Egypt: Special Program Aired on Death Anniversary of Sheikh Shaltout

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) Egypt’s Quran Radio aired a special program on Friday featuring the death anniversary of the famous jurisprudent Sheikh Mahmoud Shaltout.Sabri Rauf, professor of comparative Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) at Al-Azhar Islamic Center, and Sheikh Ahmed Rabi, an Al-Azhar scholar, attended the program, vetogate website reported.The two discussed Sheikh Shaltout’s scientific efforts and his role in establishing the Islamic Studies Center of Al-Azhar.Late Sheikh Shaltout was the former Sheikh of Egypt’s Al-Azhar Islamic Center who strived for proximity of Islamic schools of thought.He issued a historical Fatwa in which he permitted following the Shia jurisprudence Fatwas.Born in 1892, he studied at the Islamic center in Alexandria and then moved to Al-Azhar to teach there.Sheikh Shaltout was appointed as head of Al-Azhar in 1958 and while in that position exchanged letters with the Shia source of emulation grand Ayatollah Borujerdi.Afterwards, Sheikh Shaltout recognized the Ithna Ashari Shi’ism as an Islamic school along with the four Sunni schools.He also had the position of Ifta (issuing Fatwas) and wrote a number of books including Fiqh-ul-Quran. Sheikh Shaltout died in 1963 at the age of 72. /149