The Jawhari
Diwan
A supra-national institution carrying the spiritual lineage of Islam's Sufi tradition — building bridges of faith, scholarship, and service across humanity.
Discover our mission →
A supra-national institution carrying the spiritual lineage of Islam's Sufi tradition — building bridges of faith, scholarship, and service across humanity.
Discover our mission →The Jawhari Diwan is a supra-national entity representing the spiritual lineage of Islam's Sufi tradition, established at the time of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Sufis hold that this spiritual authority — vested first in the Prophet's Companions, most notably Imam Ali — continues in perpetuity through unbroken chains of transmission and initiation.
In the Islamic tradition, Sufi Shaykhs and the Orders they establish guide their followers in faith and work to improve the quality of life of their communities and the wider society — through institutions, scholarship, and service that unite the spiritual and the material.
Muslims believe that Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was the last and final Messenger of God ﷺ. The Sufi interpretation of Islam holds that during his lifetime the Prophet ﷺ designated a select number of his Companions to carry on the spiritual authority of the Muslim community. The most famous of these Companions was the Prophet's ﷺ cousin and son-in-law Imam Ali. Those who inherit and are authorized with this authority carry a spiritual role, and the Sufis hold that this role continues in perpetuity.
In the Islamic tradition, Sufi Shaykhs and the Orders they establish help guide and interpret the faith for their followers and help to improve the security and quality of life of their followers' communities and the wider society within which they live. This is done by supporting projects and building institutions to meet these secular and spiritual needs.
"Every dimension of revealed religion has two faces: the outward, exoteric — the law, the ritual form — and the inward, esoteric — the hidden spiritual meaning that lies beneath. Both are necessary. A tradition without an intact esoteric dimension is a body without a soul."
In his personal library
Coexist Prize — New York University
Scholar · Author · Educator · Entrepreneur · Philanthropist
Dr. Elgawhary holds a BA in Comparative Religions (Jewish Studies focus) and an MA in Islam and Hinduism from George Washington University. He completed his PhD in Islamic Law at Princeton University — subsequently published as Rewriting Islamic Law (Gorgias Press, 2019).
Between 2003–2007, Dr. Elgawhary studied and received his ijāza in the classical Islamic sciences and fatwa at al-Azhar Seminary, Cairo. His primary teacher is Shaykh ʿAlī Jumʿa, the former Grand Mufti of Egypt, with whom he has studied fiqh, uṣūl al-fiqh, and taṣawwuf for over twenty years.
Dr. Elgawhary received his spiritual training under Shaykh Ali Gomaa and was licensed in the Shadhili Sufi Order to guide disciples and pass on the spiritual path to others.
President of the Coexist Foundation. Founder & CEO of Bayt al-Fatwa. President Coexist Research International. Resident Scholar at the Islamic Community Center of Potomac (ICCP). Has appeared at the Hudson Institute, New York University, and international forums.
Tarek Asem Elgawhary is an American Muslim scholar of Egyptian heritage whose intellectual formation spans two of the most rigorous traditions of Islamic and Western academic learning. Born and raised in the United States, he developed an early and abiding interest in religion, comparative thought, and the relationship between revealed traditions and the challenges of modern life — a preoccupation that would shape every dimension of his career.
Dr. Elgawhary pursued his undergraduate and graduate studies at the George Washington University in Washington, D.C., where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Religions with a focus on Jewish Studies, followed by a Master of Arts in a specialized interdisciplinary program concentrating on Islam and Hinduism. This cross-traditional formation gave him an unusually broad foundation — one that would inform his later work in interfaith dialogue, coexistence, and the comparative study of legal and spiritual traditions.
He then pursued doctoral studies at Princeton University, one of the preeminent centers of Islamic studies in the Western academy, where he completed his PhD in Islamic Law. His dissertation, titled "Restructuring Islamic Law: The Opinions of the ʿUlamāʾ towards Codification of Personal Status Law in Egypt," examined the intersection of Islamic jurisprudence and modern state-building in Egypt — scrutinizing the underlying logic of codification, its implications for personal status laws, and the contextual relationship between religious scholars and political authorities in Egypt at the end of the nineteenth century.
Alongside his Western academic credentials, Dr. Elgawhary underwent a rigorous traditional formation in the classical Islamic sciences. He was trained at the al-Azhar Seminary in Cairo, Egypt between 2003 and 2007, where he studied and was licensed (ijāza) in the traditional Islamic sciences.
Central to his traditional formation is his relationship with Shaykh ʿAlī Gomaa Muḥammad ʿAbd al-Wahhāb, the former Grand Mufti of Egypt. In Dr. Elgawhary's own words:
"I am honored that I received my spiritual training and guidance from the saintly and learned Shaykh ʿAlī Jumʿa. I studied Islamic law (fiqh) and legal theory (uṣūl al-fiqh) with him as well as the discipline of taṣawwuf, and I have been his companion for over twenty years."
This dual formation — a PhD from Princeton and an ijāza from al-Azhar — places Dr. Elgawhary in a rare category of scholars equally at home in the classical tradition and the modern academy.
Throughout his career, Dr. Elgawhary has taught courses in Islamic Legal Theory (Uṣūl al-Fiqh) and Islamic Law (Fiqh) at various institutions, including the Madina Institute and eMadina. He has lectured widely across the United States and internationally, bridging the gap between traditional Islamic scholarship and contemporary audiences.
His academic work has been cited in peer-reviewed journals and scholarly publications on Islamic law, Egyptian legal history, and the relationship between religion and the modern state. His Princeton dissertation was subsequently published as Rewriting Islamic Law: The Opinions of the ʿUlamāʾ towards Codification of Personal Status Law in Egypt (Gorgias Press, 2019), establishing him as a scholarly authority on the intersection of Islamic jurisprudence and modern legal reform.
From the metaphysical to the practical — the principles that animate every project, partnership, and institution of the Diwan. Click any to expand.
"Rather than treating charity and social welfare as scattered, individual acts of piety, the Diwan works toward expressing philanthropy into a permanent, coordinated network of organizations."
From the founding document of the Jawhari Diwan, 2026
Six specific principles govern every project, partnership, and institution the Diwan supports.
The Diwan's work is expressed through a growing family of institutions, each addressing a distinct dimension of spiritual and civic life.
An independent scholarly institution dedicated to issuing non-binding legal opinions (fatwas) grounded in traditional Islamic legal methodology — providing practical guidance for Muslims in their day-to-day lives, from marriage and inheritance to contract review and dispute resolution.
An education platform run by the Diwān teaching Islamic ethics, spirituality, and practical guidance for modern life — through courses, books, audio, and community programs. Built around Dr. Elgawhary's quarter-century of formal study in fiqh and Sufism.
Established in 2018 by Dr. Ali Gomaa, tracing its lineage through al-Shādhilī to Imam Ali to the Holy Prophet ﷺ. Dr. Tarek Elgawhary serves as the Order's Muqaddam (Deputy) for the United States region — guiding initiates and transmitting the spiritual practices of the Order.
Since 2006, the Coexist Foundation has forged initiatives to address divisions of prejudice, misinformation, hate, and violence — through cultural literacy programs, partnerships with the New York Public Library, British Library, and Cambridge Inter-faith Programme, and the Coexist Prize.
A sacred space to worship, learn, and contemplate in an open and inviting atmosphere — offering a variety of educational and community programs to bring people together in the spirit of gaining knowledge, serving others, and bettering society as a whole.
A first-of-its-kind BA program in Hanafi and Shafi'i Fiqh — studying the Islamic sciences in the classical manner, entirely in English. Both degrees are accredited by Jordan's Ministry of Education, allowing students to study at their own pace and pursue further study at leading centers of Islamic learning worldwide.
WISE English Academy'">Teaching essential Islamic knowledge through free online courses in the classical Sunni tradition — delivered by scholars trained at traditional seminaries and leading universities around the world.
In line with the best tradition of Islamic waqf trusts and Western approaches to endowments, the Diwān maintains an actively managed endowment to support its ongoing mission and projects inter-generationally. The purpose of the endowment is to provide steady support for the Diwān's future and current needs, while preserving real value for future generations. Accordingly, a percentage of any money raised is earmarked for the endowment to help achieve this goal.
Whether you are seeking spiritual guidance, exploring partnership opportunities, or learning more about our institutions, we welcome your correspondence.
info@jawharidiwan.org