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

Your Excellency, Prof. Dr. Mudjina Raha Radjeo, the Rector of the State Islamic University of Maulana Malik Ibrahim,

Brothers and Colleagues,

Professors of the University

Sons and daughters, the university students!

May Allah's Peace and Blessings be with you!

     It is my pleasure to meet this honorable gathering of professors, researchers and students at the University of Maulana Malik Ibrahim, and to smell the fragrance of scientific research in your land and to see the desire for knowledge in your eyes. You have reminded me of my pursuit of knowledge, my journeys to seek knowledge at Al-Azhar University, my happiness to read a text from our heritage or to discover a new idea, or to guide a researcher to his goal.

     This feeling of mine is recognizable to any person who takes teaching as a mission and a message of life; it is the message of the Prophets. It is a grace for teachers to hear the saying of the Prophet (pbuh), "I have been sent a teacher." This feeling will be valued by those who have tasted the beauty of discovering the truth after a long journey of knowledge pursuit. Imam Al-Ghazāliy used to repeat, "A Sage once was asked, 'What is happiness?' The sage replied, 'To reach clear evidence or find out the fallacy of a misconception.'"

When our ancestors used to practice horseback riding, they found it the most amusing activity, but that was not more fun for them than reading!

     Knowledge is the best thing to strive for. It is the sough-after objective of the sages and the legacy of the Prophets: “The Prophets did not leave dinars or dirhams as inheritance, but they left knowledge.” It is a key to Paradise: "Allah makes the way to Paradise easy for him who treads the path of knowledge." It is the shield that protects the nation from deviation: "Allah does not take away knowledge by removing it from people, but He takes away knowledge by taking away the scholars [by death], so that when no learned person is left, people turn to the ignorant as their leaders. When these are asked to issue religious verdicts and they do that without knowledge, they then go astray, and lead others astray." [Bukhāriy]

     So blessed is this life for those whose ranks Allah has elevated: "Allah will raise degrees for those who have believed among you and those who were given knowledge." [Qur᾿ān, 58:11]

     Egypt, the only country that stretches between the two continents of Asia and Africa, is the birthplace of civilizations and the home of the divinely-revealed religions. More than one thousand years ago, a sublime minaret and beacon of light started to disseminate its guiding light all over the world, especially for the Muslim and the Arab youth of these two continents.

     Thanks to Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, I stand amongst you today. I deem this recognition granted by our Indonesian brothers to be recognition for Al-Azhar as a whole.

     As you may know, Al-Azhar is not only an ancient institution or an international university. It is rather a bearer of a genuine message and a distinguished intellectual approach.

     Indeed, Al-Azhar bears the responsibility for the scientific and missionary aspects of the message of Islam, the message of peace, equality, justice and human dignity. It acts for liberation from the restraints that overburden the humans who believe in Allah's entire Messengers and revealed Scriptures: "The Messenger has believed in what was revealed to him from his Lord, and [so have] the believers. All of them have believed in Allah, His angels, His Scriptures, and His Messengers. We make no discrimination among His Messengers. They say, "We hear and we obey. [We seek] Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the [final] destination." (Qur᾿ān 2:285)

     To comprehend this message, teach it and call for it, Al-Azhar follows the Islamic orthodox doctrine as represented in the thought of Abul Ḩassan Al-Ash‛ariy which is reflected in his works, giving insights into moderate logical thinking. This doctrine is also represented in the moderate views of the leading Muslim scholars.

     Abu Ḩanīfah, Mālik, Ash-Shafi‛iy and Ibn Ḩanbal are renowned names always reiterated within the corners of Al-Azhar. Their opinions and sayings are taught and compared in order to reach the most outbalancing ones that fulfill the changing needs of the Muslim Nation.

     Throughout the centuries, Al-Azhar has been adopting an approach that is based, first of all, on providing its learners with an excellent command of Arabic, then in studying the Qur᾿ān and the Sunnah as well as the disciplines that serve them and help deduce legal, scientific and doctrinal rulings from them. Examples include fundamentals of religion, fundamentals of jurisprudence, sciences of the Qur᾿ān, Hadith, comparative jurisprudence, etc. Meanwhile, the students are provided with sufficient knowledge of modern sciences, Islamic civilization, Eastern and Western philosophy. Out of all of these fields, the learners can obtain useful information that might help them understand the past and the present, and predict the future, give verdicts in the light of the changing circumstances, based on a scientific approach and approved principles.

     If you ask me about the distinctive feature of Al-Azhar's approach, I would say that it is the methodology of accurate, deep and textual analysis of the Arab and Islamic scholarly heritage, which is the fruit of 14 centuries of treasures of our culture. This analysis provides the learner with a command of the Sharia sciences, besides the command of the sciences of Arabic in order to enable our graduates to meet the nation's needs of professional clergymen. So, each of these can be a qualified reference wherever he goes in the Islamic World.

     It was destined for me, thanks to God, to be admitted to this ancient institution after a spiritual upbringing at a home featured with religious knowledge. I was educated by a father who provided me with many things; may Allah reward him highly. Later, I was guided by famous scholars of Al-Azhar who acquired the Sharia sciences according to the methodology of the early scholars. They were inspired by the Islamic wisdom as established by the Muslim Philosopher Ya‛qoub Al-Kindi and the spiritual orders according to the methodology of pious Imams, including Al-Junaid Al-Baghdādiy, Al-Ḩārith Al-Muḩsibiy, Abul Qāsim Al-Qushayriy, and Abu Ḩāmid al-Ghazaliy. This combination of knowledge has been common at Al-Azhar since the innovator Imam Ibn Daqīq Al‛īid, Shaykh Al-Islam Zakariyya Al-Anṣāri, Ibn Ḩajar Al-‛Asqalāniy, the author of Al-Fatḩ, Ḩasan Al-‛Aṭṭār, Muḩammad ‛Abdu, Al-Marāghiy, Muṣṭafa ‛Abdul-Rāziq, Sulaimān Dunia, May Allah rest their souls in peace.

     These are the principles of the Al-Azhar discourse which is characterized by a balanced course of the tradionalists who avoid describing Allah with what does not suit Him, and the innovators who prefer interpretation according to the rules of Arabic language and the Sharia. For example, Imam Malik said, "᾿Istiwā᾿ (Allah's leveling Himself on the Throne) is lexically known, but its form cannot be comprehended. Believing in it is necessary but asking about it is heretic." Similarly, we adopt a balanced course that weighs between bigotry towards a specific doctrine and ignoring the principles of building argumentations, leading to picking up the preferred view from among the opinions of scholars without deep knowledge.

     Al-Azhar's moderate discourse is welcomed everywhere, inside and outside the Islamic World. This is due to the fact that it combines scientific thinking and mystical inspiration, and adheres to middle moderate course of belief and practice. Such an approach reflects the genuine Islamic spirit common in the Muslim World, regardless of the trivial counter opinions.

     I feel extremely happy to attend this great event in Java. I have served the noble sciences of Islam and the new generations in several universities in the Arab and the Muslim World. I am here today as a representative of your great Islamic institution of Al-Azhar, which I have been entrusted with as its leader in these difficult circumstances. I trust Allah the Almighty, your determination, sincerity, religious enthusiasm, heritage and tolerant human culture.

     I am grateful for your granting me the honorable doctorate which I think is an appreciation for the relationship between Al-Azhar of Egypt and the University of Maulana Malik Ibrahim.

Thanks you all.

May Allah's peace and blessing be with you!