Foundation and Name
Al-Azhar was founded in 359-361 AH / 970-972 CE immediately after the Fatimid conquest of Egypt. The conqueror-general Jawhar al-Siqilli, having captured Fustat (old Cairo) for Imam-Caliph al-Mu’izz li-Din Allah, immediately began building the new capital city of al-Qahira (Cairo) and within it the mosque that would become al-Azhar.
The name: Al-Azhar (الأَزهَر) means “The Most Luminous” or “The Most Brilliant.” It is the masculine form of al-Zahra (الزَّهرَاء), which is the most famous epithet of Sayyidatna Fatima al-Zahra — the daughter of the Prophet and mother of the Imams. The naming was a deliberate dedication: the mosque-university of the Fatimid da’wa was named for the mother of the Imams.
The companion mosque: Al-Azhar was built alongside al-Qahira’s main Friday mosque, Jami’ al-Qahira, but it was al-Azhar that became the da’wa’s intellectual center — the site of the Fatimid majalis al-hikma (sessions of wisdom) where Ismaili ta’wil was taught.
See also: Fatimid Cairo, Fatima Al Zahra, Dai Al Mutlaq Institution, Majalis Al Hikmah
Al-Azhar as Da’wa Institution
Under the Fatimid Imam-Caliphs, al-Azhar functioned as the central institution of Ismaili learning:
The Majalis al-Hikma: The Fatimid da’is (missionaries) conducted regular sessions of esoteric teaching in al-Azhar — Tuesdays for men, Thursdays for women (a notable feature of Fatimid religious culture, that women had dedicated sessions of intellectual religious learning). These sessions taught the batin (inner meaning) of the Quran and Shari’a through the Imam’s hermeneutic.
The curriculum: Al-Azhar’s Fatimid curriculum included Ismaili jurisprudence (based on Qadi al-Nu’man’s Da’a’im al-Islam), ta’wil, philosophy, natural sciences, and astronomy. It was notably more expansive than the purely religious curricula of rival Sunni institutions.
The library: The Fatimid palace compound (adjacent to al-Azhar) housed one of the greatest libraries of the medieval world — reportedly containing over one million manuscripts, including works of Greek philosophy, astronomy, medicine, and Ismaili ta’wil. Much of this library was dispersed when the Ayyubids defeated the Fatimids.
See also: Fatimid Caliphate, Qadi Al Numan, Tawil Esoteric Interpretation, Imamah
Saladin and the Transformation
When the Ayyubid Salah al-Din (Saladin) overthrew the last Fatimid Caliph in 1171 CE, he systematically dismantled the Fatimid religious infrastructure:
- The name of the Fatimid Imam-Caliph was removed from the Friday khutba (sermon)
- The distinctive Fatimid call to prayer (adhan) with its phrase hayya ‘ala khayr al-‘amal (come to the best of deeds) was modified
- The majalis al-hikma were abolished
- The Ismaili curriculum was replaced with Shafi’i Sunni jurisprudence
Why al-Azhar survived: Saladin initially closed al-Azhar as a congregational mosque for Friday prayers — a deliberate demotion from its central status. However, the physical institution was too valuable to destroy, and under subsequent Ayyubid and Mamluk rulers it was reopened and gradually transformed into a Sunni institution.
The Mamluk renaissance: Under the Mamluks (1250-1517 CE), al-Azhar received its great endowments (waqf) — properties and revenues that funded scholarships, salaries for scholars, and the maintenance of students. This Mamluk patronage established al-Azhar’s financial independence and institutional permanence.
See also: Fatimid Caliphate, Sitr And Zuhur
Al-Azhar Today
Al-Azhar today is the world’s most influential Sunni institution — its fatawa (legal opinions) carry authority across the Islamic world, its curriculum shapes Islamic education from Morocco to Indonesia, and its Grand Sheikh is recognized as one of the most prominent Muslim religious authorities.
The irony: The institution named for Fatima al-Zahra, built by the Fatimid Imam-Caliphs as a center for Ismaili ta’wil, has become the leading Sunni authority — often in explicit opposition to Shi’i theology. Yet within its foundation stones and its very name, the Fatimid-Ismaili origin is permanently inscribed.
The Dawoodi Bohra connection: Al-Azhar’s founding is part of the Dawoodi Bohra historical consciousness — Sayyidatna Fatima al-Zahra, for whom the mosque is named, is at the heart of Ismaili spiritual genealogy. The founding of al-Azhar by the Fatimid Imam’s army is a moment of immense pride in Bohra historical memory, even though the institution was later transformed by adversaries of the Fatimid line.
See also: Fatimid Cairo, Fatimid North Africa, Imamah, Wali Al Asr, Fatima Al Zahra, Nasir Khusraw
See also: Fatimid Cairo, Fatima Al Zahra, Fatimid Caliphate, Fatimid North Africa, Dai Al Mutlaq Institution, Majalis Al Hikmah, Qadi Al Numan, Tawil Esoteric Interpretation, Imamah, Wali Al Asr, Nasir Khusraw, Sitr And Zuhur