Islamic heritage is a flowing river, to which the nation’s intellects have represented tributaries over many years. This Islamic heritage, deeply rooted in history, was subjected to distortion through critical writings and statements, in a way that drove the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar to defend it and confront its distorters, declaring that this great heritage has guided the nation and established a state that ruled from China in the east to Andalusia in the west.

At the Al-Azhar Ash-Sharif Conference held in Cairo (in 2020) under the title “Renewal in Islamic Thought”, the Grand Imam, in a debate with the President of Cairo University, refused the description of heritage as one instilling weakness and regression, and indicated that the renewal itself is a traditional process, not a modern one. For him, heritage does not involve a rejection of renewal, but rather a rejection of estrangement and alienation. So, to him, there is a difference between someone who renews a family house and another who prefers to leave the house altogether in preference of another.