Mahmoud Shaltut

محمود شلتوت (Known as "Grand Imam Shaltut")

Grand Imam of Al-Azhar (1958–1963), Ecumenical Reformer, Architect of the 1961 Al-Azhar Law

Born Apr 23, 1893

Minyat Bani Mansur (Beheira), Egypt

Passed Away Dec 13, 1963 Cairo, Egypt

Lifespan 70 years old

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Notice / Correction

"Islam is a religion of universal brotherhood; sectarian hatred is a poison concocted by politics, not by faith."

Archival Overview

Visionary Grand Imam of Al-Azhar who issued the historic 1959 fatwa recognizing Shia Ja'fari jurisprudence, introduced modern medicine and engineering faculties to Al-Azhar, and championed inter-faith dialogue.

Biographical Record

Born in the Nile Delta, Sheikh Mahmoud Shaltut was an independent-minded Quranic exegete and disciple of Muhammad Abduh. Appointed Grand Imam of Al-Azhar by Gamal Abdel Nasser in 1958, he led the greatest structural modernization of Al-Azhar in its thousand-year history through the landmark 1961 Reform Law.

He established modern secular faculties of medicine, engineering, and agriculture alongside traditional theology, and admitted female students to Al-Azhar for the first time. In 1959, working with Iranian Ayatollah Hossein Borujerdi, he issued an epochal fatwa validating worship according to the Shia Ja'fari school, bridging centuries of sectarian division.

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Rest in Peace Forever remembered and cherished Your legacy lives on in all of us With deep gratitude for your life and light

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Final Resting Place

Perpetual Memorial

Al-Azhar Grand Imams Cemetery
Cairo, Egypt

                         GPS: 30.0458, 31.2625                    

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