Turkish Religious Affairs President Visits Tombs of Imam al-Shafi'i & Muhammad Zahid al-Kawthari in Cairo

In a significant gesture honoring Islamic scholarship and the enduring legacy of Islamic jurisprudence, the President of Turkey’s Directorate of Religious Affairs, Prof. Dr. Ali Erbaş, visited two of the most revered figures in Islamic intellectual history during his stay in Egypt.

Erbaş paid tribute at the Imam al-Shafi'i Mosque and Mausoleum in Cairo, where the founder of the Shafi'i school of Islamic jurisprudence, Imam al-Shafi'i, is laid to rest.

He also visited the grave of Muhammad Zahid al-Kawthari, one of the last great Ottoman scholars, theologians, and a former deputy Shaykh al-Islam.

In a message shared on social media, Erbaş stated, “We visited the Imam Shafi’i Mosque and Mausoleum in Cairo, where the esteemed Imam al-Shafi'i, a pioneer of our tradition of knowledge and wisdom, is buried. We also paid our respects at the grave of Muhammad Zahid al-Kawthari, one of the last great scholars and thinkers of the Ottoman era. We commemorated their lives, which were devoted to knowledge, with mercy and gratitude.”

“May our Almighty Lord be pleased with the scholars who walked the path of the Qur’an and Sunnah and left behind a rich legacy of knowledge. May He not separate us from this path of wisdom and learning to which they devoted their lives," he continued.