This study presents an analysis of the contestations between the Salafis in Egypt and the institution of Al-Azhar. Although much has been written about Al-Azhar and the Salafis separately, the relations and interactions between al-Azhar and the Salafi movement remain underexplored. This study examines the development of the Salafi tradition in Egypt, its transnational nature and the history of Al-Azhar’s co-optation by the state. It highlights, relying mostly on primary sources, the theological divide between al-Azhar and the Salafis in Egypt. The paper also outlines the socio-political contestations that have shaped the interactions between the two. It finds that the Salafi-Azhari contestation revolves around three overlapping issues: Salafi disdain for Sufism, the Ahl al-Hadith-Ash‘ari creedal divide, and socio-political contestation in modern Egypt. It argues that Al-Azhar, despite occasional conflict with the state and sustaining frequent attacks from the Salafis, remains the first and foremost religious authority in the country and enjoys the status of the gatekeepers of Islam. Ultimately, due to Egypt’s established religious character and Al-Azhar’s historical entrenchment as the bastion of ‘official Islam’, the Salafi tradition finds limited space in Egypt. This paper argues that although the movement’s operatives and ‘ulama find themselves conveniently at the service of the state on occasions, their perceived alien presence in Egypt, their transnational connections, and their influence (culpable or not) on violent extremism make their efforts to contest the Azhari tradition difficult. It also demonstrates that the Salafis have largely remained at the margins of the Egyptian religious sphere, having found themselves further sidelined by Al-Azhar and the state following the rise of ISIS.