His Eminence, The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Prof. Ahmed al-Tayeb extends his sincere condolences to Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the Holy See of St. Mark, and to all Christian brothers over the murder of Arsanios Wadid, the archpriest of the Church of the Virgin Mary and Mar Polis in Alexandria.
On his part, the Grand Imam stresses that killing a human being is a major sin that deserves Allah’s wrath and punishment in the hereafter. Allah has regarded killing one soul as killing all people entirely, as He (Glory Be to Him) says, “If anyone kills a person ¬¬¬-unless in retribution for murder or spreading corruption in the land -it is as if he kills all mankind, while if any saves a life it is as if he saves the lives of all mankind”. (Qur'an, 5: 32)
The Grand Imam also hopes that all people should be aware that this heinous crime and similar incidents pave the way to ignite religious wars between the people of one nation, especially after Allah had saved Egypt from these wars out of His Bounty and also due to the vigilance of its leaders and people.
While extending its sincere condolences to the family of Archpriest Arsanios Wadid and the Christian brothers, Al-Azhar prays to Allah, the Almighty, to protect Egypt and provide its people with security and safety.