Sheikh Usama Al-Sayyid Al-Azhari is a distinguished Azhari scholar, preacher, and academic who assumed the role of Minister of Awqaf in July 2024. He teaches Hadith, Logic and Islamic Creed at the renowned Al-Azhar Mosque’s Riwaq Al-Atrak in Cairo, Egypt. He also holds a teaching post in the Faculty of Usul Al-Din and Dawah at Al-Azhar University, Egypt.

Minister of Awqaf: As Minister, Al-Azhari has launched several initiatives: strengthening training and qualification programmes for imams and preachers, including female preachers; reviving traditional Islamic schools (kuttab); renewing religious discourse; fostering collaboration between the Ministry of Awqaf, Dar al-Ifta, and Al-Azhar; and increasing the presence of religious guidance in youth centres, universities, and clubs.

Scholar: He is widely regarded as one of the most influential voices advocating for, and actively working towards, new interpretations rooted in Islamic tradition, while addressing contemporary realities. Among his contributions are the development of a relational map of Shariah sciences and their connections to other fields of knowledge, the establishment of “Islamic hermeneutics”, the revival of the tradition of auditing religious sciences and ensuring their transmission through a verified chain of transmission as a standard of authenticity, and exploring the Qur’anic accommodation of diverse civilisations, among others.

Diplomacy: He led Egypt’s hosting of the General Assembly of the Union of Arab Awqaf, using the occasion to reaffirm Egypt’s rejection of forced displacement of Palestinians and calling for a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders. He has also been publicly recognised for strengthening ties with Muslim communities abroad and was awarded the Medal of Pride by the Mufti of Russia.