His eminence Shaykh Muhammad al-Hassan al-Dedew (also spelt al-Dido) is a senior jurist and thinker among the scholars of Mauritania, who are known worldwide for their knowledge, piety and influence on global Islamic affairs. Shaykh Dedew was born in 1963 into a family dedicated to knowledge. His teachers came initially from his extended family, which included many prominent scholars, especially his maternal grandfather Shaykh Muhammad ‘Ali Ould ‘Abd al-Wadud. In 2007, Shaykh Dedew founded the Islamic University known as Markaz Takwīn al-Ulamā (Ulema Training Center), a highly-selective institute boasting a world-renowned curriculum mastering 63 Islamic disciplines, lasting up to 17 years. In 2010 he also participated in the setting up of the Islamic University Abdella Ben Yassine which proposes a complete academic course according to the international system LMD (Licence, Master, Doctorate).