The Grand Imam of al-Azhar ( ar, الإمام الأكبر), also known as Grand Sheikh of al-Azhar ( ar, links=no, شيخ الأزهر الشريف), currently
Ahmed el-Tayeb, is a prestigious and a prominent official title in
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
. He is considered by some Muslims to be the highest authority in Sunni Islamic thought and
Islamic jurisprudence and holds great influence on followers of the theological
Ash'ari
Ashʿarī theology or Ashʿarism (; ar, الأشعرية: ) is one of the main Sunnī schools of Islamic theology, founded by the Muslim scholar, Shāfiʿī jurist, reformer, and scholastic theologian Abū al-Ḥasan al-Ashʿarī in t ...
and
Maturidi
Māturīdī theology or Māturīdism ( ar, الماتريدية: ''al-Māturīdiyyah'') is one of the main Sunnī schools of Islamic theology, founded by the Persian Muslim scholar, Ḥanafī jurist, reformer (''Mujaddid''), and scholastic ...
traditions worldwide. The Grand Imam heads the
Al-Azhar Al Sharif
Al-Azhar Al-Sharif is an Islamic scientific body and the largest religious institution in Egypt. Its headquarters is located in the building of the Sheikhdom of Al-Azhar in the center of the Egyptian capital, Cairo. The history of the establishme ...
,
al-Azhar Mosque
Al-Azhar Mosque ( ar, الجامع الأزهر, al-Jāmiʿ al-ʾAzhar, lit=The Resplendent Congregational Mosque, arz, جامع الأزهر, Gāmiʿ el-ʾazhar), known in Egypt simply as al-Azhar, is a mosque in Cairo, Egypt in the histori ...
, and by extension
al-Azhar University, and is responsible for official religious matters along with the
Grand Mufti of Egypt.
History of the title
The title of the Grand Imam of al-Azhar was officially established in 1961. In the 14th century the head of al-Azhar was granted the title of ''Mushrif of al-Azhar'', then later ''
Nazir'' of Al-Azhar
and, during the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
, the Grand Sheikh of al-Azhar. Today the bearer of the title also carries the title of the Grand Sheikh.
See Also
List of Grand Imams of al-Azhar
The post of Grand Imam of al-Azhar, or ''shaykh'' of al-Azhar, has been filled by a member of the ''ulema'', the religious scholars, of Egypt. The position of Grand Imam is among the most prominent roles in Islam and is often considered to be t ...
References
Further reading
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{{Authority control
Al-Azhar
Imams
Muslim scholars of Islamic jurisprudence
Titles
Religious leadership roles
Titles in Egypt
Islam in Egypt