HM the King, Commander of the Faithful, Chairs 4th Ramadan Lecture 1444

HM the King, Commander of the Faithful, Chairs 4th Ramadan Lecture 1444

His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Commander of the Faithful, may Allah assist Him
His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Commander of the Faithful, may Allah assist Him

Casablanca (MAP) – His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Commander of the Faithful, may God assist Him, accompanied by HRH Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan, HRH Prince Moulay Rachid and HH Prince Moulay Ismail, chaired, on Wednesday at the Royal Palace in Casablanca, the 4th religious lecture of the holy month of Ramadan.

This lecture was delivered by the dean of the Sharia faculty in Jordan, Abderrahmane Ibrahim Zaid Al Kilani, under the theme “the finalities of the Holy Quran and the construction of common and unifying human values”, inspired by the Koranic verse “O humanity! Indeed, We created you from a male and a female, and made you into peoples and tribes so that you may ˹get to˺ know one another. Surely the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous among you. Allah is truly All-Knowing, All-Aware.” (Surah Al Hujurat)

At the beginning of the talk, the speaker pointed out that one of the great purposes of the Holy Qur’an is to bring the peoples of the earth closer together and to strengthen cooperation among them, regardless of their races, colors or religions, and to build human convergence points that constitute bridges in cooperation among men.

He explained that the thirteenth verse of Surah al-Hujurat, the subject of this talk, is a kind of constitutional rule for achieving brotherhood among people, in that it shows the way to the achievement of brotherhood and mutual knowledge, considering that ignorance is the source of denial, contempt and suspicion and that the concept of mutual knowledge refers to the recognition of the existence of the other.

Noting that the meaning of the verse has no equal in the religious and philosophical heritage of mankind, he noted that this example sums up the effort of all mankind in the current era to establish a number of systems related to human rights.

The dean of the Sharia faculty at the University of Jordan considered that the content of the verse can only be invoked through its implementation on the ground, as it is one of the prescriptions that Muslims have towards themselves and other peoples.

The speaker dwelt at this point on the Qur’anic civilizational vision which is based on understanding and cooperation between human societies for the welfare of all, through the rejection of any form of racial discrimination, pointing out that this vision invites people to transcend rivalries and confrontations, and encourages them to come closer and respect the similarities between nations at the level of thought and creativity.

Professor Al-Kilani recalled, in this context, the Qur’anic discourses and hadiths that nurture the virtuous trend in the relations between peoples and nations, which emphasize the affection towards all human beings throughout their existence and insist on the unity of the human race and its origin.

According to the lecturer, the world today urgently needs to activate this Quranic discourse as an entry point for the mutual knowledge of peoples, nations and civilizations, and for the dissemination of the values of forgiveness and tolerance instead of belligerent behaviors, especially in the context of the hateful discourses that fuel many human groupings.

Professor Al-Kilani also mentioned the contribution of the scholars of the Ummah in this field, especially their contribution to the five goals agreed upon by all human societies, which are: religion, soul, offspring, spirit and money. These great Quranic goals, he said, are capable of integrating the countless contemporary methods of building convergent goals, such as cooperation in the fight against poverty, hunger and unemployment, the fight against diseases and the preservation of the environment.

In addition to the cooperation in these vital areas strongly encouraged by the Holy Quran, the speaker added, the other area to which the Holy Quran has given the greatest care is that of shared human values.

The dean of the Sharia faculty at the University of Jordan noted that despite the fundamental differences between the ethical theory of the Holy Quran and the ethical theory of the materialistic philosophies and positivist doctrines, there is a wide space of sharing and human rapprochement at the level of many values and virtues, knowing that the natural instinct with which God created man is an essential source of developing moral values.

For him, regardless of the differences that exist between individuals and nations in evaluating certain actions, there are virtues and moral values appreciated by all, such as honesty, trust, loyalty and justice. The lecturer indicated that this moral convergence of people – regardless of their races, religions, homelands, ages and conditions – is explained by the natural instinct they share, because people share innate values and their original natures.

Professor Al-Kilani observed that all innate moral values are Quranic values and vice versa, because there is no Quranic moral value that does not conform to natural instinct, adding that Quranic moral values are thus a solid basis for building common platforms among people in that they are innate human values.

He recalled in this sense the insistence of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) on the role of moral values in building the main commonalities between people and their validity in founding groupings and alliances with those who believe in them, pointing out that the Prophet praised the pact of Al-Fudul, concluded during the pre-Islamic era, which sided with the oppressed and restored the right.

In this context, the dean of the Sharia faculty at the University of Jordan stressed that the Prophet had celebrated the Al-Fudul pact which was a moral coalition and a human charter, in which were expressed the noble human feelings to support the oppressed, defend the right and castigate the oppressor, all of which are values that correspond to the essence of the Islamic message.

The speaker said that this episode is an incentive for today’s Muslims to make alliances, join blocs and sign charters and treaties that serve moral principles and defend just causes, such as cooperation in fighting poverty, illiteracy and crime, or for the preservation of the environment and the fight against pollution, or for the maintenance of world peace and security, or cooperation to ensure the right of people to a dignified life, or to support the oppressed and blame the oppressors.

For him, the triumph of moral values constitutes a victory for Islam and would result in the realization of the purposes enshrined in the Holy Qur’an and the objectives that the message of Islam and the revealed books carry.

On the other hand, Professor Al-Kilani referred to the purpose of populating the earth, stating that the verses of the Holy Quran successively emphasized and insisted on this objective in different ways, including verse 61 of Surah Hud saying: “He has produced you from the earth and settled you in it,” and verse 56 of Surah Al-A’raf: “Do not spread corruption in the land after it has been set in order.”

He further explained that this call for the settlement of the earth, which is a matter of binding allocation, includes a call for the establishment of focal points to which all people can contribute in order to build and populate the earth, such as cooperation in the agricultural, industrial, commercial, health, environmental, scientific and other fields, which benefits mankind.

The verses of the Holy Quran suggested that the settlement of the earth can only be achieved in a framework of coexistence, cohabitation and friendliness between people, the speaker said, adding that survival on earth is dependent on the material ability of human beings to earn a living.

The speaker concluded that the Ummah, which is respectful of the guidelines of the Holy Quran and aware of its purposes and recommendations, is obliged as individuals, leaders and sages to work to build the aspects that bring humanity together and build bridges of rapprochement and cooperation between peoples, stressing that the ability of the Ummah to achieve human solidarity and mutual aid goes hand in hand with the objectives enshrined in the Holy Quran.

At the end of this fourth talk of Ramadan, HM the King, Commander of the Faithful, was greeted by Mr. Mohamed Kone, Malian Minister of Foreign Affairs. Mohamed Kone, Malian Minister of Religious Affairs, Worship and Customs, Professors Qotb Sanou, Secretary General of the Academy of Islamic Fiqh of Guinea and Aziza Yahya Mohamed Taoufiq al-Hibri, former professor of law at the University of Richmond in the United States of America, Mazhar Mohammed al-Hamoui, member of the Supreme Council of Sharia in Lebanon, Abu Bakr Doukoure, head of the section of the Mohammed VI Foundation of African Ulema in Burkina Faso, and Ossini Ismail Ossi, head of the section of the Mohammed VI Foundation of African Ulema in Gabon.

HM the King was also greeted by Sheikh Mamadou Abou Doubachi, head of the section of the Foundation Mohammed VI of the African Ulema in Togo, Mamadou Ouré Baldé, secretary general of the National Tijanian League in Guinea-Bissau and head of the section of the Foundation Mohammed VI of the African Ulema in this country, Elmi Abdallah Ater, head of the section of the Foundation Mohammed VI of the African Ulema in Djibouti, Sheikh Muhammad Al-Hafiz Al-Nahaoui, head of the Islamic cultural gathering in Mauritania and West Africa, and Ibrahim Makri, member of the section of the Foundation Mohammed VI of the African Ulema in Nigeria.