Muhammad Sayyid Tantawy
Muhammad Sayyid Tantawy محمد سيد طنطاوي | |
---|---|
Mohamed Ahmed el-Tayeb | |
Grand Mufti of Egypt | |
In office 28 October 1986 – 27 March 1996 | |
Preceded by | Abd al-Latif Abd al-Ghani Hamzah |
Succeeded by | Nasr Farid Wasil |
Personal details | |
Born | Sohag, Egypt | 28 October 1928
Died | 10 March 2010 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | (aged 81)
Alma mater | Al-Azhar University |
Muhammad Sayyid Tantawy (
Early life
Tantawy born on 28 October 1928 in the village of Selim ash-Sharqiyah in the municipality of Tama, Sohag in Egypt. He joined the Alexandria Religious Institute in 1944. He graduated from Al-Azhar's faculty of religious studies in 1958 and went on to teach. In 1966, he was awarded a PhD in Hadith and Tafsir, exegesis of the Qur'an.[1] He became a member of the faculty of Ausol Aldeen in 1968 and a member of the faculty of Arabic & Islamic Studies at the Islamic University of Libya in 1972. In 1980 he moved to Saudi Arabia, where he became chief of the Tafsir branch of the Postgraduate studies branch at the Islamic University of Madinah. He returned to Egypt in 1985, when he became Dean of the Faculty of Ausol Aldeen at the prestigious Alexandria Religious Institute.[2]
Education
He obtained his first degree with honours, his master's degree in education in 1959 and his PhD in 1966. His doctoral thesis was on the children of Israel in the al-Quran and al-Sunnah.[3][4][5]
Work
In 1986, Tantawy was appointed as
Tantawy completed a seven thousand page
Tantawy led the
Views and fatwas
Charging interest on loans
In 1989 the Egyptian government's support for Western-style,
His views on this issue have been very controversial among his fellow Muslim scholars. Despite years of friendship with Tantawy, well-known Egyptian scholar Yusuf al-Qaradawi has sharply criticized his position on interest.[12]
Abortion
He issued a fatwa which allowed
Female circumcision
Tantawy opposed
Suicide bombings
Tantawy initially took a line against
Female imams
Tantawy opposed
Pope Benedict XVI Islam controversy
In response to the
Reaction to 9/11 attacks
Speaking after the
Egyptian niqab controversy
In October 2009, Tantawy launched a campaign against the
Jews
In the 1960s Tantawy wrote a 700-page treatise on the children of Israel in the Quran and Sunnah (Jews in the Qur'an and the Traditions), in which he summarized:
"[The] Qur'an describes the Jews with their own particular degenerate characteristics, i.e. killing the prophets of Allah, corrupting His words by putting them in the wrong places, consuming the people's wealth frivolously, refusal to distance themselves from the evil they do, and other ugly characteristics caused by their deep-rooted lasciviousness ... only a minority of the Jews keep their word. ... [A]ll Jews are not the same. The good ones become Muslims, the bad ones do not."[29]
Tantawi also denied that the Western Wall had any Jewish significance and anachronistically claimed, "All of the figures from the [Hebrew] Bible were Muslims."[30]
Saudi Arabia
Tantawy believes that Saudi Arabia is the model country for respecting human rights stating in June 2000: "Saudi Arabia leads the world in the protection of human rights because it protects them according to the shari'a of God...Everyone knows that Saudi Arabia is the leading country for the application of human rights in Islam in a just and objective fashion, with no aggression and no prejudice."[31]
Sex reassignment surgery
In 1988, Tantawy issued a fatwa regarding the
Death
Tantawy died on the morning of 10 March 2010, at the age of 81, as result of a
Tantawy's death was unexpected and he was described as being in "excellent shape and health" prior to his trip.
Condolences
Condolences were sent to the Egyptian government by several national leaders and scholars.
Public image
Tantawy, who died at the age of 81, was a moderate, sometimes progressive voice at the apex of Islamic scholarship during a period when such measured tones tended to be drowned out on the international scene by his more militant rivals.
Books
Amongst his books:
- Muʻāmalāt al-bunūk wa-aḥkāmuhā al-sharʻīya. ISBN 9770157899.
See also
Notes
References
- ^ Mostyn, Trevor (10 March 2010). "Sheikh Mohammed Tantawi obituary". the Guardian. Archived from the original on 16 March 2017. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
- ^ a b "The biography of his Excellency: Dr. Mohammad Saed Tantawy". Al-Azhar University. Archived from the original on 12 August 2009.
- ^ "The Grand Imams of Al-Azhar (Shuyukhul Azhar)". Sunnah.org. Archived from the original on 19 June 2006. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
- ^ "Dar Al-Iftaa | دار الإفتاء المصرية". Dar-alifta.org. Archived from the original on 2 September 2011. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
- ^ "BBC Arabic – الشرق الأوسط – نبذة عن محمد سيد طنطاوي". BBC. Archived from the original on 28 March 2010. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
- ^ "Qaradawi Criticizes Al-Azhar for Condemning Jerusalem Attacks". Islam Online. Archived from the original on 27 May 2003.
- Ireland Online, June 1997.
- ^ Arafat's coffin flown to Ram Allah[permanent dead link] – Al Jazeera. 12 November 2004
- ^ a b Sheikh Mohammed Sayyid Tantawi Archived 30 June 2017 at the Wayback Machine, Telegraph.co.uk, dated 7:16 pm GMT 11 March 2010
- ^ a b No Great Sheiks Archived 15 March 2010 at the Wayback Machine, Newsweek, dated 12 March 2010
- ^ Egypt’s Grand Sheikh Tantawi dies of heart attack, BikyaMasr, dated 10 March 2010
- ^ Shaykh Yusuf al-Qaradawi on the Passing of Shaykh Muhammad Tantawi Archived 19 January 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Mail & Guardian Africa: "All Islam's sheikhs are extremists, right? Wrong. Meet the African Imam & mosques that shock even moderate Muslims" by Samantha Spooner Archived 12 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine 2 January 2015
- ^ "Abortion Facts". NO Abortion. Archived from the original on 8 January 2007. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
- bbc.co.uk
- ^ Egyptian ban on female circumcision upheld Archived 19 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine – BBC News 28 December 1997
- ^ Grand Sheikh condemns suicide bombings Archived 26 May 2006 at the Wayback Machine – BBC News 4 December 2001
- ^ Cleric condemns suicide attacks Archived 30 August 2006 at the Wayback Machine – BBC News 11 July 2003
- ^ "IMRA – Monday, November 3, 2003 Egyptian grand shaykh: Islamic law sees suicide-bombers as martyrs". www.imra.org.il. Archived from the original on 3 June 2011. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
- ^ Woman leads US Muslims to prayer Archived 20 June 2006 at the Wayback Machine – BBC News 18 March 2005
- ^ "Woman leads controversial US prayer". english.aljazeera.net. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
- ^ Egypt row deepens over 'blasphemous' novel Archived 6 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine – BBC News 18 May 2000
- ^ Egypt clerics ban surrogate mothers Archived 2 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine – BBC News. 2 April 2001
- ^ Egypt's top Muslim leader demands clearer papal apology
- ^ Islamic world deplores US losses Archived 15 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine – BBC News 14 September 2001
- ^ Text: Lawmaker Says Grand Shaykh of Al-Azhar in Egypt Condemns bin Laden Archived 6 January 2007 at the Wayback Machine – US Emabassy in Jakarta October 2001
- ^ Egypt purges niqab from schools and colleges Archived 8 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine, Telegraph.co.uk, dated 5:44 pm BST 5 October 2009
- ^ Lawmaker wants Tantawi to step down over veil ban Archived 16 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine, arab news, dated Thursday 8 October 2009 (18 Shawwal 1430)
- ^ Andrew Bostom, The Legacy of Islamic Antisemitism (Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus, 2008), p. 33.
- ^ Goldberg, Jeffrey. Prisoners: A Story of Friendship and Terror. New York: Vintage Books, 2008. p. 255.
- ISBN 9781610170024.
- ISSN 1558-741X.
- ^ "Egypt's top Muslim cleric dies of heart attack". Archived from the original on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 10 March 2010.
- ^ El Naggar, Miret (10 March 2010). "Controversial Egyptian cleric leaves mixed legacy". The Miami Herald. Retrieved 11 March 2010. [dead link]
- ^ Hasan, Lama (10 March 2010). "Sheik Mohammed Tantawi, Egypt's Highest Cleric, Dies". ABC News. Archived from the original on 20 February 2011. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
- ^ "Sheikh of Al-Azhar dies of heart attack". Brunei FM. 10 March 2010. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
- ^ "Al-Azhar head dies in Saudi Arabia". Al Jazeera. 10 March 2010. Archived from the original on 11 March 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
- ^ a b "Sheikh Tantawi, Egypt's top cleric dies aged 81". BBC News. 10 March 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
- ^ a b Khan, Ghazanfar Ali (11 March 2010). "Al-Azhar head Tantawi buried in Madinah". Arab News. Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
- ^ Al-Azhar rejects Wahhabi call to denounce recognition of Shia Islam
- ^ Pope sends condolences to family of deceased Muslim leader Archived 10 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Spero News, dated Friday, 12 March 2010
- ^ "White House marks death of top Sunni cleric". IC Publications. 10 March 2010. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
- ^ Clinton, Hillary (10 March 2010). "Death of Grand Imam Mohamed Sayyid Tantawi". US Department of State. Archived from the original on 14 March 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
- ^ "Jakim Conveys Condolences Over Tantawi's Death". Malaysian National News Agency. 10 March 2010. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
- ^ "HM the King sends condolence message to Egyptian Pres. over death of Al-Azhar head". Agence Maghreb Arabe presse. 10 March 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2010. [dead link]
- ^ "President condoles Mubarak on Tantawi death". Saba News. 10 March 2010. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
- ^ Ilham Aliyev conveys his condolences to Hosni Mubarak Archived 11 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine, dated 12 March 2010 22:03
- ^ Azerbaijan President extends condolences to Egyptian counterpart, dated 12 March 2010 22:08
- ^ "Sheikh Mohammed Sayyid Tantawi". The Daily Telegraph. 11 March 2010. Archived from the original on 30 June 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
External links