Abdel-Halim Mahmoud () (12 May 1901 – 17 October 1978; 2 Jumaada al-awal 1328 A.H. - 14 The al-Qi`dah 1398 A.H.) served as

Grand Imam of al-Azhar The Grand Imam of al-Azhar (), also known as Grand Sheikh of al-Azhar (), is a prestigious and a prominent official title in Egypt and the Islamic world. The current Grand Imam is Ahmed el-Tayeb, who assumed the role on 10 March 2010. The Grand ...

from 1973 until his death in 1978. Called “avuncular and beloved” by some, he was known for his modernizing approach to teaching 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 ...

, preaching moderation and embracing modern science as a religious duty.

Early life

Abdel-Halim Mahmoud was born on 12 May 1910 in the village of Abou Ahmed (now Al Salam), in the

Sharqia Governorate Sharqia (, , ; ) is the third most populous of the 27 governorates of Egypt. Located in the northern part of the country, its capital is the city of Zagazig. Overview Bilbeis is the former capital of Sharqia. A section of the governorate once ...

, 50 kilometers north east of

Cairo, Egypt Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

. He memorized the

Qur'an The Quran, also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation directly from God ('' Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which consist of individual verses ('). Besides ...

at an early age and then started his studies at

where he graduated in 1932. He then continued his studies in France, where he obtained a Doctorate degree in philosophy from the Universite de Paris - La Sorbonne in 1940.

Views and activities

According to scholars Moshe Albo and Yoram Meital, themes that reoccurred in Mahmoud's writing were:

the importance of knowledge and education; the superiority of Islamic morals and ethics; the uniqueness of Muslim history; the integration of Islamic spirituality and jurisprudence; the ultimate negation of the Other (e.g., the Western, Zionist, communist, secular, and heretic); the ascendance of Islamic theology and law; and the need to reform Egyptian politics and society in accordance with the pillars of Islam.

He signed an agreement with King Faisal, ruler of Saudi Arabia, to combat Communism in 1971 during the presidency of

Anwar Sadat Muhammad Anwar es-Sadat (25 December 1918 – 6 October 1981) was an Egyptian politician and military officer who served as the third president of Egypt, from 15 October 1970 until Assassination of Anwar Sadat, his assassination by fundame ...

. The agreement had a budget of 40 million pounds.

Islamic law

Mahmoud was a consistent supporter of the replacement of Egypt's civil law code with

Sharia Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on Islamic holy books, scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran, Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' ...

. He argued that the

Hudud ''Hudud'' is an Arabic word meaning "borders, boundaries, limits". The word is applied in classical Islamic literature to punishments (ranging from public lashing, public stoning to death, amputation of hands, crucifixion, depending on the c ...

(those sharia punishments which are mandated and fixed) punishment of amputation of a thief's hand was ordained by God and when implemented by

Ibn Saud Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud (; 15 January 1875Ibn Saud's birth year has been a source of debate. It is generally accepted as 1876, although a few sources give it as 1880. According to British author Robert Lacey's book ''The Kingdom'', ...

had brought law and order to Saudi Arabia—even though it had to be carried out only seven times. On the other hand, Mahmoud issued a shariah

fatwa 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'', ...

supporting a minimum marrying age of sixteen for girls, despite the fact he acknowledged Shariah tradition did not specify any exact age. He argued "developed societies have set the age of marriage at sixteen, and this is appropriate".

Science

For Mahmoud, "any reform -- whether on the personal level or on the level of society -- begins with science, be that science religious or material..... Whether we begin the path of reform from the vantage point of theoretical science or from that of material or empirical science, our endeavours must be imbued with a purpose. This purpose is an Islamic obligation, as science must be the basis for the path towards God. Indeed, knowledge is a form of worship and a form of jihad." During his tenure as Grand Imam, Al-Azhar witnessed unprecedented reform and revival, including the introduction of new faculties, teaching methods and management style.

Sufism

Abdel-Halim Mahmoud is also remembered for reviving

Sufism 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 ...

through his prolific writings and lectures on the matter. He was greatly influenced by the Sudanese Sufi Sheikh Mohammed Osman Abdu al-Burhany whose knowledge shaped his views on Sufism. "Abd al-Halim Mahmud (1910-1978) is remembered as the former rector of al-Azhar who wrote a great deal on

. He is referred to by his honorific title, '

al-Ghazali Al-Ghazali ( – 19 December 1111), archaically Latinized as Algazelus, was a Shafi'i Sunni Muslim scholar and polymath. He is known as one of the most prominent and influential jurisconsults, legal theoreticians, muftis, philosophers, the ...

, in 14th Century A.H.'2, a title he was given because of his unique ability to integrate the exoteric and esoteric dimensions of Islam (which are often considered contradictory at first glance). He became influential in 1960-1970s, the Sadat period in which Islamic revivalism began its rise to prominence in Egypt." "Abd al-Halim presents tasawwuf as a scientific method that would enable people to comprehend the ultimate reality. The essence of tasawwuf is defined as knowledge (ma`rifa) of the metaphysical domain. Metaphysics is the science of explaining the hidden aspects of God and clarifying his prophecies. He emphasised its distinction of 'mysticism'-he proposed that tasawwuf is not a mere superstitious method, but a field of science (Mahmud Al-Munqidh: 224-233). `Abd al-Halim cites `Abbas Mahmud al-`Aqqad (d. 1964) in saying that ma`rifa is an intellectual realm which neither physical science, cognition (fikr), nor various types of mental perception (basira etc.) have access to. Tasawwuf is the only science that can enter this realm, because although other sciences are bound to human capacity, tasawwuf is not (cited from ibid. 352-353)." "Abd al-Halim's

consists of three elements-`ilm, jihad, and `ubudiya. First was `ilm, the knowledge of Islamic Law. He emphasizes the significance of living according to shari`a, and stipulates that Islamic Law is to be understood and practiced accordingly. Moreover, he cites Abu Hamid al-Ghazali's work, which declares that God will bless those who acted according to their knowledge of Law-no matter how ignorant they might be-but would punish those who ignored the law irrespective of their knowledge4. Second is jihad, the effort to situate oneself within social reality and to solve the problems one faces. `Abd al-Halim's ideal image of Sufi is not exemplified through the concept of 'mystic' (those who live in seclusion, practicing asceticism). He states rather that Sufi must be committed to solving the problems of the time, and gives the example of `Abd al-Qadir al-Jazai'rli (d.1883), who fought for the defence of Algeria against France (ibid. 15-16). Third is `ubudiya, servitude to God: being correct and devoted. When `ubudiya is attained, ma`rifa is granted, and God showers the believer with Mercy (ibid. 12)".Paper originally prepared by Hatsuki Aishima for an international conference "Sufism, Culture, Music" held from 12 to 15 November 2005 in Tlemcen, Algeria

Sources

* ''Manhaj al-islah al-islami fi-al-mujtam (''The Method of Islamic Reform in Society''), Abdel-Halim Mahmoud, Cairo: General Egyptian Book Organisation (GEBO), 2005. * "The Grand Imams of Al-Azhar (Shuyukhul Azhar)" a

.

References

External links

Abdel-Halim Mahmoud Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mahmoud, Abdel Halim Mujaddid Shaykh al-Islāms Grand Imams of al-Azhar Sunni imams 20th-century imams Islamic philosophers Egyptian imams Sufi mystics Sufi writers Egyptian Sufis Egyptian Sunni Muslims Egyptian Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam People from Sharqia Governorate Al-Azhar University alumni University of Paris alumni 20th-century philosophers 1910 births 1978 deaths Endowments ministers of Egypt