The Grand Imam of Al Azhar Mosque and University is considered Sunni Islam’s highest authority in jurisprudence.
The Grand Imam can issue fatwas or rulings over worldly issues from a religious standpoint where there is disagreement among scholars.
Sheikh Ahmed El Tayeb was appointed as Al Azhar’s 50th Grand Sheikh by former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak after the death of his predecessor in 2010.
However, Al Azhar’s leader is no longer appointed by the president and is instead elected by an institutional committee.
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Dr Ahmed Al Tayeb, Grand Imam of Egypt's Al Azhar Mosque, delivers a speech on October 7 in Rome, Italy. AFP -
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice-President and Ruler of Dubai, centre, with Pope Francis, right, and the Grand Imam of Al Azhar arrive at the Human Fraternity Meeting in Abu Dhabi on February 4, 2019. Ministry of Presidential Affairs -
Pope Francis and Dr Al Tayeb greet each other after signing documents during the meeting. AFP -
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, bids farewell to Dr Al Tayeb at the end of his visit to the UAE. -
Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tariq receives Dr Al Tayeb in Muscat on January 14, 2020. AFP -
President of Egypt Abdel Fattah El Sisi walks alongside Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Dr Al Tayeb in Cairo on March 6, 2018. AFP -
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte are welcomed by Dr Al Tayeb during his visit to the Azhar headquarters in Cairo on January 29, 2019. AFP -
Pope Francis greets Dr Al Tayeb in Cairo on April 28, 2017. Reuters -
Dr Al Tayeb meets German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Cairo on March 2, 2017. AFP -
Dr Al Tayeb meets Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz in Cairo on April 9, 2016. AFP -
Pope Francis exchanges gifts with Dr Al Tayeb at the Vatican on May 23, 2016. Reuters -
Dr Al Tayeb meets Bahrain's King Hamad bin Issa Al Khalifa at his office in Cairo on April 26, 2016. AFP -
Britain's Prince Charles poses for a picture with Dr Al Tayeb and the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby at Clarence House in London on June 11, 2015. AFP -
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, along with Dr Al Tayeb and Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab, perform Eid Al Adha prayers in Cairo on October 4, 2014. AFP -
Dr Al Tayeb greets former US president Jimmy Carter upon the latter's arrival for a meeting in Cairo on May 24, 2012. AFP -
Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria, Dr Al Tayeb, Egyptian Mufti Ali Gomaa and Egypt's Minister of Awqaf Mahmud Hamdi Zaqzuq hold a joint press conference in Cairo on January 2, 2011, following the New Year's Eve car bomb attack on the Al Qiddissine church in Alexandria. AFP -
Dr Al Tayeb casts his ballot at a polling station in the Heliopolis suburb of Cairo on November 28, 2011. AFP -
Dr Al Tayeb meets with Egyptian-American scientist and 1999 Nobel Chemistry Laureate Ahmed Zewail in Cairo on July 12, 2010. AFP -
Dr Al Tayeb at the funeral of the Grand Sheikh of Al Azhar, Mohammed Sayed Tantawi, on March 10, 2010. Dr Tayeb has been the president of Al Azhar University since 2003. EPA
Based in Egypt’s capital, Cairo, Al Azhar is the most prestigious educational facility for those who enter the field of Islamic jurisprudence and learning. Al Azhar and its network of 9,000 schools across Egypt is attended by two million students.
One of the world’s oldest universities, Al Azhar was re-established during President Gamal Abdel Nasser’s reign when non-religious subjects were added to its curriculum in 1961 transforming it from an Islamic learning facility, to a fully fledged university.
In 2013, Azhar also made reforms to its curriculum, moving away from outdated passages towards teachings that are more compatible with the modern age.
“Sharia allows for rulings that are no longer applicable to the modern age to be reviewed to make it more suitable for this age,” the university’s deputy head Abbas Shuman said at the time.
Background
Sheikh El Tayeb was the president of Al Azhar for seven years before his appointment and taught in Saudi, Qatari and Emirati universities. Born in 1946, Sheikh El Tayeb is from Luxor and was himself a student at Al Azhar University from 1971.
Through interviews, Sheikh El Tayeb stood against political Islam in the form of the Muslim Brotherhood and backed the military coup which ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi in 2013.
He also validated women’s ability to take on leadership positions in the corporate world and field of religion as well as their right to travel without a guardian where it is safe to do so.
In a May tweet, Sheikh El Tayeb opposed the obstruction of marriage by guardians “without adequate reasons”.
In his capacity as Grand Imam, Sheikh El Tayeb is consulted on political matters and represents the Muslim world at certain events. He co-signed the 2019 Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together with Pope Francis in the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi, which was the basis for the interfaith Abrahamic Family House set to open in 2022.
