Quran Comprehensively Addresses Human Growth, Development: Al-Azhar Official

IQNA – The Holy Quran comprehensively addresses the growth and development of human beings, an Al-Azhar official said.

Mahmoud Sidiq, the deputy dean of Al-Azhar’s faculty of studies and research, made the remark in an international conference on human development and contemporary challenges.

It was held Saturday, April 26, 2025, at Al-Azhar’s faculty of theology and law in Cairo.

He said since the time of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Islam has offered a civilized and comprehensive model for human development and growth, el-Balad reported.

The Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH) focus on cultivating the soul, mind, body and spirit in balanced ways that lead to excellence in this world and the hereafter, he stated.

He added that this issue is mentioned in verse 77 of Surah Al-Qasas: “Seek the gains of the life to come through your wealth without ignoring your share of this life. Do favors to others just as God has done favors to you. Do not commit evil in the land for God does not love the evil-doers.”

Sidiq recalled Ja’far ibn Abi Talib’s stance towards Najashi, the king of Abyssinia, and his defense of the human values of Islam, saying these values played a role in shaping a nation that created a great civilization lasting for centuries and provided worthy models of knowledge, ethics, and justice.

He explained that Islamic civilization is not limited to one aspect of human life, but includes the development and cultivation of the soul, mind, body and spirit, and guides people towards all good and forbids all corruption.

Referring to the prophetic Hadiths that call for holistic cultivation and education, he said that the Holy Prophet (PBUH) was a model of this holistic structure for human development, because he commanded everything that is for the benefit of human life and forbade everything that corrupts it.

He went on to say that the world today urgently needs to return to the teachings of this true religion based on its values, morals and teachings in order to face the great challenges that threaten the Islamic Ummah and the Arab world.

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