The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Prof. Ahmad At-Tayyeb, received Muhammad Abdul Ati, Egypt’s Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources.

The Grand Imam said that the Nile, since the dawn of history, has enjoyed a distinguished position among Egyptians, and they have been concerned with it, calculating its level, rationing its water, and making optimal use of it. He added that this interest was the focus of the Egyptian civilization, which made Egypt a center of civilizational and cultural radiation in various ages.

His Eminence stressed the importance of restoring awareness among the current generation of the importance of the Nile, and ways to ration the consumption of its water, and make optimal use of it in a way that achieves the welfare of the Egyptians, and preserves the share of future generations of this wealth. He indicated that Islam calls for rationing water consumption, and educates Muslims of its importance in human life in general.

Abdul Ati, for his part, thanked His Eminence the Grand Imam for the speech he delivered at the Islamic Conference of Ministers Responsible for Water held by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), in which he stressed the danger and impact of water on people’s lives, and Islam’s legislation of provisions that protect it from waste, misuse or extravagance. He noted that the speech won admiration of the Ministers at the OIC, and it has been translated into several languages owing to its importance.