List of rectors of al-Azhar Mosque

Since the late seventeenth century, the post of rector of al-Azhar Mosque, or shaykh of al-Azhar, has been filled by a member of the ulema of Egypt. It is among the most prominent roles in Sunni Islam, the most prominent official religious role in Egypt,^[1] and is considered by some Muslims to be the highest authority in Islamic jurisprudence.^[2] Prior to the establishment of the post under the Ottoman Empire, the mosque was administered by a mushrif then later a nazir.^[3] Between 1860 and 1864 a board served the role as rector.^[4]

Several of the rectors served multiple terms; each term is listed separately. The original sources give the year based on the Islamic calendar, so the conversion to Gregorian years by later Western sources may not be precise.^[4]

Some sources list Muhammad al-Barmawi as the second rector of al-Azhar, though Bayard Dodge reports that there are no accurate records that prove this.^[3]

Footnotes

References

• Dodge, Bayard (1961), Al-Azhar: A Millennium of Muslim learning, Middle East Institute 
• Beattie, Kirk J. (2000), Egypt during the Sadat years, Palgrave Macmillan, ISBN 978-0-312-23246-7, http://books.google.com/books?id=ZWdf3pVg2jgC&printsec=frontcover 
• Bennett, Clinton (2005), Muslims and modernity: an introduction to the issues and debates, Continuum International Publishing Group, ISBN 978-0-8264-5481-2, http://books.google.com/books?id=D0vYYovH7OQC&printsec=frontcover