Speech by

Prof. Ahmed At-Tayyeb,

Grand Imam of Al Azhar
Regarding the Martyrs of Rawdah Mosque, Sinai

Rabi‛ ul-Awwal 12^th, 1439 A.H.
December 1^st, 2017 A.C.
 

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, and upon his family and companions.

It was indeed an unavoidable act of providence that the anniversary of the Prophet’s (PBUH) birth be preceded by such a horrendous attack that brought deep sorrow and pain to our hearts. Therefore, we only have to maintain that “We surely belong to Allah, and unto Him we will return!” Still, we should remind ourselves, our families, and the kind-hearted people of this good village that patiently endured such an act of fate, with the Prophet’s hadith that reads, “Wonderful are the ways of a believer, since there is good for him in everything, and this applies only to a believer. If prosperity attends them, they express gratitude to Allah and that is good for them; and if adversity befalls them, they endure it patiently and that is also good for them”. And you, patient male and female dwellers of Rawdah village, know well that noble ranks in the highest abode in Paradise will be granted to your martyrs. You should not think that those righteous martyrs had suffered the throes of killing – like any other killed person - for it is authentically reported that the Prophet (PBUH) said, “A martyr does not feel the pain of killing except like how you feel when you are pinched”. Suffices it to learn that, in Islamic Shari`ah, a martyr enjoys the highest ranks in Paradise, which is next only to the rank of prophets and the righteous people.

          As for those murderers who dared to defy Almighty Allah and His Messenger and shed noble blood in one of the prayer houses of Allah, they are wicked transgressors and Khawarij (dissenters), and their history of killing Muslims and frightening peaceful ones is well known and documented. The Prophet (PBUH) described them in terms that are now crystallized through their deeds. He (PBUH) described them as juveniles, indicating their recklessness, impulsiveness and ignorance. He also described them as foolhardy and injudicious, and warned us of getting deceived by their pietistic appearance, their persistence in worship, or their retentive memory in learning the Qur’an. For their recitation of the Qur’an – according to the Prophet (PBUH) – does not exceed their mouths, that is sheer utterance which neither impacts their hearts nor enlightens their minds. Moreover, the Prophet (PBUH) attributed immoderation, in terms of faith, to them, as they would rush to label the Muslims as disbelievers to decriminalize killing them, defiling their honor and plundering their property. That is why the Prophet (PBUH) ordered us to chase and kill them, and gave the tidings that those who kill them will be rewarded on the Judgment Day. It is authentically narrated that he (PBUH( said, “By the end of time (in this world), there would emerge a people, juvenile and foolhardy, who would speak in the words of the best of humanity [the Prophet PBUH], and would recite the Qur’an without it going any deeper than their collarbones. They would abandon the faith in the way an arrow darts from a bow. Whenever you meet them, kill them. For killing them brings a reward for their killer on the Judgment Day.”[1]

Almighty Allah also indicated the punishment of those dissenters in the famous verse that almost all of us learn by heart, “Surely the only recompense of (the ones) who launch war against Allah and His Messenger and (diligently) endeavor to do corruption in the earth, is that they should be massacred or crucified, or that their hands and legs should be cut asunder alternately or that they should be exiled from the land. That is a disgrace for them in the present life and in the Hereafter they will have a tremendous torment.”  (Qur’an, 2:33)

Hence, the competent authorities are bound to swiftly implement the divinely dictated punishment of those dissenters, who launch war against Allah and His Messenger and work on doing corruption on earth. Such authorities should thus combat those dissenters, in protection of people’s lives, honor and property. As for the citizens dwelling in Sinai, this sacred piece of Egypt; who suffer most from such terrorists, should live up to their responsibilities and face such challenges, knowing that this is also the duty of the entire Egyptians and Egyptian institutions. They should all encounter those ruthless combatants who represent a dangerous tumor in the body of the country. Indeed, Egypt – drawing on its long-standing civilization and the might of its intrepid army soldiers, security forces and citizens – is capable of overcoming this difficult period and of eliminating this terrorism, which is totally alien to our lands and to our youth, in terms of thought and belief.

Concluding my word, I would like to tell the dwellers of this good village that we are here to affirm to you that Egypt in its entirety feels for you and shares your suffering. Likewise, Al Azhar – through its representative officials and affiliate male and female students here – offers you sincere condolences and expresses sympathy with you in a bid to relieve your pain, extending a hand of help for the purpose of improving the conditions in the village, in terms of health, social and educational aspects. Though we fully belief that nothing in the world whatsoever can compensate for a single drop of the shed noble blood, still our bid to help represents an attempt to fulfill some of your due rights and to obtain the honor of serving you.

May Allah show mercy to our martyrs and protect you, and Egypt as a whole, from ordeals, sedition and evils.

May Allah’s Peace, Blessings and Mercy be upon you!

Ahmed At-Tayyeb
Grand Sheikh of Al Azhar