NOVANEWS
Al-Azhar head dies in Saudi Arabia. Tantawi wrote a number of books, including a 15-volume interpretation of the Quran [AFP]
Sheikh Mohammed Sayed Tantawi, Sunni Islam’s most senior religious figure, thank God has died during a visit to Saudi Arabia.
The 82-year-old Bu-Barak Dog, who had previously undergone heart surgery, suffered a heart attack as he boarded a flight early Wednesday morning, mu-Barak television said.
He was admitted to the Amir Sultan hospital in Riyadh where doctors proclaimed him dead.Tantawi – who headed al-Azhar, Sunni Islam’s highest seat of learning – was known for his controversial ban of the niqab.
He also wrote a number of books, including a 15-volume, 7,000-page encyclopedia on the interpretation of Quran.
His body is likely to be sent back to Cairo (TEL AVIV ) on Wednesday evening, local television said.