Al-Azhar: religious education as a symbolic asset
p. 124-125
Texte intégral
| 969 | 1930 | 338,387 | 18,140 |
| Construction of Al-Azhar mosque | University status accorded | Number of students in 2016 of whom 5% were foreign | Number of lecturers in 2016 |
The leading religious authority in the Sunni world
1Al-Azhar mosque, founded by the Fatimids, was initially intended to spread the religion of the Shiite state. The first classes, teaching Ismaili jurisprudence, were given in 975, establishing the institution’s role as a disseminator of religious knowledge.
2The mosque was closed during the Ayyubid period (1171-1250) but resumed its educational role under the Mamlukes (1250-1517) who financed restorations and extensions, including the foundation of three great Mamluke schools attached to the mosque and the system of riwaq* and hara*. During the Ottoman era the post of “Sheikh of Al-Azhar” was created and the financial independence of the mosque was underpinned by a system of waqf-s (mortmain endowments).
3With the arrival of the French under Bonaparte, the ulama of Al-Azhar turned their mosque into a centre of resistance, which allowed them, after the departure of foreign forces, to expand their social, political and religious authority, and to help Mohamed Ali assume power in 1805. This latter and his descendants began a process of containment in order to restrict Al-Azhar’s socio-political role. Several laws were aimed at separating the mosque from its mortmain endowments and from the deliverance of fatwas. In 1911, Al-Azhar resumed a strictly educational role under the provisions of Law no. 10 issued by Abbas Helmi II, who recognised the mosque as “the greatest religious institution of Egypt”.
The university: a variable relationship with the State
4Elevation to university status saw the creation of three faculties: theology, shari‘a and Arabic language. The post-independence decades were marked by the State’s attempts to control the institution. In 1961, under Nasser, Al-Azhar was defined as an academic organisation, financially dependent on the State, whose task was to “protect Islamic heritage”. This law reorganised Al-Azhar into five sectors, the largest of which was the university: the Grand Imam was from then on to be nominated by the president of the republic. In 1974 Sadat tried unsuccessfully to abolish the Council of Senior Scholars but the reaction of the ulama allowed the Grand Imam to retain his religious power. There were very few conflicts with the State under Mubarak’s presidency (1981-2011): the most notable being over questions of interest on bank loans, and birth control, two practices disapproved of by Al-Azhar.
5Currently, the majority of Al-Azhar students come directly from Azhari religious institutions (primary and secondary), or else from the public education sector, on the condition of being “Muslim and possessing basic religious knowledge”. There were some 297,000 students in 2014 (according to CAPMAS) making it larger than Cairo University (235,000). The required command of the Quran partly explains the discrepancy between the number of first-year enrolments and the number of fourth-year graduates. Al-Azhar University is not mixed: it is composed of 80 faculties (31 for females), of which 29 specialise in the exact sciences or medicine, engineering etc.). The campus is spread across 25 towns. The university also includes nine higher institutes, six hospitals and 42 specialisation centres (languages, IT, clinics etc.). The university council is composed of the deans of the 80 faculties, which does not facilitate administrative decision-making.
7.4 The administration of Al-Azhar according to Law no. 103 of 1961

7.5 Enrolment and graduation at Al-Azhar University (2015-2016)

7.6 Al-Azhar University campuses throughout Egypt

7.7 Al-Azhar Mosque, April 2018

© Karine Bennafla
An instrument for Islamic legitimation
6Currently the Egyptian State’s principal pillars of religious organisation are the Ministry of Waqfs, Dar al-Ifta (House of Legal Consultation) and Al-Azhar.
7Under the short-lived Muslim Brotherhood government (2012-2013), the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar attempted to revitalize the Council of Senior Scholars, but with Sisi’s assumption of power and the 2013 Constitution, the council was once again deprived of its role as an authoritative reference in religious affairs.
8Since 2014 and the president’s appeals for a reform of religious discourse, the institution of Al-Azhar, as the guardian of moderate Islam, has been called upon as an asset and a guarantor. It is involved in numerous social, religious and political debates, such as the content of textbooks for its students, women’s rights, the revitalisation of religious discourse and the fight against terrorism.
9The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar is striving to improve the institution’s image, which was tarnished by its support of the army during the overthrow of the Morsi government. He is involved in the creation of specialist centres directly dependent on his office, such as the Institute for Dialogue, the online fatwa service, a centre to monitor foreign press, a translation centre, and an observatory for combatting extremism created in 2015. This latter has received the most media attention and enjoys significant financial support in order to follow current events connected to Islam (especially in European countries) and to conduct an ideological struggle against publications issued by extremist groups claiming to represent Islam.
Auteur
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Ahmed Mahmoud Khalifa
Ahmed Mahmoud Khalifa, assistant professor of French literature and language (sociology of literary translation), University of Al-Azhar
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