Grand Imam Dr Ahmad al-Tayyeb Shaykh al-Azhar addresses the world of Islam and Muslims on the special occasion of the Birthday of the holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
The United Kingdom Branch of the World Association for Al-Azhar Graduates (WAAG UK) joins with Al-Azhar University in wishing the Muslims well and forwarding greetings on the occasion of commemorating the birth of the holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
At the Presidential Palace in Cairo, a national mawlid conference occurred that was aired live throughout the country and which was under the auspice of the President of Egypt, Adly Mansour. On this occasion, the Grand Imam Dr Ahmad al-Tayyeb Shaykh al-Azhar delivered a very strong and powerful message to the Egyptian people as well as the Muslim nation the world over.
In his twenty-minute deep talk, Shaykh al-Azhar remarked, “With the birth of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), a new dawn was born that enlightened mankind after a long dark night. When the Muhammadan Light appeared, the world of humanity had been embroiled in psychological, intellectual, moral and social diseases and was absorbed in idolatry, ignorance and materialism. The world powers of that era were confined to the Khusraus of Persia or the Caesars of Rome. Soon was he to come, an orphan child growing up in the deserts of Arabia chosen to be the Messenger and Prophet of Allah. Soon was the balance of the world to be re-established through him and freedom from ignorance, darkness of superstition and brutality of force.”
Commentating on the prevailing condition of the human population, Shaykh al-Azhar further stated, “It is necessary upon the people to ponder over the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), especially those who promote the spilling of blood and those who support such killing through financing, planning, training and presenting wayward fatawa. We are being further tested in these times by the notion that those committing such crimes consider them to be lawful in religion. Moreover, a calamity is what is affecting the minds of our youth from doing the ‘takfir’ (labelling as non-Muslim) of the Muslims and believing that an entire group is non-Muslim and fighting them is now necessary; to the point that in pursuing their killing, one can kill himself too. This is a blind ‘fitna’ and a misguidance in every way. And before being disastrous for the peaceful citizens, this is an enormous onslaught on Islam.”
Describing the essence of Islam, Shaykh al-Azhar continued, “Islam is a religion of peace and its Messenger is a Messenger of mercy. Both are free of these crimes and those who perpetrate them. For such crimes, Islam has rules and juristic principles and laws, it will be time consuming to go through them here. Enough is to say that labelling as non-Muslim of an entire society and people is a matter rejected in Sacred Law. Morever, the labelling as non-Muslim of a particular individual is not permitted except if that person comes forth with an action or a statement that explicitly takes him out of Islam, and that is through denial of a matter firmly established and known in the religion by necessity. Such as the rejection of a pillar from the five pillars of Islam or the falsification of the Qur’an. In any case, it is not permitted to label a particular individual as non-Muslim except through expert analysis and clarification, and the establishing of the conditions of ‘takfir’, and the absence of those matters that prevent its enactment.”
Shaykh al-Azhar further elaborated, “Those who commit these crimes contrary to religion, ethic and human values should know that these are damaging Islam greatly and destroying its pure and affectionate picture. An evil image is being given to the enemies of Islam and the Muslims of this divine religion. How many times is the picture of our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) being distorted in the eyes of his enemies and consequently they are attributing wrong and degrading things to his pure character such as a picture of a terrorist hungry for blood, killing and corruption. And this about the Prophet who described himself with the words, ‘indeed I am a mercy, sent as a gift’; and who gave a heavenly book in which the word ‘mercy’ and its derivatives have occurred 280 times. And we cannot understand the meaning of mercy except through the Qur’an and through the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
Grand Imam Dr Ahmad al-Tayyeb Shaykh al-Azhar further elaborated on the concept of mercy, laws of warfare in Islam, the present situation of Egypt and the role of Al-Azhar within the affairs of Egypt and the Muslim world. Following these formal engagements, Shaykh al-Azhar travelled to his home town in Southern Egypt near Luxor where thousands had gathered to meet him and listen to him at the annual mawlid gathering held at his home, where the spiritual tradition of al-Tayyeb continues.
On a separate note the leader of the Orthodox Coptic Christians of Egypt, Pope Tawadros II, forwarded greetings to the Grand Imam Dr Ahmad al-Tayyeb Shaykh al-Azhar and the Muslims on the auspicious occasion of the mawld of the holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
The full text of Shaykh al-Azhar’s speech can be viewed here: http://www.onazhar.com/page2home2.php?page1=5&page2=5101.
The full video of Shaykh al-Azhar’s speech can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCcBnlbrFos.
