Fanatics Confine Themselves to Narrow and Superficial Understanding of the Religious Texts
Dr. Abdullah Mohi al-Din Azab, Professor of Islamic Aqida and Former Dean of the Faculty of Usul al-Din, al-Azhar University, underlined that ethics and good behavior form the true essence of Islam. He stressed the importance of a Muslim possessing good morals, honesty and good manners to avoid deception, since bad behavior harms the message of Islam, particularly if it is conducted by a Muslim.
This came during Dr. Azab participation in the workshop convened by the World Organization for al-Azhar Graduates, themed “The Importance of Religious Reference to Confront Intellectual Extremism”, at the Organization’s headquarters in Cairo. The workshop witnessed the attendance of a number of al-Azhar international students from: Nigeria, Sudan, Palestine, Yemen, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Philippines, Tanzania, Djibouti and Libya.
Dr. Azab affirmed that faith lies in the heart, pointing out that some people may hold a deep faith within themselves, although their actions do not, apparently, reflect such faith.
In the same context, Dr. Azab highlighted the vast difference between true Islam and the extremist ideology. He noted that fanatics are confining themselves to narrow and superficial understanding of the religious texts, using religion as a cover for their deviated behaviors, whilst true Islam depends on deep understanding, reason and moderation.
Dr. Azab concluded the lecture by stressing that confronting extremism can only be attained through adopting a sound understanding of the legal texts, possessing the knowledge of Fiqh principles (Usul al-Fiqh) and the objectives of Shari’ah. This will protect the society from the extremist thinking and the dangers of Takfir and extremism.
