Al-Azhar Mosque
It took two years to build the whole. The first Friday prayer was held there on the 7th of Ramadan, 361 AH / 972 AD. It was named Al-Azhar Mosque after the Lady Fatima Al-Zahra, to whom the Fatimids belonged. In the year 378 AH / 988 AD, the Caliph Al-Aziz Billah made it a university to teach Ismaili esoteric sciences to scholars from Africa and Asia. The study was free of charge. And the Fatimids put prisons on him to spend from them on his bedding, cleaning it, supplying him with water, and the salaries of preachers, supervisors, imams, teachers and students.
After Salah al-Din took over the Sultanate of Egypt, he banned the Friday prayer and made it a Sunni mosque. Endowments were granted to him, and he was opened to all scholars from all over the Islamic world: their development system, development system, development system, and pension from the proceeds of his endowments. The study and accommodation were free of charge.
On December 17, 1267, Friday prayers were held for the first time in Al-Azhar Mosque during the reign of Al-Zahir Baybars, Sultan of Egypt, after it had been cut off for nearly a century by Salah Al-Din, who invalidated the sermon at Al-Azhar Mosque, as it was a stronghold of the Ismaili Shiites.
And for knowledge, for science, for science, for science, and the preservation of the Arab heritage after the fall of the Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad, and the Arabic language from Turkic and the Turkish language during the Ottoman occupation of Egypt in 1517 and the days of Muhammad Ali Pasha in 1805. The days of the Mamluks. In the year 1209 AH / 1795 AD, al-Jabarti narrates in his diaries that Mamluk princes attacked some of the peasants of the city of Belbeis, so a delegation of them came to Sheikh Abdullah al-Sharqawi, who was the sheikh of al-Azhar at the time. And they complained to him to lift the injustice from them. He got angry and went to Al-Azhar, a group of sheikhs. They closed the mosque doors. And they ordered the people to leave the markets and shops. Angry crowds gathered from the people. So Ibrahim Bey, the sheikh of the town, sent Ayoub Bey Al-Daftardar to them, and he asked them about their matter. They said: We want justice, injustice and oppression, the establishment of the law and the abolition of accidents and misfortunes. The leader of the princes was afraid of the repercussions of the revolution, so he sent to the scholars of Al-Azhar to absolve himself of the responsibility of injustice and throw it on the shoulders of his partner, Murad Bey. At the same time, he sent Murad warning him of the revolution. So Murad Bey surrendered and returned what he had stolen from the money and satisfied the souls of the oppressed. But scholars demanded the establishment of a system that prevents injustice and responds to aggression. And the princes met the scholars. Among them were Sheikh Al-Sadat, Mr Omar Makram, Sheikh Al-Sharqawi, Sheikh Al-Bakri and Sheikh Al-Amir. And the wrongdoers declared that they had seen and adhered to what was stipulated upon them. And they declared that they would nullify the grievances, taxes, obligation, letter, letter, letter, letter, letter, letter, anchor, and received. The Chief Justice was present. So he wrote on the princes a document signed by the governor and Ibrahim Bey, and what is meant by you is the sheikh of the country.
French Al-Azhar for Egypt

When the French invaded Egypt under the leadership of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1798 AD, the scholars of Al-Azhar ignited the revolution against them from within Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, which was known as the first and second Cairo revolutions after his forces entered the Al-Azhar courtyard with horses. And threw the Koran and wreaked havoc. And the mosque got hit by the canons on the Cassel. This incident had precipitated the withdrawal of the French from Egypt. In 1805 AD, Al-Azhar scholars were able to impose on the Ottoman Caliph, the Governor Muhammad Ali Pasha, to be the Wali of Ali, the Ottoman Empire of Egypt after they took pacts and covenants on him to establish justice among the subjects.
20-21 century=

In 1932, a group of Chinese students arrived in Egypt to study on a scholarship at Al-Azhar, and they resided in the Ibrahim Al-Kalashni Tekke (which was later demolished in the twentieth century). One of the journalists was able to interview them. Due to their desire not to invite many people who do not share the same morals, the journalist was lucky to agree to the interview, regardless of the talk about the status of Islam in China (these students were not optimistic about the degree of knowledge of the general Muslims about Islam, but they said that 50 million Muslims are living in China) and most of the press interview revolved around their journey from Yunnan Province of China to Cairo. They said it was an arduous journey and that performing religious rites was difficult, and they took a train to cross through the mountains to reach Hai Phong Harbor and boarded a boat to reach Hong Kong. The expedition chief said it was the most difficult three days of his life. The sea was rough, and they never left their cabins and prayed wherever they were seated, and when they boarded the French ship, Andre Lyon, in Hong Kong, it was more meek, but there were other obstacles that the only meat they served on board was pork. They were not sure whether the meat was cooked in pork fat or cooked in a halal way or not, so they did not taste anything until they reached Saigon (present-day Ho Chi Minh City). There they disembarked and found a Muslim butcher and grocer and then headed to Singapore. There they rested for a while. There they went to the “True Islam” magazine, which was the most famous religious magazine in East Asia, and then went to Colombo and Aden. In Djibouti, they met Egyptians for the first time (ten Egyptians were working in East Africa) and finally arrived at Port Said [1].
Chinese mission map
architecture

The name of Mrs Fatima Al-Zahra (
Al-Azhar was the first mosque to be established in the city of Cairo, so it was called the Cairo Mosque. It was a courtyard overlooking three porticos, the largest of which was the qibla portico. Its area at the time of its construction was close to half its size now. Then a group of corridors, schools, niches and minarets were added to it, changing its features from what it was before. And its first building was built by the Fatimid Caliph Al-Hafiz Li-Din Allah. When he increased the area of ​​the corridors, he built a stucco dome carved in a prominent inscription. In the Mamluk era, the Mamluk sultans meant it after it was closed in the Ayyubid era. After him, Prince Izz al-Din Aydamer renewed the parts that had been cracked. And including what the people raped from his yard. Friday prayers were celebrated on the 18th of Rabi’ al-Awwal in 665 AH / 19 November 1266 AD. During the Mamluk Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun, Prince Ala al-Din Tibers, the commander of the armies, established the Tabarsi school in the year (709 AH – 1309 AD) and attached it to the Al-Azhar Mosque. Prince Alaa Al-Din Aqbgha, one of the princes of Sultan Al-Nasir Muhammad bin Qalawun in the year (740 AH / 1340 AD), established the Al-Aqbghawiya school to the left of Bab Al-Muzayin (the main door of the mosque), and it has a wonderful mihrab and a graceful minaret. Prince Jawhar al-Qunquba’i Khazindar, the Mamluk Sultan al-Ashraf Barsbay, set up the al-Jawhari school at the eastern end of the mosque. It includes four iwans. The largest of them is the eastern iwan with a finely made mihrab. The madrasa is topped with a carved dome. And the Mamluk Sultan Qaytbay al-Mahmudi, during the reign of the Circassian Mamluks, demolished the door on the northwest side of the mosque. He erected to his right in the year (873 AH / 1468 AD) a graceful minaret, one of the most beautiful minarets in Cairo. Then the Mamluk Sultan Qansuh al-Ghouri built the double-headed minaret, which is the highest minarets of Al-Azhar. The unique models of minarets Mamluk architecture. Abd al-Rahman Katkhuda had added a new cabin for the qibla portico in the year (1167 AH / 1753 AD), separated from the original cabin by stone pillars rising three steps from it and containing three mihrabs. In the northwestern facade, which currently overlooks Al-Azhar Square, Katkhuda erected a door consisting of two adjacent doors, known as the “Bab Al-Muzaynin” because the “barbers” were sitting in front of it. The second was called Bab al-Sa’ida, and next to them, there is a minaret that is still standing today. The two doors lead to the Al-Sa’ida hall, the most famous corridor of Al-Azhar. It was called Al-Sa’idah because the students from Al-Sa’idah used to live in the hallway. During the reign of Khedive Abbas Hilmi II, the Tabarsi school was renewed in (Shawwal 1315 AH / 1897 AD). He built a new portico called the Abbasid portico, which is the largest of the halls. The mosque was completely renewed after the earthquake.
Qaitbay Lighthouse

Al-Azhar education system
Al Azhar mosque
Al-Azhar witnessed the first educational lesson when the judge, Abu Al-Hassan Ali bin Al-Numan, sat in (Safar 365 AH / October [[]]975 AD) to read his father’s summary of the jurisprudence of Ahl al-Bayt. Then the Fatimid vizier Yaqoub bin Kills appointed a group of jurists to teach and paid them remunerative salaries and appointed them to live next to the mosque. They were called “neighbours”, and in this way, Al-Azhar acquired its scientific character as an institute for organized study for the first time. Al-Azhar remained in this vein of teaching Shiite jurisprudence and teaching and training the advocates of the Fatimid sect. Until the study stopped completely in the Ayyubid era because the Ayyubids were working to abolish the Shiite doctrine and to strengthen the Sunni doctrine by establishing schools to teach hadith and jurisprudence, as was followed in the Mosque of Amr in Fustat in the days of the Fatimids, but he regained his place in the Mamluk era after he became taught only jurisprudence and Sunni doctrines. He witnessed a turnout and crowded with scholars and scholars and the circles of science that included legal and linguistic sciences from jurisprudence, hadith, etiquette, monotheism, logic and theology. The science of the body, astronomy, and mathematics, such as arithmetic, algebra, and geometry. The student would join Al-Azhar after learning to read, write, the principles of arithmetic and memorizing the Qur’an without committing to a certain age, so he would frequent the scholars’ circles and choose what he wanted from the scholars based on teaching. The student was not committed to attending school; It may be cut off for a while and then return. No regulations were regulating the workflow or specifying curricula, academic teams and years of study. If the student becomes qualified to teach and sit at the site of the elders, he will ask their permission and sit down for the lesson. If the students do not find what they desire of knowledge, they abandon it and leave its circle, but if they gather around it, adhere to its study, and trust in it, this is a testament to his eligibility to teach. Then the Sheikh of Al-Azhar authorized him. He obtains a Bachelor’s degree in teaching. This system remained in place until Khedive Ismail, when he issued the first law of Al-Azhar in the year (1288 AH / 1872 AD) to regulate the obtaining of the international certificate for students. The exam method is that the student sits on the teacher’s sofa, and the examinee members of the committee gather around him in the position of students. The student teaches his lesson. The elders discuss it in various branches of science. The exam may last for long hours, which the committee does not interrupt except to eat food or perform prayer. Even if you are assured of who has been able to qualify and the student has kept his leave and given him grades to determine his level. The first degree is granted to the student who passes all or most of the subjects, and the second degree is given to those whose academic level is lower than the first-degree holder. He is only allowed to teach intermediate books. As for the third degree, its holder is only allowed to teach small books for beginners. And whoever had failed the exam could retake the exam one more time or more without committing too many attempts. Those who obtained the second or third degree are entitled to apply again for the higher degree. During the reign of Khedive Abbas Helmy II, a law was issued in the year (1314 AH / 1896 AD) to develop Al-Azhar. The law specified the age of admission for students to fifteen years, with the necessity of literacy, memorizing the Qur’an, and specifying the courses taught at Al-Azhar, with the addition of a new range of subjects including ethics, hadith terminology, arithmetic, algebra, presentations, rhyme, Islamic history, composition, the text of language, principles of geometry, and calendar of countries. This law established a certificate called “Al-Ahliyya” submitted to those who spent eight years in Al-Azhar. Its holder has the right to occupy the positions of Imamate and oratory in mosques, and another certificate called “Al-Alamiyyah”, which is submitted to it by those who spent at Al-Azhar for at least twelve years, and those who obtained it have the right to teach at Al-Azhar.
Royal Decree No. 26 of 1936 was issued regarding the reorganization of Al-Azhar and the bodies it includes to preserve Islamic law, its origins and branches, and the Arabic language and to disseminate it, and to graduate scholars entrusted with teaching religion and language sciences in institutes and schools. The decree specified the competence of the Council of Senior Scholars. It limited the faculties of Al-Azhar to three: the Faculty of Sharia, the Faculty of Fundamentals of Religion and the Faculty of Arabic Language. He also specified the role of Al-Azhar institutes in providing students with a general culture of religion and language and preparing them to enter Al-Azhar colleges only.
In 1956, President Gamal Abdel Nasser rose on the pulpit of Al-Azhar to announce the fight against tripartite aggression (Britain, France and Israel). Law No. 103 of 1961 was issued regarding the reorganization of Al-Azhar and its affiliated bodies. Text: Al-Azhar is the major Islamic scholarly body that is based on preserving, studying, translating and disseminating the Islamic heritage, and carries the faithfulness of the Islamic message to all peoples, and works to show the truth of Islam and its impact on human progress and the advancement of civilization, and ensuring security, tranquillity and self-comfort for all people in this world and the hereafter. It is also interested in reviving the Arab civilization and the scientific and intellectual heritage of the Arab nation and demonstrating the impact of the Arabs on the development and progress of humanity. It works on advancing literature, advancing sciences and arts, community service, national and humanitarian goals and spiritual values, and providing the Islamic world and the Arab world with specialists and opinion holders with Islamic law, religious and Arabic culture and the language of the Qur’an. The graduation of working scholars who are well versed in religion, who combine faith in God, self-confidence, and strength of spirit, with scientific, practical and professional adequacy to confirm the link between religion and life, and the link between belief and behaviour. Qualifying the religious scholar to participate in all the causes of activity, production, leadership and good example, and the worldly world to participate in calling to the path of God with wisdom and good exhortation. It is also interested in strengthening cultural and scientific ties with Islamic, Arab and foreign universities and organizations. It is based in Cairo and follows the presidency of the Republic.” And he explained It follows the presidency of the republic.” The second article of Law No. 103 of 1961 clarified the features of the new Al-Azhar, and that it lives by Islam in the reality of society, and breathes the spirit of religion into various fields of work in the world, and takes its place in the world through this role that links religious sciences with the world, And it stipulated: Al-Azhar Al-Sharif is headed by the Grand Imam, the Sheikh of Al-Azhar Mosque, and the aforementioned law established the competencies of the Sheikh of Al-Azhar, so Article (4) stipulates the following: Al-Azhar’s Sheikh is the Grand Imam and has an opinion in everything related to religious affairs and those who work with the Qur’an and Islamic sciences, and he has the leadership and direction Everything related to Islamic studies in Al-Azhar and its bodies, and he heads the Supreme Council of Al-Azhar.
Currently, Al-Azhar Mosque is a mosque that is affiliated with the Ministry of Endowments and is not affiliated with the Sheikhdom of Al-Azhar.
The system followed for the Sheikhdom of Al-Azhar was to elect from among the senior scholars an overseer to supervise its affairs from its establishment until the end of the eleventh century AH. The Sheikh of Al-Azhar Mosque was established during the era of Ottoman rule to take over the presidency of its scholars, supervise its administrative affairs, and maintain security and order in Al-Azhar. The first Sheikh of Al-Azhar, Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah Al-Kharshi Al-Maliki, and the current Sheikh of Al-Azhar, Dr Ahmed Mohamed El-Tayeb.