Omar AbdelKafy

Education

From Upper Egypt, he pursued scientific and religious studies side by side: he earned a doctorate in agricultural science while studying Islamic sciences up to a master's degree in comparative fiqh. He learned from renowned scholars such as Muhammad al-Ghazali, Muhammad Metwally Al Shaarawy and Yusuf al-Qaradawi, and memorised the hadith collections of al-Bukhari and Muslim. He also worked as a researcher at Egypt's National Research Centre.

Preaching

He began preaching and teaching in 1972, and over the decades delivered more than a thousand Friday sermons and thousands of lessons that drew large audiences in Cairo. Facing restrictions under President Hosni Mubarak, he left Egypt around 1999–2000 and settled in the United Arab Emirates.

His programmes on Sharjah TV, Iqraa and Al-Resalah, among others, brought him wide popularity: besides Al-Wa'd al-Haqq he presented Hadha Dinuna (This Is Our Religion) and many series on tafsir, hadith and the stories of the prophets. He has written dozens of books, including encyclopaedias on scientific signs in the Quran and on the history of the prophets, as well as works on prayer and ethics.