In Detail: Sisi’s Speech on Occasion of Laylat al-Qadr

During the celebration of Laylat al-Qadr, President Abdel Fattah El Sisi gave a speech and greeted all Islamic nations on that holy occasion.

Here is the full text of Sisi's speech:

“In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful”

His Eminence the Grand Imam, Sheikh Al-Azhar

Revered scholars

Egypt’s dear guests, honorable attendees

﴾May the peace, mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you﴿

It gives me pleasure, as we celebrate together this holy occasion, Laylat-ul- Qadr, to extend my greetings to the great people of Egypt and all the peoples of the Arab and Islamic countries.

This blessed night, when Allah Almighty sent down the Quran, a guidance for the people and clear verses of guidance and criterion. I call for invoking the inspiration of this holy month’s spirit to solidify moral and human values in order to live as Allah wanted us to live, a nation of values and morals.

It also gives me pleasure to welcome Egypt’s dear guests and congratulate the memorizers of the Book of Allah Almighty from Egypt and different world countries, the winners of the 28th International Holy Quran Competition. I would like to reiterate the importance of understanding the meanings of the Holy Quran and its sublime purposes, which uphold the interests of all mankind.

On this honorable occasion, I would like to extend my greetings and appreciation to the dedicated scholars of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif and the Ministry of Awqaf (religious endowments). I look forward to seeing a promising generation of young scholars and intellectual imams who contribute to addressing our current issues within the framework of understanding the reality, developments, and challenges of our time, while adhering to the fundamentals of Islamic Sharia law.

From this perspective, I ask you to continue your diligent efforts and commendable endeavors to disseminate the correct teachings of Islam, rectify misconceptions, and introduce the quintessence of Islamic teachings, that bear illustrations of mercy, tolerance, cooperation, hard work, construction and reasoning of the righteous understanding of Allah’s holy text and His pine wisdom in shepherding this vast universe, in a manner that contributes to filling the earth.

The great people of Egypt,

There is no doubt that conscious and enlightened religious discourse is a key element in countering destructive extremist ideology. Therefore, we hope to exert more efforts and work toward disseminating sound understanding and raising awareness of our religion and homeland’s affairs in order to achieve a better future for us, our sons, and the upcoming generations. This shall enhance our efforts to realize our main goal of preserving the essence of religion and raise the awareness of children and youth about the dangers of extremist thoughts, on the one hand and the magnitude of the challenges on the other.

In this context, I invite all of you, to vigorously continue building the future of this country together, against a backdrop of an enlightened understanding of the purposes, greatness, and clemency of religion, as well as its emphasis on the indispensability of hard work, mastery, sincerity, cooperation, compassion, and national solidarity. We must let this holy month and this blessed night inspire the spirit of sincerity and Allah’s observation, the Mighty and Sublime, in all our actions, our movements, and our dwellings.

Finally, we turn to Allah Almighty in prayer to direct our steps on the path of goodness and construction and to deepen the strength of our faith, willpower, and moral vigilance in all aspects of life and to work diligently for the sake of our dear homeland and for the sake of present and future generations.

We ask Allah Almighty to anoint our work and efforts with prosperity and success, for He is the Excellent Protector and Excellent Helper.

Wishing you many happy returns.

May the peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you.