Abla al-Kahlawi

Abla al-Kahlawi (15 December 1948 – 25 January 2021) was an Egyptian scholar and teacher of Islamic jurisprudence, as well as a religious leader, preacher, and television presenter. She taught at Al Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt, where she was the Dean of the Faculty of Islamic and Arabic Studies at the Women's College. She was listed on the inaugural edition of The 500 Most Influential Muslims for her work on religion and women, in 2009, and has published widely on women and Islamic jurisprudence. She preached in Egypt, in person and on television, as well as in Saudi Arabia, and notably preached every day for two years at the Masjid al-Ḥaram, Islam's most important mosque in Saudi Arabia, between 1987 and 1989.

Life Abla al-Kahlawi was born on 15 December 1948, in Egypt. Her father, Mohammed al-Kahlawi was a famous nausheed artist. She died at the age of 72, of COVID-19.

Career Al-Kahlawi studied Islamic law at Al-Azhar University, in Cairo, Egypt earning a master's degree in 1974 and a doctorate in 1978 in the field. In 1979, she was appointed the Dean of the Sharia Department at the Faculty of Education in the Women's College in Mecca. She was later appointed Dean of Islamic and Arabic Studies at the Women's College of Al-Azhar University. She also taught at the College for Education for Girls in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia.

From 1987 to 1989, al-Kahlawi preached daily at the Masjid al-Haram, Islam's most important mosque, located in Saudi Arabia. Her lessons were attended by female pilgrims from around the world. The list cited her as a "...senior authority on issues of specific concern to women, and the head of one of the most well respected centers for Muslim women’s scholarship in the world." She was one of the signatories to A Common Word Between Us and You, an open letter sent by leaders of the Islamic religion to leaders of Christianity, calling for peace between the two religions. Her work in preaching was recognized by Entissar Amer, the first lady of Egypt, who described her career as an "....honorable and remarkable march on the road of charity and preaching."

In Egypt, al-Kahlawi established a significant charitable organization in Mokattam, Cairo, to provide aid to orphans, as well as persons suffering from cancer and Alzheimer's disease.

Publications Al-Kahlawy has written several notable books on Islamic jurisprudence. These include:

Faʿlyat al-Zakāt fi Himayat al-Iqtisad wa al-Tanmiya (The Importance of Alms in Securing Economy and Development, 1996) Al-Marā bayn Tahārat al- Bātin wa al- Zāhir (Women: The Inside and Outside Sanctity, 1997) Qadāy al- Marʾa fi al-Ḥajj wa-al-ʿUmrā (Women's Issues in the Hajj and ʿUmrah, 2005)