Prof. Abdul Fattah al-‘Awari, the Former Dean of Usul al-Din Faculty, member of al-Azhar Islamic Research Academy, said that the features of knowledge-building in al-Azhar approach have bases and pillars that enhance the intellectual abilities and talents. This will help the Azhari international students to gain an understanding, awareness and knowledge in order to recognize the tolerant message of Islam.
In such context, al-‘Awari highlighted that if the Azhari international student seeks to be one of those qualified to comprehend the objectives of Allah Almighty and the Prophetic Sunnah, he/she must be fully familiar and acquainted with the science of “Logic”. He explained that a commentator needs to track the words’ synonyms to uncover their hidden meanings, a process that requires the study of linguistics and semantics.
This came during “Rules and Disciplines of Knowledge-Building in Tafsir” workshop, as part of the activities of a series of workshops convened by the World Organization for al-Azhar Graduates at its headquarters in Cairo. The workshop was attended by 25 international students from Libya, Nigeria, Afghanistan, Philippines, Yemen, Somalia, Palestine, Djibouti, Burkina Faso, Benin and Mali.
Prof. al-‘Awari added that Ilm al-Kalam, by which a Muslim argues his opponents in deciding the doctrinal issues and refuting the misconceptions, is also called Al-Fiqh al-Akbar (The Greater Knowledge), Usul al-Din and Ilm al-Tawhid (Science of the Oneness of Allah). He stressed that Ilm al-Kalam does not depend, solely, on reason, as falsely claimed by hardliners and extremists; however, it depends on both reason and transmission. Indeed, Ilm al-Kalam is used to confront the extremist groups and heretics. In conclusion, Prof. al-‘Awari stated that the science of Usul al-Fiqh refines the knowledge seeker’s intellect and supports it with the rules of deductive reasoning. This will qualify the student to righteously understand Usul al-Fiqh according to its context, what precedes it and what follows it, highlighting its importance in spreading al-Azhar moderate message.
