الفهرس 
Preliminary Chapter (Al-Azhar al-Sharif and Africa before 1961 AD)Only 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
The study maintained that Al-Azhar has a great role in Africa since its establishment in the era of the Fatimid state throughout various eras. This role has been so significant especially during the study period from 1961 AD to 1978 AD (80-1398 AH). The study clarified the important cultural role of Al-Azhar in teaching students various religious and scientific sciences, especially those from Africa. It pointed out the extent of such influence on their countries when returning to them, and how Al-Azhar provided scholarships for African expatriates to study in its faculties and institutes.
The study proved that Al-Azhar worked on strengthening relations and ties between Egypt and the African countries, especially the cultural and religious ties. Al-Azhar played a great role in resisting the missionary thought that spread in African countries as a result of colonialism and evangelizing movement.
The study showed that the Development Law in Al-Azhar No. 103 of 1961 AD (1380 AH) was a radical reform of Al-Azhar. It enabled al-Azhar achieve its goals towards the Islamic nation, and hence it has become more able to carry out its mission around the world under the auspices of the then President Nasser. The said development law of Al-Azhar led to the emergence of other institutions, which contributed to the development of the African continent.
The study clarified the importance of the Islamic Research Academy and its role in the Africa by sending Azharite scholars to them to confront the missionary thought and hold Islamic conferences. The study highlighted the importance of managing the Islamic culture and mission, which is the technical body of the Islamic Research Academy, and how it reviewed everything relevant to publishing and sending envoys to Africa, providing scholarships to Africans, and the role of Al-Azhar University towards Africans after developing its institutes according to the said law, which led to an increase in the number of expatriates who joined Al-Azhar’s University.
The study confirmed that Al-Azhar was not a religious institute for Egyptians only, but for all sheikhs’ students and scholars, whether Egyptians or foreigners. It is worth mentioning that King Farouk initiated the idea of establishing the Islamic Missions City, but the project stopped due to the 1952 AD Revolution.
The study clarified the importance of the role that the Holy Quran Radio played in spreading Islamic culture through its waves that reached most African countries. It pointed out to the ways of Al-Azhar’s confrontation to religious violations through the Research and Publication Department, and how its scholars addressed missionaries in various African countries. In addition, the study explained how Al-Azhar cared about women’s education after the Development Law by designating colleges for their education to qualify them for bringing up good generations. The importance of the role played by Al-Azhar Magazine was clarifies as well.
The study clarified the role of Al-Azhar in many African countries, including Sudan and Nigeria, to remove the negative outcomes of colonialism from these countries, and how the city of Kano became one of the most important centers of Islamic culture in Africa. Al-Azhar exerted all efforts to help these countries obtain their independence, so it managed to send Islamic religious books, scholars to assume the Islamic call, spread the true Islam and refute the missionaries’ allegations and claims. Al-Azhar also received students from these countries to study in its colleges and institutes. It maintained that Al-Azhar scholarships during the seventies was limited due to the then nature of the conditions that Egypt experienced, which affected negatively the budget of Al-Azhar.
The study clarified how Al-Azhar performed its political role towards the Western Sahara crisis between Morocco and Algeria, and showed that Libya was the first country in the world to gain its independence from the United Nations. It explained how the number of Libyan students in Al-Azhar decreased in the mid-sixties and early seventies as a result of the circumstances that Egypt went through and the situation in Libya before Al-Fateh Revolution. In addition, it attributed the poor communication between Al-Azhar and Tunisian institutions to the policy of Habib Bourguiba regarding the Arab-Israeli conflict, which led to the rupture of relations between Egypt and Tunisia.
The study shed light on the role of Al-Azhar in Eastern and Central Africa and the extent of its weakness in Somalia in the seventies as a result of the application of secular socialism by the government of Muhammad Siad Barre. Egypt sustained the Eritrean people and exposed Ethiopia’s plans and its emperor’s intolerance against the Muslims of Eritrea. For example, Egypt worked to designate radio stations directed to the peoples of Africa to help them achieve independence, and Al-Azhar worked to establish many institutes in Africa to strengthen the Islamic centers there.
Moreover, the study showed the danger of the Pope’s visits to African countries to Islam, and the importance of the Islamic center that Egypt established in Dar es-Salaam, the Tanzanian capital. The difficult political or economic conditions that Egypt experienced in the sixties and seventies influenced the budget of Al-Azhar significantly, which has an impact on the number of Azharite scholarships provided to African students to join its faculties and institutes.
Recommendations
In conclusion, it can be said that Al-Azhar Al-Sharif played an important role in Africa from 1961 to 1978 AD (80-1398 AH). Hence, the researcher recommends the following:
1- The need to increase the budget allocated to Al-Azhar Al-Sharif to be more able to receive arrivals from the African countries and to provide more scholarships to them to join its institutes and colleges.
2- The need to expand establishing Azharite institutes on the African continent to alleviate the African scholars’ burdens.
3- The necessity of broadcasting satellite channels and launching specialized websites in the name of Al-Azhar in African languages to spread the true Islam and Islamic culture in African countries.
4- Holding more conferences between Al-Azhar and the African religious institutions to discuss the latest religious issues.
5- Al-Azhar should be more concerned with developing its curricula in various African languages and sending them to African religious institutes and institutions.
6- The Islamic centers of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif in Africa should be increased to be more able to perform its mission there.