In his speech at the twenty-sixth forum of the Council of Senior Scholars, entitled: “The Eternal Language between Scientific Heritage and Linguistic Renewal.”
His Eminence Professor Dr. Abbas Shoman, Secretary General of the Council of Senior Scholars and former Undersecretary of Al-Azhar, said: The Arabic language is a universal language by divine mandate. God Almighty sent His Noble Messenger Muhammad, peace and blessings of God be upon him, as a mercy to the worlds, and God Almighty said: “And we have not sent you except as a mercy to the worlds.” His eternal miracle, the Holy Qur’an, came in a clear Arabic language, so it was obligatory for every Muslim, regardless of his country and his original language, to learn The Arabic language, even if only to the extent that he understands the teachings of the Holy Qur’an. His Eminence affirmed that Al-Azhar Al-Sharif preserves the Arabic language and defends it, at a time when foreign languages have become the basis for many, to the point where parents become upset if their young children speak Arabic, and may God even punish them. Some have begun to speak foreign words and cannot express them in their Arabic language, while The owner of a foreign language only speaks in his own language, so it is better for us to preserve our language, to be proud of it, and to encourage our children to learn it and understand its aesthetics, for it is the language of the Holy Qur’an, our greatest constitution. His Eminence explained that His Eminence the Grand Imam, Professor Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Sheikh of Al-Azhar, may God protect him, does not speak in any meeting or international forum except in Arabic, despite his mastery of the French and English languages, and this is the example to be followed in adhering to our language and communicating it to the entire world.
