When was al azhar university founded

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post. Constructed by the Caliph Al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah for the newly established capital city in , it was the first mosque established in Cairo, a city that has since gained the nickname "the city of a thousand minarets.

In this article, we present a short history of the Al-Azhar mosque and its progressive transformation into one of the most influential centres of Islamic learning for more than a millennium.

Introduction 2. History 3. Education 4. Al-Azhar Jamiat al-Azhar in Arabic is today the most important religious university in the Muslim world with as many as 90, students studying there at any one time. It is arguably one of the chief centres Islamic learning and the greatest and the most influential in the Sunni Islamic world. Photo taken in July by Daniel Mayer. As a chief centre of Islamic and Arabic learning in the world, the complex of Al-Azhar centred on the mosque of that name in the medieval quarter of Cairo, Egypt.

It was founded by the Fatimids in CE and was formally organized by The format of education at al-Azhar remained relatively informal for much of its early history: initially there were no entrance requirements, no formal curriculum, and no degrees.

The basic program of studies was—and still is—Islamic law, theology, and the Arabic language. It was revived under the Mamluks — , however, and continued to thrive thereafter as a centre of Sunni scholarship. It was damaged in an earthquake in the early s and subsequently repaired, and additions, alterations, and renovations to its structures were undertaken at various points throughout the 14th and 15th centuries, particularly in the later Mamluk period, when it came under direct patronage.

Historians differ as to how the mosque got its name. Some hold that it is called as such because it was surrounded by flourishing mansions at the time when Cairo was founded.

This last explanation sounds the most likely, as the Fatimids named themselves after her. During the Fatimid times , Al-Azhar was a minor university whose objective was to spread the Shiite teachings in Egypt.

Its position was thus important to the ruling Fatimid dynasty, but had little importance to the rest of the Muslim world who had its eyes focused on Baghdad as the centre of Islamic knowledge. For the majority of Muslims, Al-Azhar was not as famous as the schools of Baghdad. In addition, the Fatimids were looked upon by the majority of Muslims as rulers belonging to a heretic sect. This view is obvious through the declaration made in Baghdad by many Muslim scholars denouncing the Fatimids.

This stand regarding the Fatimids hampered Al-Azhar from taking a prominent position in the Islamic world during the time of the Fatimids. It was considered just another school among the many schools in Egypt, Baghdad, Syria and Andalusia. Figure 2: View of the inner courtyard in Al-Azhar. In additional non-religious subjects were added to its curriculum. It is associated with Al-Azhar University. The universitys mission includes the propagation of Islamic religion and culture.

To this end, its Islamic scholars render edicts on disputes submitted to them from all over the Sunni Islamic world regarding proper conduct for Muslim individuals and societies.

Al-Azhar also trains Egyptian government-appointed preachers in proselytization. With the abolition of the caliphate and the office of Shaykh al-Islam seyhul Islam in Istanbul in , al-Azhar became the paramount Islamic institution. There is no clear consensus as to when al-Azhar became a centre of learning.

Al-Azhar is inclusive of the four major Sunni schools of law, the Ashari and Maturidi schools of theology, and seven major Sufi orders. In , under Law , the state of Egypt turned al-Azhar into a state-owned university.