Press Release
Reading the Quran in the Grand Egyptian Museum
When Remembrance is Denounced and Falsehood is Permitted!!
The incident of arresting a young man who recited verses about Pharaoh inside the Grand Egyptian Museum sparked widespread controversy after some members of official religious institutions came out denouncing his action, describing it as "disrespect to the Quran" and that it contained a "dangerous insinuation"! This incident, in its simplicity, reveals a deep imbalance in the intellectual and moral scales that govern public life today, and exposes the double standards by which people's actions are judged under systems based on secular thought.
Before that, the secular regime in Egypt, the land of Kinana, began to transform the Muslim country, which takes pride in its religion, creed, and ancient Islamic history, by isolating it from this honor; sometimes by attributing it to the vile Arab nationalism, sometimes to the rotten patriotism, and other times to the polytheistic Pharaonism, all of which is a war on the country and its people and what they carry of beliefs, history, and a glorious Islamic present; therefore, it was not surprising that the regime's mouthpieces denounced the young man's reading of the Quran, which they are fighting and want to obliterate its verses and highlight the polytheistic Pharaonic features.
Indeed, reciting the Quran is a great act of worship, for which a Muslim is rewarded wherever he recites it. Allah Almighty said: ﴿So, recite what is easy [for you] of the Qur'an.﴾, and He did not specify it to one place over another, nor one time over another. So, recitation is permissible in the house, on the road, in the market, in the workplace, and in any pure place where remembrance is not forbidden. Rather, the remembrance of Allah in places where negligence prevails has great merit, so how can it be denounced today that the Quran is recited in a museum, which is a place that does not carry a polytheistic sanctity, does not contain impurity, and no obvious evil is committed in it?!
The statement that reciting the verses of the story of Pharaoh in the museum is "disrespect" or a "dangerous insinuation" is a false statement from the point of view of Sharia and reason. The Quran is a book of guidance, sent down by Allah to be recited and pondered by people in every time and place. No one has the right to prevent its recitation or limit it to mosques or official occasions. Rather, such a recitation is a reminder of the verses of Allah in a place where the history of the kings of the earth who were tyrannical is displayed, and it is a legitimate reminder that does not deviate from the Quran's purpose of exhortation and lesson. Allah Almighty said: ﴿There was certainly in their stories a lesson for those of understanding.﴾ So, has the lesson become forbidden, the remembrance suspicious, and the Quran a place of ambiguity?!
What is even worse is that those who denounce a young man for reading the Quran in the museum, we do not hear them when musical concerts are held in the same place, or dances, statues, and songs mixed with false words are displayed. None of them said that this is disrespect to history, or a dangerous insinuation against heritage, but as soon as they heard verses from the Book of Allah, their hearts tightened, so they accused the reader of political insinuation and hidden intentions! This reveals that the problem is not in the act of recitation, but in the attitude of souls towards the Quran itself. The hearts that are accustomed to secularism cannot bear to see religion present in public life except under the ceiling of official permission and the direction of the authority.
The personal freedom that secular thought boasts about completely collapses at the first stance that shows a Muslim's adherence to his religion outside the framework drawn for him. If this young man had stood singing, playing music, or taking heritage photos, no one would have objected to him, and perhaps his action would have been considered an artistic expression or a revival of civilization. But for him to read the Quran, that is, according to them, an infringement on the sanctity of the place! What greater paradox is there than to prevent remembrance and allow entertainment in the same place?! This is the duality that reveals the reality of the intellectual systems in place today: they accept that a person does whatever he wants except to show his submission to Allah Almighty.
Furthermore, describing the museum as a "house of polytheism" or that reading the story of Pharaoh in it carries "offense" is an exaggeration in understanding. The museum is not a temple where someone is worshiped, but rather a historical display place that does not prevent a Muslim from remembering the fate of the tyrants and oppressors in it. And reminding of the laws of Allah in His creation is not an offense, but rather it is a completion of the message, because Allah Almighty made the stories of the Quran a lesson for all people, not exclusive to mosques or lessons. Rather, such a recitation refutes those who sanctify the monuments and Pharaonic history, reminding them that whoever transgressed before them has drowned, and that the kingdom belongs to Allah alone, without partner.
It is not known from the predecessors that they allocated specific places for reciting the Quran to the exclusion of others. Rather, they used to recite it in every situation, even in the fields of jihad, travels, and markets. Ibn Masoud, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "The bearer of the Quran should be known by his night when people are sleeping, and by his day when people are breaking their fast." The place is not sanctified by itself, but rather it is sanctified by the remembrance of Allah in it. Whoever prevents reading in a permissible place has prevented a legitimate act of worship without evidence, and this is control over what no human owns.
This incident is not an isolated incident, but rather a picture of the conflict between a thought that wants to confine religion to corners and rituals, and a thought that sees Islam as a law of life that is lived in all its details. The one who denounces today the recitation of verses of the story of Pharaoh in the museum is the same one who justifies stripping public life of the rulings of Sharia under the pretext of civility and religious neutrality. Thus, the authority of whims is replaced by the authority of Allah, and freedoms are sanctified when they serve falsehood, and suppressed when they speak the truth.
It is the right of a Muslim, rather it is his duty, to show his religion in every place, and to remind people of the words of their Lord whenever he can. The Quran is not a book that is hidden from reality or restricted to official occasions, but rather it is the light by which Allah guides whom He wills of His servants. Whoever's heart tightens upon hearing its verses should know that the problem is in his heart, not in the reader, and that Allah Almighty said: ﴿And when Allah is mentioned alone, the hearts of those who do not believe in the Hereafter shrink with aversion﴾.
The duty is to honor the one who read the Quran in this place, not to arrest him! And to denounce the one who prevents remembrance, not to justify him! The Muslim reads the Book of Allah wherever he wants, as long as he respects the etiquette of recitation. As for whoever wants to confiscate the Quran from the public space under the pretext of etiquette or sensitivity, then he is not defending etiquette, but rather secularism, which is intolerant of Islam if it goes beyond the walls of the mosque.
Thus, no matter how hard the tyrants try to create a false identity for the Islamic nation, and to sever its connection with its creed and civilization, they do not change the laws of Allah in His creation, nor do they prevent His true promise that sovereignty will be for His believing servants, and soon, against their will and with regret in their hearts, there will be a righteous caliphate on the path of prophecy, we ask Allah to be among its soldiers and witnesses.
﴿Indeed, the earth belongs to Allah. He causes to inherit it whom He wills of His servants. And the [best] outcome is for the righteous.﴾
The Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir
In the Wilayah of Egypt