First Grand Mufti to be elected following the passing of the Amendments Act of Al-Azhar post-Mubarak era in Egypt. The Grand Imam, Dr Ahmad al-Tayyeb Shaykh al-Azhar, to chair meeting today.
The meeting of the Supreme Council of Senior Scholars of Al-Azhar (Hay’at Kubbar al-‘Ulama’) is currently in session presided by the Grand Imam, Dr Ahmad al-Tayyeb Shaykh al-Azhar, in order to determine the successor to Dr ‘Ali Jumu’ah as the Grand Mufti of Egypt; the first elected Grand Mufti following the passing of the crucial Amendments Act of Al-Azhar aimed to restore authority and independence from the state to this historic and symbolic institution.
Under the new framework, the Supreme Council, which comprises of the most Senior Scholars of Al-Azhar, is to present names of those candidates who fulfill the necessary requirements and possess the desired credentials for the position of Grand Mufti of Egypt and three names will be selected from those presented. This will be followed by a secret ballot among the members of the Supreme Council and consequently the name of the winning candidate with the most votes will be forwarded to the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt for his approval.
It is worth noting that among the conditions for the selection of the new Grand Mufti are that the candidate must be proficient in a second foreign language, be an Azharite since the beginning of his education, have gained a doctorate and hold a professorship in religious sciences and linguistics, be a scholar of the rules of the Arabic Language and be an adherent follower of the committed approach of Al-Azhar i.e. the path of the Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jama’ah. In addition, the respected candidate must not have been a recipient of any criminal penalty nor be accused of any such matter that may prejudice the grandeur and honour of this position.
