On September 16, 2024, al-Azhar Grand Imām Dr. Aḥmed al-Ṭayyib delivered remarks on the occasion of the Prophet Muḥammad’s birthday (or mawlid) at the Manara International Center in Cairo. The event was attended by Egyptian President ʿAbd al-Fattāḥ al-Sisī and many other governmental, religious, and civil-society leaders. Most of the speech was focused on the merciful character of the Prophet Muḥammad and the ethics of armed conflict from an Islamic perspective, two issues that many Muslims feel is misunderstood by many in the West. The speech also touched in notable ways on the tragedy and despair that continues to unfold in Gaza. 

One point that generated some reaction in Egypt was the Grand Imām’s discussion of how Islam relates to religions that came before it, such as Christianity and Judaism. Basing his comments on the Qurʾān and ḥadīth, the Grand Imām stressed that the unique nature of Islam as a universal religion does not devalue the revelations and prophets that preceded it. These comments raised enough questions that al-Azhar published a clarification on the matter a few days later. It seems that some Egyptians felt the comments were too relativistic. In some respects, this incident reminded me of the reaction to recent comments from Pope Francis about world religions in Singapore. A Catholic journalist’s discussion of the Pope’s comments can be found here. 

At the end of his remarks, the Grand Imām gifted a new English translation of the Qurʾān to President Sisī that was prepared by the al-Azhar Translation Center. We are in touch with our friends at al-Azhar about this new translation and look forward to sharing more information with our readers as it becomes available. 

Dialogue Across Borders is pleased to offer a full translation of the Grand Imām’s speech. My thanks to our database editor, Noha Heraiba, and Rajāʾ Maḥmūd Ismāʿīl for their diligent work on this translation.

Matthew Anderson