The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Prof. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, received, Tuesday, April 7, 2026, at the Headquarters of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, an official delegation from the Republic of Uzbekistan. The delegation was headed by Mr. Muzaffar Kamilov, Head of the Department of Religious and Educational Affairs at the Administration of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, in the presence of Prof. Hassan Al-Shafei, member of the Council of Senior Scholars at Al-Azhar, and His Excellency Ambassador Mansour Kilichev, Ambassador of Uzbekistan to Cairo, to discuss ways to enhance scholarly and Da’wah cooperation.
The Grand Imam welcomed the Uzbek delegation to Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, conveying his greetings to the Uzbek President, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and Ms. Saida Mirziyoyeva, Head of the Presidential Administration in Uzbekistan and member of the Judging Committee of the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity. He expressed his appreciation for the Uzbek President's role in strengthening scholarly and Da’wah relations between Al-Azhar and Uzbekistan.
His Eminence emphasized the depth of the ties binding Al-Azhar to the religious and scholarly institutions in Uzbekistan, noting that international students studying at Al-Azhar have played a vital role in developing and consolidating this relationship. He added that Islamic civilization holds a high status for Uzbekistan due to the monumental contributions made by its early scholars to Islamic thought and heritage, including Imams Al-Maturidi, Al-Bukhari, Al-Tirmidhi, and others whose influence reached the entire world. Their efforts were not limited to the Islamic culture but benefited all of humanity.
The Grand Imam affirmed Al-Azhar's pride in cooperating with the scholarly and da’wah institutions in Uzbekistan, noting Al-Azhar's readiness to establish the "Imam Al-Bukhari Center" to work in integration with its counterpart in Uzbekistan to serve the heritage of this venerable Imam. He explained that Imam Al-Maturidi and Imam Al-Ash’ari—despite being contemporaries and having no proven meeting—concurred on the fundamentals of creed. This consensus was not a coincidence; rather, it was solidified by scholarly journeys and communication between the eminent Muslim scholars in the East and West. He stressed that these two Imams represent models of an open scholarly mindset that is desperately needed today amidst rising sectarian disputes exploited to sow discord and takfir (accusations of apostasy) among Muslims.
For his part, Mr. Muzaffar Kamilov expressed his delight at meeting the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, conveying the greetings of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and his wishes to His Eminence for continued health and well-being, praying that God preserves him for Islam and Muslims. He also reviewed the efforts of the joint committee to elevate the level of cooperation between Al-Azhar and Uzbekistan, noting that the meeting between the Grand Imam and Ms. Saida opened new horizons for joint cooperation and provided a vision representing a roadmap for implementing this vision during the coming period.
From his side, Prof. Hassan Al-Shafei pointed to the fruitful cooperation between the Imam Al-Ash’ari Center at Al-Azhar and the Imam Al-Maturidi and Imam Al-Bukhari centers in Uzbekistan, highlighting the cooperation in the editing of “Kitab al-Tawhid” (The Book of Monotheism) by Imam Abu Mansur al-Maturidi, while providing a comprehensive commentary on it as one of the most important foundations of the Islamic Theology. He also presented a proposal to verify and edit “Al-Aqidah al-Tahawiyyah” by Imam Abu Ja’far al-Tahawi and “Sharh al-Aqa’id al-Nasafiyyah” (Commentary on the Nasafi Creed), alongside working on preparing rigorous scholarly translations of these significant works.