On October 28, Dr. Salama Dawood, the President of Al-Azhar University, delivered an online lecture titled "Islamic Education in the Modern World: Challenges and Prospects" for master's and doctoral students of the Bolgar Islamic Academy. The event also connected students from the Russian Islamic Institute and the Kazan Islamic University via video link.
This lecture was held as part of an agreement between the Group of Strategic Vision "Russia–Islamic World" and Al-Azhar University. Notably, the Group had previously organized a visit of an Al-Azhar delegation to Kazan for meetings with the leadership of Tatarstan's Islamic universities.
Dr. Salama Dawood began his address by emphasizing that knowledge is the cornerstone for the revival of the Islamic community. The Sheikh stated that a nation's true value is determined by its capacity to produce knowledge, not merely to consume it.
"In the history of Islamic civilization, a scholar was only considered someone who contributed something new—an original idea or independent research," explained the Al-Azhar president. "Imitation and intellectual stagnation cannot lead to revival, whereas peoples who create their own knowledge become the architects of civilization and achieve epistemological independence."
The lecture focused on two key themes: the significance of knowledge for the development of the Ummah and the primary challenges facing Islamic education today. Discussing the classical Islamic tradition of seeking knowledge, Salama Dawood stressed that its foundation has always been independent thinking and creative inquiry, not rote memorization.
"To illustrate this point, I will tell you a story," he said. "When a student asked a sheikh which hand he should wear his watch on—the right or the left—the sheikh replied: 'First, make a watch; then you can wear it even on your foot.' This story symbolizes the spirit of creativity and innovation: the main thing is to create and think, not to limit oneself to external details."
Among the core problems plaguing contemporary Islamic education, the lecturer cited the prevalence of imitation over innovation, weakness in knowledge production, imperfect curricula, a decline in direct student-mentor interaction, the issuing of religious rulings without proper qualification, and insufficient adaptation to modern technological changes. In response, Al-Azhar University has established two new faculties dedicated to Artificial Intelligence, aiming to train specialists capable of addressing modern challenges and analyzing new technological phenomena from a Sharia perspective.
Concluding his lecture, Dr. Salama Dawood advised students and young scholars to read more widely, develop their analytical skills, critical thinking, and research independence, and to re-examine established questions within the context of contemporary realities.
"Islamic education carries a historical mission: to nurture a generation capable of intellectual renewal and scientific creativity," the Al-Azhar president stated. "Fidelity to tradition does not mean stagnation, and preserving heritage does not contradict openness to the world."
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: BIA
Based on materials from the BIA Press Service