Al-Azhar Mosque is the most important mosque in Egypt at all, and one of the historical strongholds for the spread and teaching of Islam. It is also one of the most famous archaeological mosques in Egypt and the Islamic world, and part of the Al-Azhar Al-Sharif Foundation. Its construction dates back to the beginning of the era of the Fatimid state in Egypt, after Jawhar al-Siqilli completed the conquest of Egypt in the year 969 AD, and he began to establish Cairo. He created the Grand Palace and prepared it for the arrival of Caliph Al-Muizz li-Din Allah. Meanwhile, he began constructing Al-Azhar Mosque for the Caliph to pray in, and to be a comprehensive mosque for the newly emerging city, similar to the Amr Mosque in Fustat and the Ibn Tulun Mosque in Al-Qata’i. He also prepared its time for it to be An educational institute for teaching and disseminating the Shiite doctrine. He began building it in Jumada al-Awwal 359 AH/970 AD, and completed its construction, and the first Friday Friday was held in it in Ramadan 361 AH/972 AD. It was known as the Cairo Mosque, and despite the fact that the hand of reform and restoration came over it over the ages, it changed many of its features. Fatimid, but it is considered the oldest existing Fatimid monument in Egypt. Historians have differed on the origin of the name of this mosque, and the most likely opinion is that the Fatimids named it Al-Azhar after Fatima Al-Zahra, daughter of the Prophet Muhammad.
The mosque is considered the second oldest continuously operating university in the world after the University of Al-Qarawiyyin. Although the Amr ibn al-Aas Mosque in Fustat preceded it in its teaching function, as lesson sessions were held there voluntarily and as a donation, the Al-Azhar Mosque was considered the first in Egypt to perform the role of regular schools and institutes. Its lessons were given by commission from the state and scholars and teachers were hired for them. The first lesson was given there in Safar in the year 365 AH/975 AD by Ali bin al-Numan, a judge in Shiite jurisprudence. In the year 378 AH/988 AD, salaries were decided for the mosque’s jurists and a house was prepared for them to live next to it. Their number was thirty-five men.
After the fall of the Fatimid state, Al-Azhar’s star declined at the hands of Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi, who aimed to fight the Shiite doctrine and support the Sunni doctrine. The sermon therein was canceled and remained suspended for a hundred years until it was restored during the reign of the Mamluk Sultan al-Zahir Baibars al-Bunduqdari. During the era of the Mamluk state, Al-Azhar returned to fulfill its scientific mission and its vital role. Jurists were appointed to teach the Sunni doctrine and the Prophet’s hadiths, and he took care to renew, expand, and maintain it. This was considered the golden age of Al-Azhar. Rulers and notables in the following eras also showed a noticeable interest in its restoration and maintenance, and many endowments were given to it.
During the reign of King Fouad I, Law No. 46 of 1930 was issued for Al-Azhar, according to which the faculties of fundamentals of religion, Sharia, language, and Arabic were established later in 1933, and Al-Azhar officially became an independent university in 1961. Al-Azhar University was considered the first in the Islamic world to study Sunni doctrine and Islamic law. To this day, Al-Azhar remains a beacon for spreading the moderation of Islam, an institution that has a profound influence on Egyptian society, and a symbol of Islamic Egypt.