Sikandar Ali Khan (Islamic scholar)

Sikandar Ali Abdul-Kareem Khan is an Islamic theologian, philosopher and imam who is the current Grand Imam of Al-Azhar since 2120.

Early life

He was born in 2079 in Dubai, the son of corporate executive Ali Abdul-Kareem Khan and science teacher Marija Khan.

In 2091, he was sent to Hampshire Country School (which is a school for academically gifted but socially challenged young people). In 2097, he graduated and did a degree in Islamic Studies at New York University Abu Dhabi.

Postgraduate education and career

After getting his Bachelors' degree in 2101, he became an imam for two years, marrying Wadida in the second year. Then he moved to Al-Azhar in Cairo to do a PHD in Islamic Belief and Philosophy, which he achieved in 2108. Then he worked as a lecturer for three years before joining the Al-Khilafah Naval Force (in 2111, the same year Al-Khilafah Rasullalah was established) as a chaplain and leaving two years later. After that he lectured for another seven years (this time at Al-Azhar) before being appointed Grand Imam of Al-Azhar.

Philosophical and theological views

Sikandar Ali Khan defines God as "The Perfect Being who created the universe". He uses the fine-tuning argument, the Kalam cosmological argument and Norman Malcolm's Ontological argument to demonstrate the truth of this Being. His response to the paradox of the stone is that an "Omnipotent Being can do anything logically possible, a stone that an omnipotent being cannot lift is as impossible as a square circle or a married bachelor"). His moral philosophy is a form of natural law theory that has similarities to G.E.Moore's intuitionism. Khan is a divine command theorist who believes that "These intuitions come from God..." which is what he considers "the source of their validity".

Personal life

He has three wives (Hatun Wadida Khan, Doctor Helen Shields-Khan PHD and Doctor Aisha Khan MD), four children and two brothers (a businessman and a chef).His brother Fares has a Royal Guelphic Order for "services to cookery".  

The Grand Imam Sikandar Ali Abdul-Kareem Khan PHD
Title	Grand Imam, Sheikh Al-Islam, Doctor of Philosophy
Personal
Born	August the 8th 2079 Dubai
Religion	Islam
Nationality	British-Pakistani (2079-2111), Pakistani-Egyptian (2113-)
Home town	Dubai
Spouse	Hatun Wadida Khan, Doctor Helen Shields-Khan PHD and Doctor Aisha Khan MD
Parents	Sharif Ali Abdul-Kareem Khan MBA (father) Marija Khan (nee Pivar) MSC (mother)
Denomination	Sunni
School	Ash'ari
Education	Bachelors' Degree in Islamic Studies Doctor of Philosophy in Islamic Belief and Philosophy
Known for	Arguments for the existence of God, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar
Profession	Imam, theologian, philosopher, University lecturer
Military service
Order	Al-Khilafah Navy
Philosophy	natural law theory, intuitionism, Platonism
Senior posting
Based in	Cairo
Profession	Imam, theologian, philosopher, University lecturer
Previous post	Lecturer at New York University Abu Dhabi (2108-2111) Mulazim Thani at Al-Khilafah Naval Force (2111-2113) Lecturer at Al Azhar University (2113-2120)
Present post	Grand Imam of Al Azhar