The Quran as a Pillar of Afghan Unity, Governance, and National Identity

Speech at the Celebration of the Quran’s Revelation week 

Keypoints:

• Faith and Guidance: Quran as the source of moral and spiritual direction.
• Unity and Identity: Strengthening Afghan cohesion and national identity.
• Education and Knowledge: Promoting Quranic understanding and Islamic scholarship.
• Governance and Law: Anchoring laws and policy in Islamic principles.
• Youth and Leadership: Developing young Afghans through faith and service.
• Respect for Scholars: Honoring centuries of religious scholarship.
• Peace and Justice: Combating discord and promoting societal stability.
• Resilience and Welfare: Linking faith to national prosperity and protection.

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 

Most respected Ulema (scholars), very dear sisters and brothers, respected members of the Cabinet, Honorable Baligh Sahib, respected sister Momand Sahib, respected sister Nazari Sahib, respected sister Minister of Counter-Narcotics, respected Minister of Hajj and Religious Affairs, Honorable Rahimi Sahib, Honorable Minister of Education, Honorable Ustadh Ghazanfar, Honorable Mawlawi Sahib Kashaf, Honorable Arghandiwal Sahib, Honorable Minister of Justice, Samim Sahib, all Ulema Karam (noble scholars): Peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings!

The Revelation as a Historical Turning Point

Today is a day of pride as we celebrate the revelation of the Holy Quran; this is the duty of every Muslim and Afghan. Today, we celebrate a turning point in human history. What existed before the revelation of the Great Quran was a season of ignorance; what followed the revelation of the Great Quran is the season of awareness, unity, and equality. Black, red, white, and yellow—all are human. Today, we celebrate humanity.

National Identity and Islamic Unity

Furthermore, today we celebrate the turning point of our national identity. Mahmud Tarzi said: "Whatever we were before the manifest religion of Islam, we were." Where is the point of unity for our 99.9% Muslim population, whose great social capital lies in the unity of belief and religious solidarity? Every time the state has collapsed, the nation has revived itself around the great banner of Islam. Therefore, the destiny of every Afghan is tied to their religion in a way that cannot be severed. Let us believe, as we do, that we were Muslims, we are Muslims, and we will remain Muslims.

This religion is eternal. As mentioned in the poem, philosophies have come and died; they have turned to dust. This is a perpetual message. As a nation, our first eternal guide for life lies within the Islamic system. No one should have any doubt that our Constitution has defined the position of the manifest religion of Islam in such a way that no other constitution in any part of the world equals it in this regard—this is the complete result of our national consensus on our Islamic identity.

Personal Reflection and Guidance

Personally, today is a moment of both humility and ultimate joy for me because my point of reference—especially in the holy month of Ramadan and in all circumstances—is the Holy Quran. If a difficult day comes, my solace is in the verses of the Great Quran; if a day of joy comes, my delight is in those verses; and in all states and conditions, the Great Quran is my guide. I hope our youth realize the same conviction and consistency that I have felt. Without the Holy Quran, this society will reach neither stability nor prosperity and peace—especially in the holy month of Ramadan, which redirects us all toward the remembrance of God (SWT), the rulings of the manifest religion of Islam, and the Seerah (life) of our Great Prophet.

Condolences and Counter-Terrorism

We, the people of Afghanistan, especially the people of Kabul, are sitting on the rug of mourning today. In this regard, I offer my condolences to every sister, mother, father, and brother. I ask the noble Ulema to pray for the highest paradise for all our martyrs and for a swift recovery from God for our wounded. Since the Night of Power (Laylat al-Qadr) is ahead of us, I hope our Ulema will repeat the prayer of any Afghan: that the blood of Afghans no longer be shed, and that God (SWT) guides the misguided, the rebels, and the people of fitna (sedition).

All rulings and definitions of fitna, rebellion, and terror are known. The noble Ulema and all of us must extinguish fitna or fitnas and guide the people of rebellion and ignorance toward the path of justice and fairness. Terror has no place in our manifest religion.

Honoring the Ulema and Scholarship

Secondly, I want to thank the noble Ulema. Honorable Munib Sahib, I thank you, but I am not the one worthy of honor; you are the ones worthy of honor; the noble Ulema are worthy of honor. You have endured hardships for 1,400 years; as a servant of this nation, it is my duty to honor those 1,400 years of service.

Regarding the Great Quran, as Honorable Muhaqiqzada Sahib said, there is no doubt or ambiguity. It is embedded in the Quran itself that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) could not change even a point or a word. When His Excellency could not change it, think: can anyone else change or distort it? On the other hand, the Ulema have worked for 1,400 years to understand the depth of its meaning. Qarloq Sahib spoke well when he said the words are simple, but it is "Sahl-e Mumtani" (simple yet impossible to replicate). Simple yet impossible is not easy.

Thousands of times, attempts were made for someone to produce a parallel to a single Surah of the Great Quran in the Arabic language. In the end, the greatest poets and literati confessed that competition with the Word of God is impossible. However, in interpretation, 1,400 years of effort have been spent, and the degrees are clear. Eight degrees are clear. No one can consider themselves qualified without taking these levels into account.

Therefore, it is necessary that we honor the 1,400 years of labor that have been endured. Today, we not only honor the revelation of the Great Quran but also you, the noble Ulema, who stand in the place of the Prophets.

Islamic Civilization and Historical Lineage

Thirdly, it is necessary to do fundamental work on "Quran-logy" (understanding the Quran). I told you personally that the scholar to whom I am personally most indebted is Shah Waliullah Dehlawi. It was Shah Waliullah Dehlawi who first made understanding possible in the Dari language. Do not forget the reach of Shah Waliullah Dehlawi; his son, Shah Abdul Aziz, provided the interpretation in the Urdu language. And do not forget that the one who was the correspondent and partner of Shah Waliullah Dehlawi was Ahmad Shah Durrani. The correspondence of these two should never be forgotten, nor should it be forgotten that it was Timur Shah Durrani who brought the noble family of Hazrat Sahib Mujaddidi from India to Kabul.

So, it is necessary for us to labor in Quranic studies. Also, my personal teacher, Tarif Khalidi, who is from one of the most distinguished families of Palestine, perhaps prepared the best interpretation of the Holy Quran in the English language, spending twenty years of his life on this task. Therefore, we must invest in the field of Quranic understanding.

At the same time, there is a need to understand the Seerah of the Prophet (Seerat-un-Nabi). The "Perfect Human" is the Great Prophet of Islam; hence, we must understand his Seerah from its depths. Finally, there is a need to understand Islamic Civilization. I do not think there is a civilization of this greatness in the world whose members, while proud of their affiliation, are so unaware of their own history and civilization. Look at the history of medicine alone; in the greatest universities of Europe, the statue or portrait at their gates is of Ibn Sina of Balkh. Look at mathematics—from whom did they take inspiration? And astronomy—whom did they emulate?

We should not believe that we are without civilization. We possess a magnificent civilization. In my view, we must go a thousand years back so that we can go a thousand years forward. Because if you do not understand the past, you will think your Islamic identity is—God forbid—under threat. The better we understand history, the stronger our faith will become, Insha'Allah. But it is not achieved through this alone; few Ghazis (warriors) like us have been found. Let one point be clear: show me one nation in history that has given one and a half million sacrifices for the sake of the word "Allah." Let this be clear: let no one else give us lessons on Islam; you are our teachers of Islam.

Religious Harmony and the Legitimacy of the State

Anyone who wants to debate with our Ulema—"here is the yardstick, here is the field!" (a challenge). If you consider yourself a scholar, from whichever country you are, come; I will provide you with this very hall to debate with our noble Ulema.

Here, I repeat once more: the brotherhood that exists between the Ulema of the Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah and the Jafari Fiqh (jurisprudence) is unique and a source of pride for this nation. Our sorrow, joy, and destiny are one. This country is not a place for religious discord. If you think you can attack our Takyas (mourning halls), I assure you that every Sunni will sacrifice themselves to protect our Takyas, and likewise, every Shia will defend every mosque. Have no doubt in our Afghan brotherhood.

For this reason, I thank you. It is also necessary that the resonant voice of our Ulema—as mentioned several times in this hall—be raised against fitna, war, deviation, and terror. You are not defending me or the government; you are defending your Islamic system. Do you know of any other system where—without the existence of a legitimate state—transactions are considered legitimate? Can a marriage (Nikah) be valid without the existence of a state? This is the greatness of the manifest religion of Islam; because it is a complete system. And "system" means there should be no place for fitna. You are the guides to preventing fitna.

Policy Proposals and Executive Orders

In the third part and the conclusion, I come to your proposals and certain actions. Honorable Momand Sahib, appoint a commission for the establishment of the Faculty of Quranic Sciences so that this request of the Ulema can take practical form. Secondly, regarding medals, the respected Ministry of Information and Culture should consider the proposal for four medals: Imam Azam, Imam Basti Helmand, Mawlawi Sahib Yaqub Charkhi, and Imam Razi.

Additionally, I have two proposals for you, if they are acceptable: Do not forget Hujwiri Ghaznawi; the Saint of Lahore is from Ghazni. Everyone calls him "Data Ganj Bakhsh," but they have forgotten he was a Ghaznawi who taught them religion. It will always be Afghans who consolidate their religion. And Shah Waliullah Dehlawi.

Regarding the amendment of the law, which consists of two parts, I agree with you. But on the other part, we will discuss the numbers and figures—how many people are there? So that opportunities are created for the youth, but we will bring a balance.

Last year’s quota of the Ulema Council for Hajj was 30 people. This year, my instruction is this: you have given 150 martyrs from among the Ulema; 150 additional quotas are dedicated to you. And finally, Honorable Munib Sahib, you mentioned an orphan. First, I thank him. The government’s assistance to these youths was 20,000; I promise that I will give 50,000 Afghanis to each of the five individuals, and I will give 300,000 Afghanis to this orphan from my own resources.

Closing and Final Prayer

My son! You have come here with hopes. This will be the first step. May God (SWT) make you a great scholar; may God make you a cause of service to this homeland. I hope that one day your son or daughter will be the President of Afghanistan in my place.

In conclusion, we once again pray for the pure souls of the martyrs—from the Ulema, sisters, daughters, old, young, and especially our heroic security and defense forces, judges, prosecutors, and all our officials who are in the service of the people. Likewise, I wish a swift recovery for the wounded and repeat my request: on the night where worship is worth thousands of times more, please raise your hands in the presence of the Creator of all the universes for the end of bloodshed, the union and unity of Afghans, and the stability and prosperity of our people. It is hoped that God (SWT) will have mercy on our state; for the manifest religion of Islam is a "Mercy to the worlds."

Thank you.