His Excellency Sheikh Maulvi Shihab-al-Din Dilawar, Minister of Minerals and Energy in the ruling authority in Afghanistan, met with a delegation of Muslim scholars visiting Kabul led by His Excellency Prof. Koutoub Moustapha Sano, Secretary General of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA), on Thursday 24 Dhu al-Qi’dah 1443H corresponding to 23 June 2022G, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Minerals and Energy in the Afghan capital, Kabul.

His Excellency the Minister expressed his high appreciation and great gratitude to the delegation of Muslim scholars for their visit to the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. He also expressed his special thanks to the Ummah’s scholars for their concern for the future of the Afghan people, stressing that this visit is a sincere expression of the great care and attention that the Afghan issue receives from the Ummah’s scholars and thinkers. He also expressed his hope that this visit will be followed by other visits in order to strengthen the relations of affection and brotherhood between the Afghan people and the Muslim peoples. His Excellency concluded by appealing to the delegation of scholars to mediate with the member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in order to speed up the recognition of the ruling authority in Afghanistan as the legitimate authority representing the Afghan people, with the aim of urging the international community to recognize it and release Afghanistan’s detained assets.

For his part, His Excellency the Secretary General, head of the delegation, expressed the delegation’s great pleasure, great thanks, and great appreciation for the generous hospitality and warm welcome it received, praising the good efforts made by the current authority in Afghanistan to achieve security, prosperity and orderliness for the nation of Afghanistan after many years of war and turmoil.

Then His Excellency spoke about the Academy as the supreme jurisprudential reference for the Muslim Ummah that is concerned with clarifying the Shariah rulings in calamities and issues of concern to Muslims everywhere, and as the largest reliable scientific institution for collective ijtihad in the current era, which makes its resolutions and recommendations acceptable to the Ummah in all parts of the world. His Excellency clarified that “the visit of a delegation of Muslim scholars to Afghanistan led by the Academy comes in implementation of the decision of the Ministerial Council of Foreign Ministers of the OIC Member States, which assigned the Academy to lead a delegation of the Ummah’s scholars to conduct a dialogue and conversation with Afghan scholars and Afghan officials on a number of issues and topics of concern to the Afghan people in the present era, on top of which is the issue of tolerance and coexistence between followers of religions and sects, the issue of girl’s education, and the issue of women’s work. His Excellency indicated that the delegation’s visit to the Ministry of Minerals and Energy aims to talk with His Excellency not as Minister of Minerals and Energy, but as one of the prominent and well-established scholars of Afghanistan and as the owner of a clear vision, and insight, with extensive experience and deep knowledge of the Holy Quran, the Noble Sunnah and Islamic heritage, which makes the dialogue with His Excellency a dialogue in science, jurisprudence and thought”.

His Excellency added: “The Ummah’s scholars are fully confident that His Excellency the Minister and the scholars of Afghanistan share the clear and forthright Shariah opinion that seeking knowledge (= learning and teaching) is an act of worship that is imposed on everyone, whether man or woman, and that the Qur’anic and hadith texts do not differentiate between the two. The scholars of the Ummah know very well that His Excellency and the eminent scholars of Afghanistan share the same opinion that work is also an act of worship that is imposed on both sexes, and they must comply with that divine command. Finally, Muslim scholars are fully aware of the commendable efforts that His Excellency and the scholars of Afghanistan are making to correct misconceptions about women’s education and work, and about the necessity of tolerance and coexistence between followers of religions, sects and ethnicities. Based on this, the delegation of scholars would like to advise regarding compliance with the directives commanded by our true religion namely to allow both sexes/boys and girls access to education at all educational levels, and to ensure the participation of Afghan women in the efforts to build and progress in accordance with the Shariah regulations set by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, and to continue efforts of promoting moderation and spreading a culture of tolerance, coexistence and harmony among the components of the Afghan people of all races and ethnicities”.

Then His Excellency gave the floor for the delegation members to give each their opinion on the aforementioned topics.

In response to the proposals of the delegation of scholars, His Excellency the Minister renewed his thanks and appreciation to the delegation, noting that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is committed to achieving all the suggestions and advice presented by the delegation, explaining that the approach of the Afghanistan’s scholars in da’wah for the Afghan people was and will continue to be based on the three scientific foundations that were referred to in the Almighty’s saying. ((Invite ˹all˺ to the Way of your Lord with wisdom and kind advice, and only debate with them in the best manner)). His Excellency concluded by inviting the delegation of scholars to repeat their visit to Afghanistan in the coming days.