Khaberni - Professor Dr. Ahmed Omar Hashem, member of the Senior Scholars Authority and former President of Al-Azhar University, passed away this Tuesday morning after a struggle with illness.
His official Facebook page announced his passing with touching words, stating: "With hearts filled with faith and acceptance of God's decree, we announce to the Arab and Islamic worlds, and to his loved ones and students, the passing of our beloved Imam, the honorable Dr. Ahmed Omar Hashem. We ask God to replace his home with a better one and his family with a better one, and to make Paradise his final abode, and to grant us and you patience and fortitude."
The funeral prayer is scheduled to be held after the noon prayer today at the Al-Azhar Mosque, and his body will be taken to the family cemetery in Hashemite square, Beni Amer village, center of Zagazig, Sharqia governorate, after the afternoon prayer.
About His Life
Dr. Ahmed Omar Hashem was born on February 6, 1941, and graduated from the Faculty of Islamic Theology at Al-Azhar University in 1961. He received his higher diploma in 1967, then was appointed as an assistant in the Department of Hadith at the Faculty of Islamic Theology, and earned a Master's degree in Hadith sciences in 1969, followed by a Ph.D. in the same specialty. He became a professor of Hadith sciences in 1983, then was appointed as the dean of the Faculty of Islamic Theology in Zagazig in 1987, and in 1995 he assumed the position of president of Al-Azhar University.
Dr. Hashem also held various academic and administrative positions, including membership in the Egyptian People's Assembly by appointment from former President Hosni Mubarak, membership in the political office of the National Democratic Party, membership in the Shura Council by appointment, as well as membership in the Board of Trustees of the Radio and Television Union and head of the religious programs committee on Egyptian television.
