u> The Fatimid Period 969-1171CE
The Abbasids rule fell and the Fatimids fourth caliph Al Mu’iz li Dinullah took Egypt from them in 969 CE. His military commander Jawhar Al Saqilli immediately began to build a new capital for his master calling it Cairo. Cairo located on the east side of the River Nile and to the south of the Mediterranean ocean became the heart of the empire.The grand mosque Al-Azhar’s foundations were laid in 971 AD (14th of Ramadan 369 Hijrah according to the Muslim calendar) and took two years to build. The name was originally Al Qahira (The Mosque of Cairo) but was later changed to Al-Azhar (The Splendid) in honour of the prophet Muhammad’s (Peace and blessings be upon him) daughter Fatimah Al-Zahra where also the “Fatimids” name is derived from. The first prayer in this magnificent mosque took place on 788 AD (7th of Ramadan 361 Hijrah according to the Muslim Calendar).The Fatimids were of Shia belief and so the Friday sermons, call to prayer, religious lectures and how the country was run was done according to Shia laws. Prayer as held in Al-Azhar and so it became the center of religious life. From the very beginning however, Al-Azhar was a center education and learning. The first lectures took place as early as 975 CE.The caliph Al Aziz Billah established a more formal and advanced education structure. He employed qualified and renowned scholars to teach in Al-Azhar and built hostels nearby to accommodate the teachers and students. At that time, studies focused on Shia theology, but some basic grammar, literature and history was also taught. There was free tuition, plus board and lodgings.It was not until another school; Dar al Hikmah was added to Al-Azhar in 1005CE that these subjects and several sciences became significant features in Al-Azhar’s syllabus. It had raised the standard of education in Egypt and produced scholars such as Bin Zulaq author of “Fada’il Misr” (Egypt’s assets) and “Qudat Misr” (Egypt’s judges). Also ulma (scholars) like Imam suyuti, Imam Ibn Hajar Asqalani and Imam Ibn Hajar Al-Haitami glorify the name of Al Azhar and its past.
The Ayyubid Period
Salahuddin Al Ayyubi (Saladin) defeated the Fatimids in 1171 CE, returning the country to Sunni rule as it was before the Fatimids took over. Saladin became sultan of Egypt and Syria in 1176CE when the Syrian sultan Nuruddin passed away. Keen to remove the Shia influence from Egypt, he ordered that the Friday prayer be held at Al- Hakimi mosque rather than Al Azhar. It was only after a century that prayer was held in Al Azhar again. Saladin built a large array of schools all over Egypt all teaching the four schools of Sunni jurisprudence (Hanbali, Shaf’i, Maliki and Hanafi). Saladin did not close Al Azhar, but let it teach the four schools of Sunni jurisprudence. Although the fame of Al Azhar decreased a little during the Ayyubid period, it still produced some very successful and famous scholars.
Al-Azhar library
Al-Azhar library, which was compiled in1897, comprises 99,062 books consisting of 595,668 volumes of the most precious Islamic manuscripts and rare books, some as old as the 8th century. The library is a center of attraction to researchers, students and other Islamic universities. It contributes to human knowledge about the Islamic heritage by making photocopies of some of the manuscripts available for the benefit of researchers from Egypt and other countries. The library does not collect non-Islamic literature.
Legacy
Al-Azhar is considered to be the most prestegious school of Islamic learning, and its scholars seen as the most respected. Amoing it, it teaches Islamic relegion, culture and Arabic. It maintains a committee of ulma (Islamic scholars) to judge on individual Islamic questions, a printing establishment for printing the Qur’an, and training (government-appointed) preachers in Islamic missionary work. Al-Azhar is the oldest kown university to be established, even older than Oxford and Cambridge.
