Welcoming Professor Shaykh Hasan al-Shafi’i

A Defining Moment in the Intellectual Life of The Classical Institute

The Classical Institute is deeply honoured to welcome Professor Shaykh Hasan al-Shafi’i, one of the most authentic, refined, and formidable scholars of our time, whose presence marks a new and historic chapter in the intellectual and spiritual formation of our Institute.

A pre-eminent authority in Islamic Theology and Philosophy, Professor Shaykh Hasan al-Shafi’i has shaped generations of scholars through a scholarly career spanning over six decades of teaching, authorship, and service to the Muslim world. He serves as a member of al-Azhar’s Senior Scholars Authority, is Chairman of the Union of Arab Linguistic and Scientific Academies, and Emeritus Professor of Theology and Philosophy at Cairo University. In 2022, he was awarded the prestigious King Faisal Prize for Islamic Studies, in recognition of his immense contribution to Islamic scholarship and thought.

The arrival of Shaykh Hasan at The Classical Institute is nothing short of monumental. His teaching represents more than just the transmission of knowledge, it is the transmission of an entire intellectual world, embodied in a life lived in complete devotion to the pursuit of sacred learning. In welcoming him, we receive not only a teacher but a living legacy, one that carries with it the nobility, precision, and luminosity of the classical tradition at its highest.

A Scholar of Immense Depth, and of His Time

Shaykh Hasan al-Shafi’i is, quite simply, without parallel. His learning is vast, his eloquence unmatched, and his clarity of thought a product of both inherited brilliance and uncompromising rigour. He belongs to that rare class of scholars whose lives are entirely woven into the disciplines they study, theology, logic, philosophy, and language, and yet his humility, composure, and grace remain at the heart of his pedagogy.

His teaching does not merely inform, it elevates. For over sixty years, he has taught in the most distinguished institutions in the Muslim world, defended the philosophical and theological heritage of Islam, and nurtured scholars who themselves have become educators and leaders across continents.

A Relationship Rooted in Reverence

Among those scholars shaped by Shaykh Hasan’s mentorship is our own Founding Dean, Dr Badreldeen Ismail, who studied under him for over two decades. Their relationship is one of deep intellectual affinity, spiritual reverence, and personal trust, formed through years of scholarly exchange and companionship in pursuit of knowledge.

This connection is not merely historical, it is alive. It is present in the very atmosphere of The Classical Institute. The spirit of Professor al-Shafi’i teaching, its exactitude, depth, and moral refinement, permeates our curriculum, animates our classrooms, and inspires our ethos. His presence now, as a teacher within the Institute, is both a culmination of that long-standing relationship and a powerful reaffirmation of the scholarly lineage that defines who we are.

A Rare Offering, Theology in Its Original Tongue

Professor al-Shafi’i will be delivering a bi-weekly foundational class in Classical Islamic Theology (ʿIlm al-Kalam), taught entirely in Classical Arabic. This course offers a rare and unrepeatable opportunity for students to engage with the tradition in its most authentic form, unfiltered, unmediated, and grounded in the linguistic and conceptual structures of kalām itself.

The class will be based on Tahdhib al-Kalam by Saʿd al-Dīn al-Taftazānī, a cornerstone of post-classical theological formation. Long studied at al-Azhar and in other premier centres of Islamic learning, the text synthesises centuries of intellectual engagement with the divine attributes, human agency, metaphysical causality, and the limits of reason.

Under the tutelage of Shaykh Hasan, students will not simply study the text, they will be drawn into the world of its argumentation, its grammar of thought, and the intricate web of disciplines it connects. The class is a rare meeting between text and teacher, between method and mastery.

An Intellectual Milestone for the Institute

This offering marks a turning point in the academic trajectory of The Classical Institute. It affirms our commitment to rigorous, rooted, and principled scholarship, and signals to the wider academic world that we are not merely preserving the tradition, we are inhabiting it, reviving it, and participating in its continuity.

Professor al-Shafi’i is, without doubt, one of the last remaining giants of the classical tradition alive today. His presence among us is not only a great honour, but a responsibility, a charge to elevate our intellectual ambitions, to refine our methods, and to transmit knowledge with both integrity and depth.

Through his life, he has shown what it means to dedicate oneself to knowledge as a path of human flourishing. His determination and scholarly elegance are qualities that resonate deeply with our mission, and with the aspirations of our students and faculty alike.

The Classical Institute is honoured and overjoyed to welcome Professor al-Shafi’i. We invite our community, students, teachers, scholars, and seekers, to witness and partake in this moment. May it shape hearts, sharpen minds, and honour the tradition that has nourished the intellect of our communities for centuries.

Welcome, Shaykh Hasan al-Shafi’i. May your light continue to guide, and your teaching continue to endure.

Written by The Classical Institute Editorial Team