Dr Sheikh Ahmad Muhammad Al-Tayyeb

Sheikh Ahmad Muhammad Al-Tayyeb

Sheikh Al-Tayyeb is the leader of Al-Azhar University, which is the second-oldest university in the world, and was established in 975 AD. Al-Azhar represents the center of Sunni Islamic society. Jamia Al-Azhar is providing extensive Islamic education to Egyptian and international students since its establishment over a millennium ago. This history makes it a stronghold of Sunni traditionalism. The university is considered the most prominent Islamic educational institution worldwide.


Sheikh Al Tayyeb remained the president of the Al Azhar for seven years and prior to that, he served for two years as the most prominent cleric in Egypt as the Grand Mufti.  He served as the head of the theology faculty of the International Islamic University in Pakistan and also the dean of the teaching faculty of Islamic Studies in Aswan. His scholarly influence as a renowned intellectual is known throughout the world. He worked as professor in leading institutions of  Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Jamia Al Azhar is the second oldest, and currently, one of the the largest universities in the world. This prominent institute has risen from a group of three schools in the 1950s to its current position with almost 75 affiliated schools, and a pupil strength of 400,000 studying there at one time, including those institutes that are part of Jamia's Waqf initiatives where there are about 19 lakhs students. This enormous size and respect makes the head of Al Azhar an immensely powerful and a person with a great influence.