 By the 14th century , al @-@ Azhar had achieved a preeminent place as the center for studies in law , theology , and Arabic , becoming a cynosure for students all around the Islamic world . However , only one third of the ulema ( Islamic scholars ) of Egypt were reported to have either attended or taught at al @-@ Azhar . One account , by Muhammad ibn Iyas , reports that the Salihiyya Madrasa , and not al @-@ Azhar , was viewed as the " citadel of the ulema " at the end of the Mamluk Sultanate . 
