On behalf of everyone at Jamia Al-Karam and Al-Azhar Alumni UK, Shaykh Muhammad Imdad Hussain Pirzada, extends condolences at the passing away of Shaykh Prof. Dr. Abdul Fadeel al-Qawsi; expressing his deep sadness and grief as the scholarly world of Islam, particularly Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, mourns the loss of one of its notable, erudite yet humble, scholars.
Shaykh al-Qawsi was a member of the Supreme Council of Senior Scholars of Al-Azhar, Vice President of the World Organisation for Al-Azhar Graduates, and former Federal Minister for Religious Affairs of Egypt. He leaves behind a legacy of intellectual literature and scholarly writings, as well as hundreds of students around the world.
Shaykh al-Qawsi developed a unique relationship with Shaykh Pirzada based on mutual respect for scholarship, sense of duty and the mission to serve. He was hosted at Jamia Al-Karam, spent time engaging with its projects and attended the landmark Gateway Conferences. In 2011, he deputised for the Grand Imam, Dr Ahmad al-Tayyeb Shaykh al-Azhar, and visited Jamia Al-Karam to officially inaugurate the UK Branch, Al-Azhar Alumni UK.
Recently, in July 2019, he led the ceremony in Cairo, where, on behalf of the University of Al-Azhar, he formally received the 7-volume Arabic commentary of the Qur’an written by Shaykh Pirzada, the Imdad al-Karam fi Tafsir Khayr al-Kalim. May Allah make his grave a garden of blessings, and grant him a high station in Paradise. Amin.
Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un. We belong to Allah, and to Him we are to return.
