The delegation of the Ummah’s scholars visiting Afghanistan met with one of the most eminent scholars of the Afghan authorities, H.E. Sheikh Mawlawi Shihab al-Din Dilawar, Minister of Oil and Minerals, on Sunday 17 Safar 1445, corresponding to September 3, 2023, at the delegation’s residence in the capital, Kabul.

The meeting began with a recitation of the Holy Qur’an, after which His Excellency the Minister expressed the Islamic Emirate’s great appreciation for the delegation’s visit, thanking them for their second visit, which is proof of the Ummah scholars’ solidarity with the Afghan people and their concern for the Emirate’s future.

His Excellency the Minister spoke of the emirate’s achievements over the past two years in various fields, the most important of which are stability, the economy, education and minerals, explaining that the ministry he oversees has been able to sign a number of contracts and agreements with local, regional and international companies specializing in gas, oil and the exploration of gold, copper, lead, emeralds, zinc, iron and precious stones. These contracts are estimated to be worth billions of dollars, noting that these agreements will help the Islamic Emirate achieve comprehensive development and provide employment opportunities for thousands of Afghans seeking a decent life, stressing that the current Afghan authority is committed to transparency and ensures the quality of its tenders and contracts with credible and professional companies. His Excellency then referred to recent developments in the field of education, which the current authority considers to be one of the Emirate’s priorities and the focus of the Commander of the Faithful, stressing that the revision of school curricula is underway based on Islamic values, and while preserving Afghan customs and traditions. He called on scholars to continue providing advice and support to the emirate, based on the principle of “cooperation in righteousness and piety” and the principle that “the believer is the mirror of his brother”.

For his part, H.E. Prof. Koutoub Moustapha Sano, Secretary General of the Academy and head of the delegation, expressed the delegation’s sincere thanks and appreciation for the generosity and warm welcome, praising the success of the current authority in ensuring security and safety in all provinces of the country, and congratulating His Excellency the Minister on the remarkable achievements of his Ministry under his wise leadership, noting that the future is promising due to the contracts and agreements concluded by the Ministry recently. However, His Excellency stressed that the natural resources that abound in Afghanistan’s rich lands can only be exploited to the full if Afghan children are given the means to obtain education, both religious and worldly and at all levels, in accordance with Sharia law, which stipulates that education is a legitimate and sacred right shared by everyone, men and women alike. It is therefore not permissible, according to the Sharia, to make a distinction between men and women with regard to this right, just as it is not permissible to make a distinction between the religious sciences and the worldly sciences, for all are required and necessary, as His Excellency the Minister knows better, in his capacity as a great scholar of the sciences of hadith, jurisprudence, logic and usul. His Excellency concluded his speech by stressing that the delegation wishes the Afghan authority to add scientific subjects alongside religious ones in the schools that had been opened.

The delegation also expressed its eagerness to see girls enrolled in universities and schools to pursue their studies in all available fields, after the authorities had suspended their studies for reasons they described as “problems and difficulties”. His Excellency explained that the separation of boys and girls in classrooms, applied in many Muslim countries, would solve all the problems and difficulties that arise, particularly with regard to co-education and the non-observance of the Islamic hijab according to the Hanafi school of law in Afghanistan.

His Excellency the Minister gave the floor to the scholars of the Ummah expressing their opinions, which in turn stressed the importance of education, both religious and worldly, in accordance with the principles of Sharia. They also spoke of the danger of depriving either sex of any kind of education, and the fact that any postponement would seriously damage Afghanistan’s promising future, as well as the security and stability already achieved by the current authority in recent times.

At the end of the meeting, His Excellency the Minister promised the delegation that he would pass on their appeal to the leaders of the Islamic Emirate, in the hope that Ummah Scholars would visit often.