Mustafa al-Maraghi

Who was Mustafa al-Maraghi?

Mustafa al-Maraghi was an Egyptian reformer and rector of Al-Azhar. He was active in encouraging reforms within legal and social contexts as well as within education where he notably campaigned for the introduction of modern sciences to the curriculum. He was a proponent of ijtihad -- a process of making a legal decision by independent interpretation of the legal sources, the Qur'an and the Sunnah -- and the integration of the separate schools of law. He was active on an international level with regard to religious conferences and was also open about his wish to see clergy take a more prominent role in government.