During his official visit to the Republic of Iraq, H.E. Prof. Koutoub Moustapha Sano, Secretary General of the Academy, delivered a speech on Saturday evening, 17 Ramadan 1444, corresponding to 8 April 2023, in front of the crowds of worshipers at Al-Imam Al Azzam Mosque in Baghdad in which he explained in detail the wonderful meanings of the hadith narrated by Imam Muslim on the authority of Abi Malik Al-Ash’ari, who said: The Messenger of God, PBUH, said: “Purity is half of iman (faith). ‘Al-hamdu lillah (praise be to Allah)’ fills the scales, and ‘subhan-Allah (how far is Allah from every imperfection) and ‘Al-hamdulillah (praise be to Allah)’ fill that which is between heaven and earth. And the salah (prayer) is a light, and charity is a proof, and patience is illumination, and the Qur’an is a proof either for you or against you. Every person starts his day as a vendor of his soul, either freeing it or causing its ruin.”
His Excellency explained that moral purity means the purity of the heart from all diseases that afflict it, including hypocrisy, gossip, backbiting, hatred, jealousy, deceit, lying, telling falsehood, perjury, and other diseases that are known as diseases of the hearts. By preventing the soul from committing sins that the noble Sharia, and in the Sunnah of the Prophet, PBUH, such as injustice, transgression, aggression, hypocrisy, pride, and so on, considering that the forbidden things are all considered impurities and obscene, then they should be purified by repentance to Allah, and abandoning those sins.
As for physical purity, His Excellency explained that it means the purity of the body, food, drink, dwelling, and clothing from all dirt, and impurities, in order to preserve the soul from what threatens its safety and ability to comply with the command of his Lord, to avoid His prohibitions.
His Excellency clarified that Sharia has explained to us how to achieve both types of purification referred to above in an original and accurate manner, and he mentioned a number of prophet’s supplications that help purify the heart from the diseases that afflict it, including: “O God, purify my heart from hypocrisy, my action from vain show, my tongue from falsehood and my eyes from wrongful glances, for Thou knowest the surreptitious looks of the eyes and what is concealed in the breasts”. His Excellency stressed that Muslims should persevere in these supplications, and avoid falling into diseases of the heart, by avoiding all sins of the heart.
His Excellency pointed out that physical purity also means hygiene by using water in order to remove dirt and impurities. Islam has chosen to achieve this type of purification by means of ablution, ghusl, toothpicks, and what is known as Sunnan Al-Fitrah (Sunnahs of natural instinct), such as clipping nails, plucking armpits, shaving the pubic hair, istinja (washing the knuckles), trimming the moustache, and others.
His Excellency concluded by saying that purification is considered a part of faith if both of the aforementioned types are achieved in it, which means that a Muslim must strive to be morally pure by avoiding diseases of the heart and soul, and physically pure by persevering in removing impurities and dirts from his body, food, beverage, house, and clothes.
His Excellency’s speech received great praise from the worshipers, and the meeting was moderated by H.E. Sheikh Allama Dr. Ahmed Hassan Al-Taha, the chief scholar of the Iraqi Fiqh Academy.
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Secretary‑General of the Academy Visits the Consulate General of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan His Excellency Professor Dr. Qutb Mustafa Sano, Secretary‑General of the Academy, paid an official visit on 29 Sha‘ban 1447 AH, corresponding to 17 February 2026, to the Consulate General of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in Jeddah. His Excellency and his accompanying delegation were received by His Excellency Ambassador Mohammed Salah Sobhi Hameed, Consul General and Permanent Representative of Jordan to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, who welcomed him warmly and expressed his pleasure at the visit. He praised the distinguished intellectual efforts undertaken by the Academy under His Excellency’s leadership in addressing numerous religious and intellectual issues of concern to the Islamic world, affirming his personal honor in meeting His Excellency again and Jordan’s keenness to strengthen channels of communication and cooperation with the Academy, especially in areas of mutual interest. For his part, His Excellency expressed his deep gratitude and great appreciation to the Ambassador for the warm reception and generous hospitality. He commended the tremendous support, gracious care, and continuous attention the Academy has received from the leadership and people of Jordan since its establishment. He also conveyed his sincere appreciation for the Ambassador’s recent visit to the Academy, affirming the Academy’s full readiness to do everything that would enhance partnership, cooperation, coordination, and communication between the Academy and Jordanian religious and academic institutions. His Excellency was accompanied by Mr. Mohammed Al‑Mundhir Rida Al‑Shawk, Director of the Office and Protocol; Mr. Mohammed Waleed Al‑Idrisi, Director of Media and Public Relations; Ms. Sarah Amjad Badawi, Director of the Department of Family, Women, Children, and the Elderly; and Mr. Amjad Ibrahim Al‑Mansi, Head of the Protocol Section.
