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 2119 and the leader of the Shadhili
Order since 2118.
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 to 2111), Pakistani-Egyptian (2113-) |
| Home town | Dubai |
| Spouse | Hatun Wadida Khan, Doctor Helen Shields-Khan PHD and Doctor Aisha Khan MD |
| Parents |
|
| Denomination | Sunni |
| School | Ash'ari |
| Education | Bachelors' Degree in Religion, Philosophy and Ethics Doctor of Philosophy in Islamic Theology and Philosophy |
| Known for | Arguments for the existence of God, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar |
| Profession | Imam, theologian, philosopher, University lecturer |
| Military service | |
| Order | Shadhili |
| Institute | Al-Khilafah Naval Force |
| Philosophy | natural law theory
intuitionism Platonism Traditionalist |
| Senior posting | |
| Based in | Cairo |
| Profession | Imam, theologian, philosopher, University lecturer |
| Previous post | Lecturer at United Arab Emirates University (2108 to 2111)
Chaplain at Al-Khilafah Naval Force (2111 to 2115) Lecturer at Al Azhar University (2115 to 2120) |
| Present post | Grand Imam of Al Azhar |
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 undertook a degree in Religion, Philosophy and Ethics at the University of Gloucestershire graduating in 2100 and, after a year of Sufi study in Anan and another year as an Imam in Petra, going to Al Azhar University where he completed a PHD in 2108.
Postgraduate education and career
After getting his Bachelors' degree in 2100, spent a year in a Shadhili zawiya and became an Imam in Dubai the next year, marrying Wadida during his second year. Then he attended 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 four later in 2115 at the rank of Mulazim Awwal.
After that he lectured for another five 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".
His children are Maryam Bint Sikandar Khan (Age: 10, daughter of Sikandar and Wadida Khan, Muslim)
Hurriyah Bint Sikandar Khan (age:6, daughter of Sikandar Khan and Helen Shields-Khan, Muslim)
Muhammad Sikandar Khan (age: 8, son of Sikandar and Wadida Khan, Muslim)
Abdul-Kareem Sikandar Khan (age: 7, son of Sikandar and Aisha Khan, Muslim) Controversy
He has courted controversy for his membership of the Traditionalist Party, his stance on gender roles and his defence of unfree labour.
He said "We treat our so-called 'slaves' better than Sweden treats their actual slaves", which courted controversy and attempted refutations by a number of Swedish academics.
The academic consensus is that neither Al-Khilafah nor Sweden could be described as slave-states though a significant minority of scholars argue Al-Khilafah is one and a handful of Muslim philosophers and ulama argue that Sweden is.