The Grand Imam Sheikh of Al Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al Tayeb has warned that humanity has faced a myriad of crises since the late twentieth century.
He said that the world is witnessing humiliations due to the lack of moral values that religions have established.
“The lack of these values has led to a huge disruption of the world’s economy and disruption to social development,” he said at the meeting of the Muslim Council of Elders in Bahrain that discussed 21st Century challenges and threats.
“This result is an increase in abject poverty, devastating famines, wars and conflicts which often flare in poor and developing countries. It is no exaggeration to say that the crisis of our modern world is mainly a moral crisis and a faith crisis.”
His Holiness Pope Francis on a historic official visit to Bahrain at the invitation of His Majesty the King attended a meeting with the members of the Muslim Council of Elders and delivered a speech.
Pope Francis called for encouraging one another “to forget the past and sincerely achieve mutual understanding, and, for the benefit of all, to preserve and promote peace, liberty, social justice and moral values”.
“These are duties incumbent upon us as religious leaders: in a world that is increasingly wounded and divided, that beneath the surface of globalization senses anxiety and fear, the great religious traditions must be the heart that unites the members of the body, the soul that gives hope and life to its highest aspirations,” he said.
The following is a translation of HE the Sheikh of Al Azhar’s speech:
“In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Praise be to God. May God’s blessings and peace be upon our master, Prophet Mohamed, his family, and his Companions
Our dear guest Your Holiness Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church, Esteemed Clergy and Scholars of the Catholic Church,
Esteemed Colleagues and Members of the Muslim Council of Elders,
May the Peace, Mercy and Blessings of God be upon you.
We welcome Pope Francis and his accompanying senior Catholic clergy and scholars to our Arab World, a world that is delighted to be a partner in your journey of human fraternity, starting from Egypt, then the UAE and now in the sister Kingdom of Bahrain.
Honorable attendees,
I believe it obligatory to speak today at the opening of our meeting, which connects the Muslim Council of Elders with the religious leadership of the Catholic Church in Bahrain, on a matter of extreme importance, namely interfaith dialogue and the challenges of the 21st century.
Our meeting today is a positive step in interfaith dialogue journey that we have embarked upon together, which has already borne fruit in a rising collective awareness of unifying challenges and planted hope of invoking the global conscience to respond to these challenges.
Naturally, time does not allow us to highlight all the tragic incidents and dangerous developments looming over man today and threatening him, regardless of his location on the planet.
One does not know where to begin with all the global crises, be they humanitarian, economic, ethical or climate- and environment-related.
Worse yet, is the fact that our world today no longer has a referenced authority to guide it whenever it strays or confuses truth with lies, goodness with evil, the commendable with the detestable.
It is like a speeding car with no steering wheel to control it, nor brakes to stop it before it destroys itself and others.
What makes things even more violent and brutal is the expanding, destructive influence of these crises, which, unlike in the past, are no longer limited to one nation or one country.
The ramifications of this new chain of crises and catastrophes in one capital of the world extend to the whole world, and no country, no matter its economic strength, can evade the dire consequences.
War is no longer limited to fields of battle, cities and villages with their homes, streets, schools, hospitals, men, women and children now open to slaughter, bloodshed and destruction.
It is extremely painful to witness this devastating development in warfare and its terrible capacity for death and destruction. Until very recently, the human crisis was limited to the spheres of employment, competition of major international corporations and national unions formed to face these crises.
This was also the case during the Cold War before one doctrine could dominate the world, professing to be the only doctrine, claiming it has the right to lead the world with its philosophies, theories, and political, social and economic ideologies.
The world seems to want to accept the globalisation of these ideas and their practice, regarding them as a new paradise for humanity, replacing the old paradise which has collapsed.
Naturally, the new paradise has come with new crises, in line with the selfishness of its advocates, and thus the whole world is faced with new developments, developments of a kind that minds struggle to adapt to and decipher the causes and aims of.
This case is reminiscent of a poetic line by an Arab poet, which can be translated as follows:
“I got rid of some worries that bothered me. Yet, more have come and bewildered me!”
Since the late twentieth century, humanity has faced a myriad of crises, especially the vast chasm between rich and poor and its continuing expansion, and this accompanying imbalance of man and nature, with its unfairness and exclusion for the majority of people.
We might even add that we are witnessing the humiliation of this majority as a result of a lack of moral values that religions have established, especially ‘justice’ which is the foundation of the universe, and equality.
The lack of these values has led to a huge disruption of the world’s economy and disruption to social development. This result is an increase in abject poverty, devastating famines, wars and conflicts which often flare in poor and developing countries.
It is no exaggeration to say that the crisis of our modern world is mainly a moral crisis and a faith crisis (atheism).
The majority of troubles and issues today facing man are the inevitable consequences of this root crisis, which has insidiously wound itself around man, overwhelming his thoughts and conduct.
It is no surprise to witness the effects of this deviation from ethics, either in too open societies, or as a response to calls that try to impose looseness and deviation from morals.
There are now deviations like the spread of homosexuality and the third gender, even in conservative societies, where religion and morals form an integral and fundamental component of their civilisation, culture and traditions, all under the pretext of ‘freedom’ and ‘human rights’, according to the philosophy of modernity and enlightenment.
But it is a freedom that spawns chaos, moral destruction and the demolition of man’s internal structure.
We do not deny Western societies their choice of what they regard as rights and liberties. Nor do we ask them to modify such choices.
However, we strongly reject these societies trying to impose these views on our Eastern societies. Otherwise, we will be facing a new colonialism that will soon end and disappear, just as has happened before. The parties behind this ‘invasion’ should educate themselves about the nature of non-Western civilisations and learn from the history of the conflict between the two civilisations.
By doing so, they will learn that the globalisation of beliefs and cultures is nothing but a kind of daydreaming and illusion, and that ‘religion’, which is deeply rooted in Eastern civilisation has never been defeated by “any civilizational force in the world: Neither was it defeated by the power of the Romans, the First Persian Empire, the Mongols, the Crusaders in the medieval period, nor the power of the West in the modern era. And it shall not be defeated by any other power in the future”.
The same can be said about what is known as the environment crisis and climate change. There is much to say about this agonising situation. To cut a long story short, this crisis is a disaster caused by man freeing himself from the restrictions of religion and morals.
It is one of the effects of ‘selfishness’ and the market economy, as well as the capitalist philosophy and its discourse which favours ‘making as much profit as possible, even if that means selling everything’.
Distinguished gathering,
I do not think we have enough time to detail the Quranic perspective on the environment, the earth, and spreading corruption on it. It would suffice for time considerations to sum up the key dimensions of this issue as follows.
First, the Qur’an makes it clear that the entire universe with all its worlds, namely the world of man, the world of animals, the world of plants, and the world of inanimate objects, literally and not metaphorically worship God Almighty.
No difference in that between a man, an angel, a bird, an animal, a plant, a mountain, a sea, or any inanimate object in the earth or in the heavens.
However, man cannot hear the prayers and praises of these creatures. Even if he can hear them, he cannot comprehend them. Just as he does hear the sounds of birds and animals but cannot understand their meanings.
The lesson we should learn from this Qur’anic position is that the relationship between man and the rest of creatures should be based on friendship and fraternity.
There are also duties and rights arising from this relationship that must be observed by man. As such, Islam forbids Muslim armies to demolish the buildings they found on their enemies’ territories during the time of war.
Likewise, they are prohibited to cut a tree or overwater crops to destroy them. It is also forbidden to disperse bee swarms or burn them with fire. Islam even prohibits slaughtering animals on the enemies’ territories except for an obvious necessity such as provide a source of nutrition. If they have to do so, they should only get the amount they need.
If we read through the Qur’an a little further on this topic, we can find numerous verses that forbid us very clearly from doing corruption on the earth. God Almighty says, “And cause not corruption upon the earth after its reformation.” (Qur’an 7:56)
And here is another verse that tells us that corruption has spread by the hands of humankind. It further warns that consequences of corruption are not restricted to those who cause it but rather befalls all countries and people so they might head God’s warnings.
God says, “Corruption has appeared throughout the land and sea by [reason of] what the hands of people have earned so He may let them taste part of [the consequence of] what they have done that perhaps they will return [to righteousness].” (Qur’an 30:41)
Another verse warns us of the bitter consequences of causing corruption: “And fear a trial which will not strike those who have wronged among you exclusively.” (Qur’an 8:25) These verses show clearly that man is entrusted with the duty of reforming the earth and that the relation between humankind and other creatures should be that of friendship and a global fellowship.
They also forbid causing corruption on the earth and that it is a trial whose grave consequences befall everyone, not only those who caused it.
Honorable eminences,
The astronomical sums needed to tackle the climate crisis, while major industrial nations hold out on ethical and human funding, are very frightening.
Our duty as religious scholars and clerics towards these disheartening international circumstances is to raise our voices and make a cry to authorities and those of obscene wealth and remind them of their fate and the fate of us all, if they do not act soon.
But it should not concern us whether they respond or cover their ears, as our way as representatives of the Abrahamic faiths is the way of the one commanded from above the seven heavens: “upon you is only [the duty of] notification” (Qur’an, 42:48).
In closing, I would like to renew my sincere call to continue this Islamic-Christian interreligious dialogue and make it open to all people. Through it we may, with God’s grace, put into effect the teachings of the Document on Human Fraternity.
We hope God Almighty will enable us to respond to the shared challenges of our world.
Thank you for listening.
May the Peace, Mercy and Blessings of God be upon you all.”
In his address to the Council, HH Pope Francis said:
“Dear Dr Ahmad Al-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Dear Members of the Muslim Council of Elders,
Dear Friends,
As-salamu alaikum!
I offer you cordial greetings and I express my prayerful hope that the peace of the Most High may descend upon each of you.
Upon you, who desire to foster reconciliation in order to avoid divisions and conflicts in Muslim communities.
Upon you, who see in extremism a danger that corrodes genuine religion; upon you, who are committed to dispelling erroneous interpretations that through violence misconstrue, exploit and do a disservice to religious belief.
May peace come down and remain upon you.
Upon you, who wish to spread peace by instilling within people’s hearts the values of respect, tolerance and moderation?
Upon you, who seek to encourage friendly relations, mutual respect and trust with those who, like myself, are followers of a different religious tradition?
Upon you, who strive to provide young people with a moral and intellectual education that opposes all forms of hatred and intolerance?
As-salamu alaikum!
God is the source of peace. May he enable us to be channels of his peace everywhere! Here, in your presence, I wish to state once more that the God of peace never brings about war, never incites hatred, never supports violence.
We, who believe in him, are called to promote peace with tools of peace, such as encounter, patient negotiations and dialogue, which is the oxygen of peaceful coexistence.
Among your objectives is the spread of a culture of peace based on justice. I want to tell you that this is indeed the path, the only path, to take, inasmuch as peace “‘is the effect of righteousness’.
Peace is born of fraternity; it grows through the struggle against injustice and inequality; it is built by holding out a hand to others”.
Peace cannot simply be proclaimed; it must be helped to take root. And this is possible by eliminating the forms of inequality and discrimination that give rise to instability and hostility.
I thank you for your efforts in this regard, for the welcome you have offered me, and for the words you have spoken. I have come among you as a believer in God, as a brother and as a pilgrim of peace. I have come among you so that we can journey together, in the spirit of Francis of Assisi, who liked to say: “As you announce peace with your mouth, make sure that greater peace is in your hearts”.
I am impressed to see how in these lands it is customary, in welcoming guests, not only to shake their hand, but also to place your own hand on your heart as a sign of affection. As if to say: “You do not remain distant from me, but you enter into my heart, into my life”.
I also place my hand on my heart with respect and affection, as I look out at each of you and bless the Most High for making it possible for us to encounter one another.
I believe that increasingly we need to encounter one another, to get to know and to esteem one another, to put reality ahead of ideas and people ahead of opinions, openness to heaven ahead of differences on earth.
We need to put a future of fraternity ahead of a past of antagonism, overcoming historical prejudices and misunderstandings in the name of the One who is the source of peace.
Indeed, how can believers of different religions and cultures live side-by-side, accept and esteem one another if we remain distant and detached?
Let us be guided by the saying of Imam Ali: “People are of two types: they are either brothers and sisters in religion or fellow men and women in humanity”, and so feel called to care for all those whom the divine plan has placed alongside us in the world.
Let us encourage one another “to forget the past and sincerely achieve mutual understanding, and, for the benefit of all, to preserve and promote peace, liberty, social justice and moral values”.
These are duties incumbent upon us as religious leaders: in a world that is increasingly wounded and divided, that beneath the surface of globalization senses anxiety and fear, the great religious traditions must be the heart that unites the members of the body, the soul that gives hope and life to its highest aspirations.
During these days, I have spoken about the power of life, which survives in the driest deserts by drawing upon the waters of encounter and peaceful coexistence.
Yesterday I did so by referring to the remarkable “Tree of Life” found here in Bahrain. In the reading from the Bible that we have just heard, the tree of life is placed in the centre of the original garden, at the heart of God’s magnificent plan for humanity, a harmonious design meant to embrace all creation.
Human beings, however, turned their back on the Creator and the order he established, and that was the beginning of the problems and imbalances that, according to the biblical account, followed in quick succession.
Quarrels and murder between brothers; environmental upheavals and disasters, pride and social conflict.
In a word, a flood of evil and death burst forth from the human heart, from the malign spark unleashed by the evil that crouches at the door of our hearts, to destroy the harmonious garden of the world.
All this evil is rooted in the rejection of God and of our brothers and sisters, in our losing sight of the Author of life and no longer seeing ourselves as our brothers’ keepers. As a result, the two questions we heard remain ever valid.
Whatever religious tradition a person may profess, those two questions remain a challenge for every life and for every age: “Where are you?”; “Where is your brother?”
Dear friends, brothers in Abraham and believers in the one God
Social, international, economic and individual evils, as well as the dramatic environmental crisis of our time on which we have reflected here today, ultimately derive from estrangement from God and our neighbour.
Ours, then, is a unique and inescapable duty: to help humanity to rediscover the forgotten sources of life, to lead men and women to drink from the wellsprings of ancient wisdom, and to bring the faithful closer to worship of the God of heaven and closer to our brothers and sisters for whom he created the earth.
How can we do this? In essence, there are two means: prayer and fraternity. These are our weapons, modest but effective.
We must not let ourselves be tempted by other means, by shortcuts unworthy of the Most High, whose name of Peace is dishonoured by those who put their trust in power and nurture violence, war and the arms trade, the “commerce of death” that, through ever increasing outlays, is turning our common home into one great arsenal.
How many obscure intrigues and disturbing inconsistencies lie behind all this?
Let us think, for example, of all those people forced to migrate from their own lands due to conflicts subsidized by the purchase of outdated weapons at affordable prices, only to be then identified and turned away at other borders through increasingly sophisticated military equipment.
In this way, their hope is killed twice! Amid these tragic scenarios, while the world pursues the illusions of strength, power and money, we are called to proclaim, with the wisdom of our elders and fathers, that God and neighbour come before all else, that transcendence and fraternity alone will save us.
It is up to us to uncover these wellsprings of life; otherwise, the desert of humanity will be increasingly arid and deadly. Above all, it is up to us to bear witness, more by our deeds than merely by our words, that we believe in this.
Our responsibility before God and before humanity is great. We must be exemplary models of what we preach, not only in our communities and in our homes – for this is no longer enough – but also before a world now unified and globalized.
We who are descended from Abraham, the father of peoples in faith, cannot be concerned merely with those who are “our own” but, as we grow more and more united, we must speak to the entire human community, to all who dwell on this earth.
All men and women, if only in the depths of their heart, ask the same great questions. Who does it mean to be human? Why is there suffering, evil, death and injustice? What awaits us after this life?
Yet for many people, immersed in a world of practical materialism and paralyzing consumerism, these questions lie dormant.
For others, they are suppressed by the dehumanizing scourges of hunger and poverty. Among the reasons for this forgetfulness of the things that really matter, we should include our own negligence, the scandal of our being caught up in other things and not in proclaiming the God who gives peace to life and life-giving peace to men and women.
Let us support one another in this regard; let us follow up on our meeting today; let us journey together! We will be blessed by the Most High and by the smallest and vulnerable creatures for whom he has a preferential love: the poor, children and the young, who after so many dark nights await the rising of a dawn of light and peace.”
