As part of al-Azhar ash-Sharif’s efforts to promote moderation, the World Organization for al-Azhar Graduates Branch in Borno, Nigeria, organized an awareness campaign entitled “Azhari Flashes,” featuring a reading from Al-Qawl At-Tayyeb, a book by His Eminence Prof. Ahmad at-Tayyeb, the Grand Imam of al-Azhar. The branch held a lecture on “Tolerance in Islam,” delivered in the Kanuri language at the Babagana School for Islamic Studies for Girls in Maiduguri, Nigeria.
During the lecture, Ibrahim Abu Bakr Mostafa, a branch member, emphasized that Islam is the religion of peace and tolerance, and through tolerance, people live in safety. He stated that there is no Islam without peace, and no peace without Islam. He stressed that Islam is a religion that focuses on proper treatment of others, as such treatment is an integral part of the religion. The best evidence of this is the Prophet’s (pbuh) treatment of Jews in Medina.
He added that Islam is the religion of knowledge, and Islamic law calls for not forcing opinions on others through force, but rather through logic, discussion and reasoning. This is why there are multiple schools of jurisprudence (fiqh) and thought.
