Few moments ago, his eminence Prof. Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayyeb arrived at the Nigerian Conference Center where he is scheduled to deliver a speech to the African and Muslim countries around the world. It is noteworthy to mention that the conference hall is full of thousands of the attendees who are keen on listening to the Grand Imam’s speech.
Here are the headings of the Grand Imam’s speech: -
Now … Al-Azhar Grand Imam Delivers a Speech to the African Countries from the Nigerian Capital, Abuja …
- I came here to affirm that Islam was never a religion that calls for violence or terrorism; rather, it is a religion that laid down the principles of humanity, security and peace.
- Muslims never thought that one day they would be obliged to go here and there to defend their religion and to unveil its true meanings and essence.
- Extremist and terrorist groups insist on defaming Islam on the international level and showing it to people as if it is a religion of violence and brutality.
- Search for those who get benefit from such destruction and corruption; those who are responsible for these awful crimes which are provided with weapons and planning from one hand, while having those who misguidedly declare them lawful on the other hand!
- Islam is the name given to the common religion for which all Prophets call and to which all believers are attributed.
- The message of Islam has common grounds with the previous messages as to essence and content.
- The Noble Qur’an views all people equal and that they have descended from one father and one mother.
- The Noble Qur’an confirms the heavenly scriptures revealed before it. As well, it describes both the Torah and the Gospel as guidance and light.
- Diversity is a Divine Law which is laid down by the Qur’an in clear-cut verses.
- It is inconceivable nor is it wise to think that Allah, the Almighty, may create people in a manner which makes them different from each other and then orders to force them to do something against their nature upon which He created them.
- Islam is the religion of peace and equality in the truest sense of the word; all what is saidotherwise is sheer lying.
- Fighting against others in Islam is legislated to ward off aggression and assault and not disbelief or different religions.
- History does never recount a Muslim Liberation to a particular country in which Muslims made the people of that country choose between accepting Islam or being fought with the sword.
- We have no choice but to allow the true understanding of religion to be spread everywhere. As well, scholars shall pay attention to contemporary circumstances, trying meanwhile to have control over the issue of releasing legal verdicts.
- Muslim scholars must take their due responsibility towards clarifying the true meaning of Islam- a religion that calls to brotherhood, knowing one another and maintaining peace among all people around the world.
- We have no choice but to revive the ‘correct’ form of the Fiqh of Differences which is mainly based on accepting diversity; Fiqh that served as the main source for the power of the Ummah of Islam throughout history.
- Consensus of the Ummah must be the demarcation line between what is correct and what is wrong; we must not define one particular school of law on creed and acts of worship for people to follow.
- Chaos of difference, which is out of control of the rules of knowledge, is the main reason that drives Muslims to declare others disbelievers and immoral. As well, it is what causes them to resort to violence.
- Al-Azhar exerts big efforts to spread the middle course of Islam and to make people aware of the dangers of misguided thought.
- Our visit to Nigeria comes in the context that Al-Azhar Al-Sharif affirms its support to the unity of the Nigerian people and its stability, as well as its scientific and educational progress.
- Increasing the number of annual scholarships granted to the Nigerians to be 50 instead of 30 on condition that this extra number of scholarships will be restricted to the experimental scientific Faculties, such as the Faculties of Medicine, Pharmacy and Engineering.