(Pakistan Point News - 14th May, 2020) CAIRO, 14th May 2020 (WAM) - His Eminence Dr. Ahmad Al Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, said the 'Pray For Humanity' call by the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity should be marked as a memorable occasion to promote amicability, worldwide.
In a statement he made today on the occasion, the Grand Imam of Al Azhar said: " We should mark this day as a memorable occasion to be inscribed on the slate of human history and celebrate it every year with the purpose of promoting a world where amicability and diversity values prevail instead of fanaticism, bigotry, hate of the other, and discrimination among people on the basis of faith, color, race, and wealth."
Below is the Gramnd Imam of Al Azhar's full statement Our fellow brothers and sisters all over the globe, I salute you with the greeting of islam: May God’s peace, mercy, and blessings be upon you.
It gives me pleasure to address you on such a historic day, speaking about human fraternity and kinship and hoping that God’s mercy embraces us all at such a hard time during which the entire world is groaning under the burden of this ferociously sweeping pandemic, which is unprecedented in modern history.
This call for prayer issued by the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity is a sincere call on everyone to make devout supplication to the One Who possesses everything. It is a prayer in which we beseech God, turning to Him and seeking refuge in Him, to immediately lift this distress and deliver humanity from its unpropitious consequences, to heal the patients, and to have mercy on the deceased out of His divine bounty and munificence.
Now as we call the world today to turn to God, the Omnipotent, and draw closer to Him through worship and prayer, we likewise urge the entire humanity – under the common human bond that ties them all together – to work on rediscovering the values of justice, peace, coexistence, and equality among all humans.
This should be done with all due respect to the peculiarities of the different creeds, religions, and rituals, and in full belief in the importance of science, and in appreciation of the efforts of scientists and scientific research. We also applaud scientists' constant struggle in quest for an effective treatment to save humanity from this pandemic.
Dear fellow humans in the East and the West, We should mark this day as a memorable occasion to be inscribed on the slate of human history and celebrate it every year with the purpose of promoting a world where amicability and diversity values prevail instead of fanaticism, bigotry, hate of the other, and discrimination among people on the basis of faith, color, race, and wealth.
Let us allow this day to be the first step in the right direction on a new track abounding in love, respect and cooperation among all fellow humans. In this way, the distress shall transform into a gift, God's willing, and collaboration shall replace alienation and transgression. Let it be a day to celebrate alleviation of the pains of the migrants, refugees, victims of wars, and those whose lands and resources have been usurped. Let May 14 mark the beginning of a new world where peacemaking overcomes the industry of weapons, showing evidence of our ability to create a common environment where we can all live together as fellow brothers and sisters enjoying mutual love.
In the name of Al-Azhar, or rather in the name of all my fellow brothers and sisters in humanity, I would like to thank all medical staff, all male and female scientists and researchers working to find a treatment to protect us from this pandemic. I would also like to thank all individuals and institutions carrying out initiatives and projects to help us fight this battle. I invoke God to guide them and make them of benefit to all humanity.
It is high time, dear fellow brothers and sisters, that we turn to God, Exalted is He, sincerely, devoutly and in good will, knowing that "none other than God can remove it". (Qur'an, 53:58) O God, we ask You for forgiveness and constant wellbeing in this life and in the life to come. May God’s peace and blessings be upon our Master, Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
