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Career and reform activities

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	Shaltout became a regular contributor to the journal ''[[Risalat al-Islam (magazine)\|Risalat al-Islam]]'', published by Dar al-Taqrib, where he serialized his Quranic commentary (tafsir) from 1949 onward.<ref name="HAL2021" /> This commentary, which covered the first nine chapters of the Quran, was later published as a single volume in 1959 and became a popular work.<ref name="HAL2021" /> His other works include ''Min Tawjīhāt al-Islām'' (''From the Directions of Islam''), which was translated into Persian.<ref name="Princeton1965">Shaltūt, M. (1965). ''Sayrī dar taʻālīm-i Islām'' (K. Khalīlīyān, Trans.). Shirkat-i Sahāmī-i Intishār. (Original work published 1959) </ref>		Shaltout became a regular contributor to the journal ''[[Risalat al-Islam (magazine)\|Risalat al-Islam]]'', published by Dar al-Taqrib, where he serialized his Quranic commentary (tafsir) from 1949 onward.<ref name="HAL2021" /> This commentary, which covered the first nine chapters of the Quran, was later published as a single volume in 1959 and became a popular work.<ref name="HAL2021" /> His other works include ''Min Tawjīhāt al-Islām'' (''From the Directions of Islam''), which was translated into Persian.<ref name="Princeton1965">Shaltūt, M. (1965). ''Sayrī dar taʻālīm-i Islām'' (K. Khalīlīyān, Trans.). Shirkat-i Sahāmī-i Intishār. (Original work published 1959) </ref>

	On 13 December 1963, after a severe illness and surgery, Shaltout died. His funeral prayer was held at [[Al-Azhar Mosque]] and was attended by a large crowd.<ref name="Azhar2020" />		On 13 December 1963, after a severe illness and surgery, Shaltout died. His funeral prayer was held at Al-Azhar Mosque and was attended by a large crowd.<ref name="Azhar2020" />

	=== Grand Imam of Al-Azhar (1958–1963) ===		=== Grand Imam of Al-Azhar (1958–1963) ===

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	== References ==		== References ==
	<references />		<references />

			[[Category:Figures]]

Peysepar: Created page with "'''Mahmoud Shaltout''', (محمود شلتوت), 23 April 1893 – 13 December 1963, was an Egyptian Islamic scholar, jurist, and reformer who served as the Grand Imam of al-Azhar from 1958 until his death in 1963.Al-Azhar. (2020, September 13). Maḥmoud Shaltout (1378 AH/1958 CE-1383 AH/1963 CE). Al-Azhar Portal. https://azhar.eg/en/Al-Azhar-Mosque/Mosque-News/ArtMID/9560/ArticleID/52155/Ma%e1%b8%a5moud-Shaltout-1378-AH1958-CE-1383-AH1963-CE <..."

2026-07-14T09:28:16Z

Created page with "'''Mahmoud Shaltout''', (محمود شلتوت), 23 April 1893 – 13 December 1963, was an Egyptian Islamic scholar, jurist, and reformer who served as the Grand Imam of al-Azhar from 1958 until his death in 1963.<ref name="Azhar2020">Al-Azhar. (2020, September 13). Maḥmoud Shaltout (1378 AH/1958 CE-1383 AH/1963 CE). Al-Azhar Portal. https://azhar.eg/en/Al-Azhar-Mosque/Mosque-News/ArtMID/9560/ArticleID/52155/Ma%e1%b8%a5moud-Shaltout-1378-AH1958-CE-1383-AH1963-CE <..."

New page

'''Mahmoud Shaltout''', (محمود شلتوت), 23 April 1893 – 13 December 1963, was an Egyptian Islamic scholar, jurist, and reformer who served as the [[Grand Imam of al-Azhar]] from 1958 until his death in 1963.<ref name="Azhar2020">Al-Azhar. (2020, September 13). Maḥmoud Shaltout (1378 AH/1958 CE-1383 AH/1963 CE). Al-Azhar Portal. https://azhar.eg/en/Al-Azhar-Mosque/Mosque-News/ArtMID/9560/ArticleID/52155/Ma%e1%b8%a5moud-Shaltout-1378-AH1958-CE-1383-AH1963-CE </ref> He is best known for his pioneering efforts in promoting rapprochement (''taqrib'') between the [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]] and [[Shia Islam|Shi'a]] schools of Islamic jurisprudence, particularly through his historic 1959 fatwa recognizing the Ja'fari (Twelver Shi'a) school as a legitimate Islamic madhhab.<ref name="Zebiri1988">Zebiri, K. P. (1988). ''Mahmud Shaltut (d.1963), modern Muslim scholar and reformer'' [Doctoral dissertation, SOAS University of London]. SOAS Library. https://library.soas.ac.uk/Record/eprints-28450 </ref><ref name="HAL2021">Brunner, R. (2021). Mahmūd Šaltūt and the Qurʾān. In ''HAL Open Science''. https://shs.hal.science/halshs-03494094v2 </ref>

=== Early life and education ===

Mahmoud Shaltout was born on 23 April 1893 (6 Shawwal 1310 AH) in the village of Minyat Bani Mansour, in the [[Beheira Governorate]] of Egypt.<ref name="Azhar2020" /> He memorized the [[Quran]] at a young age and subsequently enrolled at the Alexandria Religious Institute, an affiliate of [[Al-Azhar University]].<ref name="Inlibrary2023">Al-Muhamdi, N. A., & Al-Zubaidi, A. F. (2023). The Role of Sheikh Mahmoud Shaltout in Rapprochement. ''American Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Research'', 3(4), 1–10. https://inlibrary.uz/index.php/ajsshr/article/download/105287/106958 </ref> He obtained his degree (''al-'ālimiyya'') from Al-Azhar and was appointed as a teacher at the Alexandria Institute in 1919.<ref name="Azhar2020" />

=== Career and reform activities ===

Shaltout was an active participant in the [[Egyptian Revolution of 1919]], using his writings and speeches to support the nationalist cause.<ref name="Azhar2020" /> He became a close associate of Grand Imam [[Muhammad Mustafa al-Maraghi]], who appointed him to teach at Al-Azhar University in 1928. Shaltout became one of the leading advocates for the reform of Al-Azhar, calling for the modernization of its curriculum and administrative independence.<ref name="Azhar2020" />

In 1931, following a dispute with the acting Grand Imam [[Muhammad al-Ahmadi al-Zawahiri]], Shaltout was dismissed from Al-Azhar alongside more than seventy other scholars for his reformist activities. He was later reinstated and continued to rise through the academic ranks.<ref name="Azhar2020" /> He also played a role in the debate over the permissibility of translating the Quran, supporting al-Maraghi's position that translation was not only permissible but obligatory for spreading the message of Islam.<ref name="HAL2021" />

Shaltout became a regular contributor to the journal ''[[Risalat al-Islam (magazine)|Risalat al-Islam]]'', published by Dar al-Taqrib, where he serialized his Quranic commentary (tafsir) from 1949 onward.<ref name="HAL2021" /> This commentary, which covered the first nine chapters of the Quran, was later published as a single volume in 1959 and became a popular work.<ref name="HAL2021" /> His other works include ''Min Tawjīhāt al-Islām'' (''From the Directions of Islam''), which was translated into Persian.<ref name="Princeton1965">Shaltūt, M. (1965). ''Sayrī dar taʻālīm-i Islām'' (K. Khalīlīyān, Trans.). Shirkat-i Sahāmī-i Intishār. (Original work published 1959) </ref>

On 13 December 1963, after a severe illness and surgery, Shaltout died. His funeral prayer was held at [[Al-Azhar Mosque]] and was attended by a large crowd.<ref name="Azhar2020" />

=== Grand Imam of Al-Azhar (1958–1963) ===

Mahmoud Shaltout was appointed Grand Imam of Al-Azhar in 1958, becoming the first to hold the official title "Grand Imam" (''Shaykh al-Azhar'').<ref name="Azhar2020" /> During his tenure, the Egyptian government promulgated Law No. 103 in 1961, which reorganized Al-Azhar and introduced modern faculties alongside traditional Islamic studies.<ref name="Azhar2020" /><ref name="HAL2021" /> Shaltout worked to implement reforms that expanded Al-Azhar's role in both religious and secular education.

==== 1959 fatwa on Shi'a-Sunni rapprochement ====

Shaltout is most famous for a historic [[fatwa]] issued in 1959 (sometimes dated to 1958) that formally recognized the [[Ja'fari school|Ja'fari]] (Twelver Shi'a) school of jurisprudence as a legitimate Islamic madhhab, equal in validity to the four Sunni schools ([[Hanafi]], [[Maliki]], [[Shafi'i]], and [[Hanbali]]).<ref name="Zebiri1988" /><ref name="FIU2022">El-Kholy, M. (2022). ''The Role of Allamah Mohammad Taghi Qomi in Dar al-Taqrib'' [Master's thesis, Florida International University]. FIU Digital Commons. https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=6446&context=etd </ref> The fatwa stated:

No Muslim is required to follow exclusively one of the four Sunni schools; every Muslim has the freedom to choose any of the recognized schools of jurisprudence.
Transferring from one school of jurisprudence to another is permissible.
Every Muslim, even if born Sunni, may act according to Shi'a Imami (Ja'fari) jurisprudence.<ref name="FIU2022" /><ref name="Inlibrary2023" />
This fatwa was the result of efforts by the Dar al-Taqrib organization, founded in 1947, and its secretary-general, Iranian scholar [[Mohammad Taqi Qomi]].<ref name="FIU2022" /> The fatwa was issued during the tenure of [[Gamal Abdel Nasser]], and some scholars have noted that it also had political dimensions, as it aligned with Nasser's efforts to build alliances with Shi'a-majority countries such as [[Iran]] and [[Iraq]].<ref name="Inlibrary2023" /> However, Shaltout himself stated that his motives were purely religious, driven by his study of Islamic jurisprudence and his desire to overcome sectarian prejudice.<ref name="FIU2022" />

=== Legacy and recognition ===

For his scholarly contributions, four countries awarded Shaltout honorary doctorates: Mīdān University (Indonesia), Jakarta University, Chile Academy, and the Cameroonian government conferred an honorary professorship upon him.<ref name="Azhar2020" />

His efforts for Sunni-Shi'a rapprochement, particularly through the 1959 fatwa, have had a lasting impact on inter-sectarian relations. While the fatwa was controversial among some traditionalist Sunni scholars, it is widely regarded as a milestone in modern Islamic ecumenism. The [[World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought]], established in Tehran in 1990, cites Shaltout's work as a foundational influence.<ref name="FIU2022" />

== References ==
<references />

Mahmoud Shaltout - Revision history

Peysepar: /* Career and reform activities */

Peysepar at 09:32, 14 July 2026