عبد الحليم محمود
'Abd al-Halim Mahmud (RH)
Also known as: Abdul Halim Mahmud, Shaykh al-Azhar Abd al-Halim Mahmud
1328–1398 AH · 1910–1978 CE
Sufism & Theology Sufism
Shaykh al-Azhar and writer on Sufism, who studied al-Muhasibi at the Sorbonne.
'Abd al-Halim Mahmud was born in a village in Egypt's Sharqiyya province and studied at al-Azhar. He then went to Paris at his own expense and wrote his doctorate at the Sorbonne on al-Harith al-Muhasibi, the early master of self-examination.
Back in Cairo he taught at al-Azhar's Faculty of Theology, and he served as head of the Islamic Research Academy and as Shaykh al-Azhar from 1973 until his death. A follower of the Shadhili path, he wrote and edited many works presenting Sufism as rooted in the Quran and Sunnah, including an edition of al-Qushayri's Risalah, and he strengthened al-Azhar's schools across Egypt.
Life journey
- 1910 CE Bilbeis بلبيسBorn in a village near Bilbeis in the Sharqiyya province.
- 1923 CE Cairo (al-Qahira) القاهرةStudied at al-Azhar; the year is approximate.
- 1932 CE Paris باريسWrote his doctorate on al-Muhasibi at the Sorbonne.
- 1940 CE Cairo (al-Qahira) القاهرةDied 1978 CE · 1398 AHTaught at al-Azhar and was Shaykh al-Azhar from 1973 until his death.
Key works
- Qadiyyat al-Tasawwuf قضية التصوف: المدرسة الشاذليةThe Case of SufismA defence of Sufism through the teachings of the Shadhili school.
Places in their life
Photo: CumaliOnal, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Sources
- Muhammad Khayr Ramadan Yusuf, Tatimmat al-A'lam li al-Zirikli