On 18 Muharram 1448 / 3 July 2026, I was blessed by Allah (jalla wa ‘ala) with the privilege of visiting one of the great scholars of our time: Shaykh Dr. Hassan al-Shafi‘i. At 95-years-old, he remains in the service of Islam through ‘ilm and ‘amāl. Accompanying me was Shaykh Abdallah Yousri, the Canada-based Imam and dā’ī who is also originally from Egypt. Together, we visited the honourable shaykh at his home in Cairo.
Shaykh Dr. Hassan al-Shafi‘i is an Egyptian scholar of Islamic philosophy and theology, known for his work in ʿilm al-kalām and Islamic thought. Over many decades of teaching and writing, he has authored, edited, and translated numerous works and contributed to Islamic scholarship in Egypt, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, the UK, and further afield.
Sacrifice and perseverance
Shaykh Dr. Hassan al-Shafi‘i (hāfidhahullah) was born in December of 1930 (1349). He memorised the Qur’ān in his youth before enrolling at al-Azhar in 1944.
In 1953, he pursued a dual educational track, enrolling in the Faculty of Usūl al-Dīn at al-Azhar University and the Faculty of Dār al-ʿUlūm at Cairo University, specialising in Islamic philosophy.
It is no surprise that his commitment to da’wah has repeatedly brought him into conflict with state authorities. But this has never stopped or deterred him in his work.
- In 1954 he was arrested during his second year at Dār al-ʿUlūm and sentenced to life imprisonment in a military trial. He was released in 1960.
- In 1963 he graduated with first-class honours in Arabic Language and Islamic Sciences and took up a role as a teaching assistant. In 1964 and 1966, he was again arrested and jailed due to his political affiliations; this was during his master’s studies.
- In 1969, after a further four years in prison, he completed his master’s thesis on the jurisprudence of Sayf al-Dīn al-Āmidī.
- In 1977 he completed his PhD at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, focusing on The Evolution of Twelver Kalām in the Seventh Hijri Century.
- In 1994, he was appointed as a head of the Department of Islamic Philosophy at the Faculty of Dār al-ʿUlūm, before becoming a full-time professor in the same department in 1996. [1]
From sitting with him, it is evident that his time in the UK enabled him to master English and gain a strong understanding of Western philosophical critique and Orientalist scholarship.
Key positions and contributions
It goes without saying that Shaykh Dr. Hassan al-Shafi‘i’s career spans major academic appointments across the Muslim world.
He joined the International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI) in 1981, served as Dean of the Faculty of Sharīʿah from 1983 and Vice President from 1985 to 1988, before later returning as President from 1998 to 2004.
Shaykh Dr. Hassan al-Shafi‘i is a long-standing member of the Council of Senior Scholars at al-Azhar and the Muslim Council of Elders. In February 2012, he became the first Azhar scholar elected President of the Academy of the Arabic Language in Cairo, serving until 2020.
In 2022, he was the joint recipient of the King Faisal International Prize for Service to Islam, alongside former Tanzanian President Ali Hassan Mwinyi.
Pursuit of doctrinal unity
During our visit to Shaykh Dr. Hassan in July, he graciously issued two comprehensive ijāzāt: one to Shaykh Abdallah Yousri and one to me. Shaykh Dr. Hassan al-Shafi‘i was therefore among the first senior authorities to endorse my recent work, The Creed Agreed Upon by Muslims. This followed an earlier commendation by the Grand Mufti of Pakistan, Muhammad Taqi Usmani.
Given Shaykh Dr. Hassan al-Shafi‘i’s status as a leading authority in Ash’ari theology (‘ilm al-kalām), many expressed surprise at his willingness to review and endorse the work, as he does so selectively. He read the text thoroughly, offered minor revisions, and then gave his endorsement.
It is my opinion that his willingness to support the book reflects his strong commitment to unifying the Muslim Ummah around foundational principles. His endorsement aligns directly with his lifelong effort to emphasise cohesion over division.
May Allah (jalla wa ‘ala) preserve Shaykh Dr. Hassan al-Shafi‘i, reward him for his decades of service to Islamic learning, and allow his legacy of scholarly integrity and Ummatic unity to inspire generations to come.
Source: Islam21c
Notes
[1] https://kingfaisalprize.org/professor-hassan-mahmoud-al-shafei/
[2] The Creed Agreed Upon by Muslims is a concise exposition of the foundational doctrines shared across mainstream Islamic schools of thought — Atharis, Ash‘aris, Maturidis, and Sufis. Its core premise is that the points of theological agreement among Muslims far outweigh their historical differences, both in volume and significance. It is based on clear scriptural phrasing from the Qur’ān and Sunnah. Along with Mufti Taqi Usmani and Shaykh Dr. Hassan al-Shafi‘i, the project has also received endorsements from the following distinguished contemporary authorities: Shaykh Dr. Khayr al-Din Qaraman of Türkiye and Shaykh Dr. Mawlud al-Sariri of Morocco. It is available to purchase from FT Books.
