Al-Azhar Stance Contradicts Quran’s Call to Support Truth: Yemeni Foundation
In a recent statement, Al-Azhar condemned Iran's retaliatory attacks on enemy military bases in the Persian Gulf countries.
Reacting to the statement, the Noon Quranic Foundation in Yemen said it deviated from the principles of the Holy Quran that call for preserving the truth.
The foundation stressed recognizing the danger of words taken out of context while ignoring the roots of the conflict.
“Such statements, whether intentional or unintentional, equate those who commit aggression with those who defend their nation and its dignity.”
The foundation said in a statement:
The current stage that the Muslim Ummah is experiencing is not a stage of fleeting comments, but a stage of distinguishing between positions that support the oppressed and, on the other hand, weaken the presence of truth in public consciousness. Therefore, it is imperative that the truth be expressed in its entirety, based on the Book of God, free from pressures and prejudices, and in line with the unshakable scales of justice.
For this reason, we have been careful to address the scholars of Al-Azhar from a position of religious responsibility, not hostility, and to remind them that they should speak with justice, as God says: “...And when you speak, speak justly…” (Verse 152 of Surah Al-An’am). We criticize the Al-Azhar statement on the events in the region and its descriptions of a specific party, the Islamic Republic of Iran, as being responsible for aggression, without providing an adequate explanation of the full context of the conflict or making a clear distinction between prohibited aggression and legitimate defense. Based on the teachings of the Holy Quran, we emphasize that war in Islam is not absolute aggression, but is limited to repelling oppression and revenge for aggression.
God Almighty says: “Permission [to fight] is given to those against whom war is waged because they have been wronged”. Targeting US military sites in the region used in aggression against Muslim countries is fundamentally different from targeting civilians. This should be clearly stated in Islamic legal discourse.
We also emphasize that the sanctity of civilian blood is an indisputable principle and a standard by which we measure all actions without selection or generalization. Justice requires us to distinguish between those who direct their attacks at military targets and those who widen the circle of harm to include innocent civilians.
Al-Azhar’s place in the conscience of the Ummah requires that it be a unifying voice, not a party to discord; a balance of justice, not an echo of political pressures; and a teller of the truth in its entirety, not in a fragmented and selective manner.
Therefore, the Noon Quranic Foundation fears that the unbalanced statements which do not express the whole truth will lead to confusion in the consciousness of the Ummah and undermine confidence in religious discourse, especially since your recent statement is separate from the clear context in which the Ummah has been living for decades, where it is exposed to projects of domination and continuous aggression, while a resistance front has emerged in the face of this reality, which is known today as the “axis of resistance”.
We emphasize that this axis - including the Islamic Republic of Iran - presents itself solely as a front against aggression and in support of the oppressed, especially in the case of the Palestinian cause, based on the verse: “And We willed to show favor to the oppressed of the earth.” Moreover, its military actions, when taken against bases and facilities used in aggression, are approved by the Quran in the context of self-defense, not in the sense of prohibited aggression, as God Almighty says: “So whoever transgresses against you, transgress against him in the same way as he transgressed against you.”
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Ignoring this natural extension of the principle of supporting the oppressed and portraying the resistance forces as a source of danger is a deviation from the Quranic understanding of reality. Therefore, we urge you to reconsider your positions in a way that achieves comprehensive Quranic justice and to present a discourse that places every action in its proper context and holds those who commit aggression accountable, without generalization or reductionism.
We remind you of God Almighty’s words: “And let not enmity against a people prevent you from doing justice.” For words, trusts, and statements are evidence, and history does not forget the positions of scholars in times of calamities and hardships. We ask God to guide you to that which upholds the truth, unites the Muslim Ummah, and fulfills the duty of explaining the truth as God Almighty has willed.
And God is the One who guides to the straight path.
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