Al-Azhar Grand Imam, Prof. Ahmad At-Tayyeb, said that the moderation of Islam lays on this nation the responsibility of carrying out the duty of guarding the human civilization and protecting it - while it is developing - from deviation from the straight path. Despite material and technical wealth, modern developments may turn into a source of misery, alienation and wandering in which case the forbearing one becomes bewildered, not knowing what is right and what is wrong, nor what to take and what to leave.

The three previous episodes of the Grand Imam At-Tayyeb Talk program showed that the most prominent characteristics of Islam is moderation in all its provisions and legislation, even those related to beliefs and acts of worship. In the fourth episode of his Ramadan program, which has been broadcast for the fifth year, His Eminence explained that the past three episodes are foundational episodes for the topic of the moderation of Islam. This episode and the subsequent ones will explain the most important manifestations of this moderation, its practical legislation and its daily life obligations.

His Eminence said that no researcher could deny the manifestations of moderation in this pure religion. The doctrine of Islam occupies an intermediate position between atheism and denial of divinity on the one hand, and polytheism and the plurality of gods on the other hand. Furthermore, worship in Islam has an intermediate place between religions in which worship is limited to mere spiritual contemplation, away from practical aspects, and religions that call for monasticism, dedication to worship and withdrawal from life.

Al-Azhar Grand Imam emphasized that Islam alone encourages Muslims to remember Allah at the heart of their daily life, while struggling with its incidents. They do not need a specific place or a specific uniform, for the Muslim worships Allah while walking on earth, working to construct it, and eating from its sustenance. The Muslim enjoys eating and drinking without extravagance, adorns himself with the adornment of the worldly life, but without arrogance, being charged with easy acts of worship: some of which are performed daily, some annually and some once in lifetime. In this way, the Muslim may remain permanently connected with Allah the Most High, and remain immune from demons and their temptations, from the whims of the ego and from the evils of bad companions.

His Eminence also indicated that moderation represents a safety valve in this pure religion, just as deviating from it represents a departure from the genuine religion itself, whether in the case of opting for the extreme of excess or to the extreme of negligence. The exact difference between them is that the former is an addition to what Allah has prescribed for His servants, whereas the latter is a detraction from Allah’s law and its rulings. Extremism and negligence are both ugly and reprehensible because they represent a departure from the moderate middle position, which is justice.

Some people are so strict in their religious practices that they go to extremes in their rulings. They forbid what Allah has made permissible for people, and impose what Allah has not made obligatory upon them. Such people are not in a better condition than those who dare to issue fatwas or opinions that forge religion and transgress on the Sharia of Allah in return for a position, money or prestige. They make lawful for people what is forbidden to them, or deceive them about what is lawful and what is unlawful. In both cases, they are transgressors of the sanctity of Islam, and they are liars who claim for themselves the right to legislate in religion what Allah did not authorize.

His Eminence added that every such attempt - excessive or negligent - is in fact an attempt to empty Islam of the great content that Allah Almighty wanted for this nation, and of what His Messenger (pbuh) implemented through his honorable actions and words. Muslims have been afflicted, at every time and place, with a faction of these or those, who mislead people with fatwas and opinions that tempt young people, either by evading the limits of religion and the rules of the Sharia, or by being strict, close-minded and withdrawn from society. There is no protection from the fatal poisons of these and those except by asking the people of knowledge who convey the message of their Lord, fear Him, and fear no one but Him. The Grand Imam pointed out that there are three postulates that should be mentioned before talking about the aspects of moderation in Islamic legislation. First, The Holy Qur’an is the first source of social legislation and general rules in economic and political legislation for Muslims, wherever they are, and however different time and place they may live in.

This general legislative framework is expressed in our modern language as the constants of Sharia, while the models that are always changing are expressed as variables. The rulings of the Qur’an regarding the changing human aspect - which is the aspect of daily-life transactions - are all general provisions allowing us to go along with the law of change that governs the movement of the universe with all its humans, animal and plants.

Al-Azhar Grand Imam added that the second postulate is that nothing in the Holy Qur’an or in the authentic Sunnah indicates – not in the slightest - that its legislation is timed for a specific historical period, or for a specific area. If such a thing was mentioned, Muslims would have an excuse if they wanted to disengage from these legislations and dispense with them to replace them with other legislations that organize for them the course of their society, their ways of thinking, and their patterns of living. Rather, it is established from the texts of the Qur’an and Sunnah that their legislation is singled out for being permanent and stable, while being flexible and able to keep pace with inevitable changes.

The third postulate is that it is a given fact among the fair thinkers, even those who do not believe in Islam, that the legislations of this religion have provided humanity with the most wonderful values, concepts and legislative rulings ever known throughout the history of human civilizations, ancient and modern.

Grand Imam At-Tayyeb Talk has been broadcast for the fifth year on Egyptian and Arab channels. The program was launched in Ramadan 2016. In its first year, it dealt with general issues such as women, youth, atheism, and terrorism. In 2017, it dealt with issues most notably terrorism and extremism, family affairs, heritage and religious renewal, and the missionary call to Allah. In its third year, 2018, it discussed religious, intellectual and philosophical issues such as belief, faith, the existence of God, His names and attributes, and the foundations and pillars of Islam. As for its fourth year, 2020, it dealt with a number of emerging issues such as Corona and contemporary jurisprudential issues, in addition to a group of values such as filial piety, modesty, justice, mercy, chivalry, and chastity. In its fifth year, 2021, the program explained the characteristics of the Muslim religion, the moderation of Islam and its manifestations, the rules of legal obligations, the ease of Sharia, the sources of legislation, and the response to fallacies about the Prophet's Sunnah and heritage.