Prof. Abbas Shouman, President of the World Organization for al-Azhar Graduates and Secretary General of al-Azhar Council of Senior Scholars, gave a lecture at the University of Darunnajah in Jakarta, Indonesia. The lecture came under the title of: “True Knowledge Protects against Mental Manipulation”, and addressed the importance of seeking knowledge and verifying its sources to counter the misconceptions sometimes promoted in the name of enlightenment.
During the lecture, Prof. Shouman explained that nations’ progress depends on their scientific advancement and that knowledge is the only way to bring people from the darkness of ignorance into the light of knowledge and guidance, as Allah Almighty says: “A Book We have revealed to you that you may bring forth mankind from darkness into light” [Q:14:1]. His Eminence added that spreading true knowledge protects society from deception and mental fraud, which some may practice to achieve mischievous targets.
Further, Prof. Shouman addressed some issues concerning women, pointing out that there are claims propagated on the injustice women suffer concerning their inheritance. His Eminence affirmed that such allegations are false and are not based on Islamic legal facts. He clarified that women receive half of what men receive only in specific cases, such as a daughter with a son, a son’s daughter with a son’s son, a full sister with a full brother, a paternal sister with a paternal brother, taking into account the financial burdens borne by each party, as men are expected to bear marriage expenses and family maintenance.
His Eminence noted that Islamic law sometimes grants women more rights than men, illustrating this with examples, and that in certain cases women inherit the entire estate while men inherit nothing.
Prof. Shouman emphasized that understanding the legal details requires knowledge and precise study to expose the misconceptions spread concerning women rights.
At the lecture’s conclusion, Prof. Shouman stressed the necessity of seeking knowledge from authentic sources, underlining that this is the only way to protect oneself and society from deception, and to achieve nations’ progress and elevation.
