–1978, aged 72), [[Hui]] Chinese translator of the [[Qur'an]] into the [[Chinese language]].
* [[Ahmad Meshari Al-Adwani]] (1923–1990, aged 67), Kuwaiti poet and writer of Kuwait's national anthem ''[[Al-Nasheed Al-Watani]]''.
* [[Ahmad al-Ghumari]] (1902–1961, aged {{circa|59}}), Moroccan cleric, enrolled in 1921, dropped out due to a death in the family.
* [[Abdullah al-Ghumari]] (1910–1993, aged {{circa|83}}), Moroccan cleric, graduated from Azhar in 1931.
* [[Abu Turab al-Zahiri]] (1923–2002, aged 79), Indian-born Saudi Arabian linguist, jurist, theologian, and journalist.

'''1950–present'''
* [[Aliko Dangote]] ({{born in|1957}}), Nigerian business mogul, studied business at Al-Azhar.
* [[Akhtar Raza Khan]] (1943–2018, aged 74), Indian scholar, former [[Grand Mufti of India]], founder of the [[Barelvi movement]].<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>
* [[Gholam Mohammad Niazi]] (1932–1979, aged {{circa|47}}), Afghan professor, father of Political Islam in [[Afghanistan]], killed in prisoner massacre on promised day of release.
* [[Sayyid Abdurahman Imbichikoya Thangal Al-Aydarusi Al-Azhari|Sayyid Abdurahman Imbichikoya Thangal]] (1922–2015, aged 93), Indian politician, former president of [[Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama (1989–present)|Samastha Kerala Jamiat-ul-Ulema]] (1995–2004), author of [Al Arab Wal Arabiyya(Arabs And Arabic Language)(Arabic: العرب والعربية )]
* [[Abdulla Saeed]], Former Chief Justice, and Justice Supreme Court of The Republic of Maldives.<ref name="supremecourt.gov.mv">[http://supremecourt.gov.mv/di/ Supreme Court of the Government of the Maldives] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100910234940/http://www.supremecourt.gov.mv/di/ |date=2010-09-10}}</ref>
* [[Zaib-un-Nissa Hamidullah]] (1918–2000, aged 81), Pakistani feminist and journalist who in 1955 became the first woman to give a speech at the university.
* [[Mohammed Burhanuddin]] (1915–2014, aged 98), 52nd [[Dā'ī al-Mutlaq]] of [[Dawoodi Bohras]]. 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>
* [[Abdullah Yusuf Azzam]] (1941–1989, aged 48), Palestinian Sunni Islamic scholar, theologian, founder of the terrorist group [[Al-Qaeda]], assassinated in unsolved car bombing.
* [[Shire Jama Ahmed]] (1936–1999, aged 62/63), [[Somali people|Somali]] linguist who devised a Latin script for the [[Somali language]].<ref>David D. Laitin, ''Politics, Language, and Thought: The Somali Experience'', (University Of Chicago Press: 1977), p. 102</ref>
* [[Mahmud Shaltut]] (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, [[Al-Azhar Shia Fatwa|issued in 1959]] a [[Fatwa]], declaring that Al-Azhar recognizes [[Shia Islam|Shi'ism]] as a valid branch of Islam.
* [[Mahmoud Khalil Al-Hussary]] (1917–1980, aged 63), Egyptian [[qāriʾ]] and Qur'anic scholar.
* [[Abdel-Halim Mahmoud]] (1901–1978, aged 77), Egyptian philosopher and Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, introduced the study of [[Sufism]] as a science through his writings and lectures on the matter.{{Citation needed|date=October 2010}}
* [[Ahmed Subhy Mansour]] ({{born in|1949}}), Egyptian Islamic scholar, cleric, and founder of [[Quranism]], who was exiled from Egypt, lived in the United States as a political refugee.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}}
* [[Taha Jabir Alalwani]] (1935–2016, aged {{circa|86}}), Iraqi scholar, president of [[Cordoba University]] (Ashburn, VA, USA), founder and chairman of the [[Fiqh]] Council of North America, and the president of the [[International Institute of Islamic Thought]] in Herndon, [[Virginia|Virginia (USA)]]<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>
* [[Abdurrahman Wahid]] (1940–2009, aged 69),{{Citation needed|date=October 2010}} Indonesian politician, fourth [[President of Indonesia|President of]] [[Indonesia]] (1999–2001).
* [[Muhammad Sayyid Tantawy]] (1928–2010, aged 81),{{Citation needed|date=October 2010}} Egyptian scholar, Grand Mufti of Egypt (1986–1996), Grand Imam of Al-Azhar (1996–death).
* [[Ahmed el-Tayeb]] ({{born in|1946}}), Egyptian Islamic scholar, [[List of presidents of Al-Azhar University|President of Al-Azhar University]] (2003–2010), Grand Imam of Al-Azhar (2010–present).
* [[Muhammad Metwally Al Shaarawy]] (1911–1998, aged 87), Egyptian Muslim jurist, Minister of Awqaf (1976–1978).{{Citation needed|date=October 2010}}
* [[Maumoon Abdul Gayoom]] ({{born in|1937}}), Maldivian statesman, diplomat, and scholar, 3rd [[President of the Maldives|President of]] [[The Republic of Maldives]] (1978–2008).
* [[Abdulla Mohamed]] ({{born in|1966}}), Maldivian judge, Chief Judge of Criminal Court of The Republic of Maldives (2008–present).<ref name="supremecourt.gov.mv" />
* [[Salamat Hashim|Salamat P. Hashim]] (1939–2003, aged 64), Filipino militant, co-founder and leader of the [[Moro Islamic Liberation Front]] in the [[Philippines]].
* [[Khalifa Nando|Sheikh Khalifa Usman Nando]] (1940/1941–2023, aged 81), co-founder of the [[Moro Islamic Liberation Front]] in the [[Philippines]] and [[Wa'lī of Bangsamoro|Wa'lī]] of the [[Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao]].
* [[Fathulla Jameel]] (1942–2012, aged 69), Maldavian politician, former Foreign Minister of Maldives Minister of Foreign Affairs of Maldives (1978–2005).
* [[Burhanuddin Rabbani]] (1940–2011, aged 71), Afghan politician, teacher, [[Soviet–Afghan War]] [[Islamic Unity of Afghanistan Mujahideen|Mujahideen]] leader, 6th [[President of Afghanistan]].
* [[Muhammad Jameel Didi]] (1915–1989, aged 73), Maldivin author and writer.
* [[Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat]] (1931–2015, aged 84), Malaysian politician and Muslim cleric, Mursyidul Am of the [[Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party]] (PAS, 1991–death), [[Menteri Besar of Kelantan]] (1990–2013).
* [[Abdul Hadi Awang]] ({{born in|1947}}), Malaysian politician and religious teacher, 7th [[President of the Malaysian Islamic Party]] (PAS, 2002–present) and former [[Menteri Besar of Terengganu]] (1999–2004).
* [[Omar Maute]] (1980–2017, aged 37), Filipino Islamist militant, co-founder and leader of the [[Maute group|Maute terrorist organization]], killed in [[Siege of Marawi]].
* [[Syed Muhammedali Shihab Thangal|Muhammad Ali Shihab Tangal]] (1936–2009, aged 73), Indian community leader, Islamic religious leader and scholar, politician. President of the Kerala state committee of the [[Indian Union Muslim League]] (1975-death).
* [[Saeed-ur-Rahman Azmi Nadvi]] ({{born in|1934}}), Indian Islamic scholar, 10th Principal of [[Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama]] (2000–present) and chancellor of [[Integral University]].{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}
* [[Timothy Winter]] ({{born in|1960}}), English academic, theologian and Islamic scholar. Founder of the [[Cambridge Muslim College]], Aziz Foundation Professor of Islamic Studies at Cambridge Muslim College and Ebrahim College, director of studies (theology and religious studies) at [[Wolfson College, Cambridge]], and Shaykh Zayed Lecturer in Islamic Studies in the Faculty of Divinity at the [[University of Cambridge]].
* [[Mahmud Saedon]] (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=[[Universiti Brunei Darussalam]] |year=2005}}</ref>
* [[Mustafa Khattab]], Canadian–Egyptian Muslim scholar, author, youth mentor, public speaker, imam, and university chaplain. English translator of the [[Quran|Qur'an]] and author of 'The Clear Quran' Series.
* [[Tariq Najm]] ({{born in|1945}}), Iraqi politician, Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister of Iraq (2006–2010), senior advisor.
* [[Quraish Shihab]] ({{born in|1944}}), Indonesian Muslim scholar in the sciences of Quran and [[Ministry of Religious Affairs (Indonesia)|Minister of Religious Affairs]] (1998).
* [[Alwi Shihab]] ({{born in|1946}}), Indonesian professor of religion and politician, 14th [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Indonesia)|Minister of Foreign Affairs]] (1999–2001), [[Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Cultural Affairs|Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare]] (2004–2005).
* [[Norarfan Zainal]] ({{born in|1973}}), Bruneian academician and educator, rector of [[Sultan Sharif Ali Islamic University]] (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==
{{Portal|Egypt|Islam}}
* [[List of Islamic educational institutions]]
* [[Faculties of Al-Azhar University]]
* [[List of presidents of Al-Azhar University]]
* [[List of universities in Egypt]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
* {{cite book|title=Al-Azhar: A Millennium of Muslim Learning|author=Bayard Dodge|year=1961|publisher=Middle East Institute|ref = {{sfnRef|Dodge|1961}}}}
* {{cite book|last=Ardıç|first=Nurullah|title=Islam and the Politics of Secularism: The Caliphate and Middle Eastern Modernization in the Early 20th Century|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wql6oCwx1YwC&pg=PA78|year=2012|publisher=[[Routledge]]|isbn=978-0-415-67166-8}}
* {{cite book|last=Pankhurst|first=Reza|title=The Inevitable Caliphate?: A History of the Struggle for Global Islamic Union, 1924 to the Present|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nwEqBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA59|date=12 April 2013|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-025732-3}}
* {{cite book|last=Özcan|first=Azmi|title=Pan-Islamism: Indian Muslims, the Ottomans and Britain, 1877–1924|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s04pus5jBNwC&pg=PA49|year=1997|publisher=BRILL|isbn=90-04-10632-4}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/at-al-azhar-mosque-struggle-over-islam-roils-a-revered-egyptian-institution/2012/03/01/gIQAIzmNpR_story.html |title=At al-Azhar Mosque, struggle over Islam roils a revered Egyptian institution |first=Griff |last=Witte |date=March 3, 2012 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}

===Online===
* [https://www.britannica.com/topic/al-Azhar-University al-Azhar University: university, Cairo, Egypt](Subscription), in ''Encyclopædia Britannica Online'', by The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica, Laura Etheredge, Neha Parwani and Emily Rodriguez

==External links==
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* [http://www.azhar.eg/ Al-Azhar Portal]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20040701101509/http://www.frcu.eun.eg/www/universities/html/azhar.html History and organization of Al-Azhar (English)]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100901052525/http://en.qantara.de/webcom/show_article.php/_c-478/_nr-1026/i.html New Grand Sheikh at Al-Azhar University: Fighting Extremism in A Suit and Tie]

{{Universities in Egypt}}
{{Al-Azhar}}
{{Islamic Cairo}}
{{Association of African Universities}}
{{Authority control}}

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[[Category:Al-Azhar]]
[[Category:Al-Azhar University| ]]
[[Category:Universities in Cairo]]
[[Category:Islamic education in Egypt]]
[[Category:Madrasas in Egypt]]
[[Category:Medieval Cairo]]
[[Category:Arabic architecture]]
[[Category:Islamic architecture in Egypt]]
[[Category:Muizz Street]]
[[Category:988 establishments]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures completed in the 10th century]]
[[Category:Educational institutions established in the 10th century]]
[[Category:10th-century establishments in Egypt]]
[[Category:Islamic universities and colleges]]
[[Category:970s establishments]]
[[Category:Cairo under the Fatimid Caliphate]]
[[Category:Universities in the medieval Islamic world]]