Shawki Ibrahim Abdel-Karim Allam () is the 19th

Grand Mufti A Grand Mufti (also called Chief Mufti, State Mufti and Supreme Mufti) is a title for the leading Faqīh, Islamic jurist of a country, typically Sunni, who may oversee other muftis. Not all countries with large Sunni Muslim populations have Gra ...

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

through

Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah Egypt's Dar al-Ifta ( ) is an Egyptian Islamic advisory, justiciary and governmental body established as a centre for Islam and Islamic legal research in Egypt in 1313 AH / 1895 CE. It offers Muslims religious guidance and advice through the i ...

, succeeding Ali Gomaa. He is succeeded by Nazeer Ayyad on the 11th of August 2024, following a presidential decree.

Biography

Allam was born in the Nile Delta governorate of Beheira on 12 August 1961. He received his PhD in 1996 from the

Al-Azhar University The Al-Azhar University ( ; , , ) 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 ...

in Jurisprudence and Sharia law.Ahram Online: "Egypt's new Grand Mufti elected for first time ever"
February 11, 2013 Before his appointment, he served as the chairman of the Department of Jurisprudence at the School of Sharia at Al-Azhar University's

Tanta Tanta ( ' ) is a city in Egypt. Tanta had a population of 658,798 in 2018, making it the fifth most populous city in Egypt. Tanta is located between Cairo and Alexandria: north of Cairo and southeast of Alexandria. The capital of Gharbia Gove ...

branch.Daily News Egypt: "Shawky Abdel Karim nominated as new Grand Mufti" by Ahmed Aboul Enein
February 11, 2013 Allam is a

Sufi Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...

Appointment

In February 2013, he was elected by Al Azhar's Council of Senior Scholars replacing outgoing grand Mufti, 61-year-old Ali Gomaa. The bylaws of Al-Azhar say the new Grand Mufti must be under the age of 60, have worked continuously inside the religious establishment following his education, be a scholar of both Jurisprudence and Sharia law, and be fluent in a second language other than Arabic. This makes the first time that the Grand Mufti has been elected by Islamic scholars rather than appointed by the president. The position of Grand Mufti is seen as very influential in Egypt as well as throughout the Arab and Islamic world. The Grand Mufti is the government's first and primary source of religious authority, is seen as the symbolic religious representative of the government, and is able to issue

fatwas A fatwa (; ; ; ) is a legal ruling on a point of Islamic law (sharia) given by a qualified Islamic jurist (''faqih'') in response to a question posed by a private individual, judge or government. A jurist issuing fatwas is called a ''mufti'', ...

on religious matters.The London Telegraph: "Egypt: setback for Brotherhood as its choice for Grand Mufti is rejected" By Richard Spencer, and Magdy Samaan
February 11, 2013 His office, the ''

'' (literally, the house of fatwas of Egypt), a government agency charged with issuing religious legal opinions on any question to Muslims who ask for them, issues some 5,000 fatwas a week, including both the official ones that he himself crafts on important issues and the more routine ones handled via phone and Internet by a dozen or so subordinate muftis. In addition to issuing fatwas, the Grand Mufti of Egypt is responsible under Egyptian law for reviewing all death sentences in Egypt.

Positions

Allam is known as a moderate who renounces fanaticism and does not have any political allegiances. In March 2013, he issued a statement warning that any attack on the Al-Azhar Institution or its head, the Grand Imam Sheikh

Ahmed El-Tayeb Ahmed Mohamed Ahmed El-Tayeb (; born 6 January 1946) is an Egyptian Islamic scholar and the current Grand Imam of al-Azhar, al-Azhar al-Sharif and former president of al-Azhar University. He was appointed by the Egyptian President, Hosni Muba ...

"undermines Egypt's security" and called on all complaints against Al-Azhar "to be addressed with legitimate and peaceful means." This announcement came after 500 students fell ill with food poisoning in a dormitory at

Al Azhar University The Al-Azhar University ( ; , , ) 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 ...

In April 2013, Al Azhar University's Council of Senior Scholars decided to hold elections to replace Al-Azhar University president Usama al-Abd after the same incident.All Africa: "Egypt: Azhar Asks State Council Judges to Oversee Election of University President"
April 26, 2013 Contrary to the majority of Muslim scholarship, Allam believes Muslims can keep dogs as

pets A pet, or companion animal, is an animal kept primarily for a person's company or entertainment rather than as a working animal, livestock, or a laboratory animal. Popular pets are often considered to have attractive/ cute appearances, int ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allam, Shawki Living people Al-Azhar University alumni Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam Egyptian Sufis Egyptian imams 21st-century imams Grand Muftis of Egypt 1961 births People from Beheira Governorate

Biography

Appointment

Positions

See also

References