Timbuktu Declaration

IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, MOST COMPASSIONATE AND MERCIFUL MAY ALLAH GRANT
BLESSINGS AND ABUNDANT PEACE AND SALUTATIONS UPON OUR MASTER MUHAMMAD,
AND ON HIS FAMILY AND COMPANIONS!
We, the assembled Delegates to the Forum, held in the scholarly City of Timbuktu, Republic
of Mali, being gathered in the true spirit of Islamic brotherhood and in the framework of
Islam’s historic mission as the Faith of Mercy and Justice, affirm the following:
1 The historical relationship of Islam, being the spiritual descendent of Ishmael and his
African mother Hagar, to Africa and the African peoples, is established in ancient times,
contributing to the protection of Muslims since the first exodus.
2 Despite narrow and ignorant claims to the contrary, that aim at depreciating the
continent’s contributions to Islam, Africa is a homeland to vibrant and sophisticated
traditions of scholarship, represented in the diverse spiritual and legal literatures of her
many Muslim peoples, and incarnated in the great libraries of the City of Timbuktu.
3 We are faithful heirs to that great African legacy, which we aim to restore, preserve and
share with the world and seek to live in fidelity to the inclusive spirit of Ishmael our father.
4 Recalling Hagar, we commit ourselves to Islam’s solidarity with women, and with single
women who struggle alone with the joys and responsibilities of motherhood in harsh
circumstances.
5 The interest of Islam to children, namely orphans and to their education, makes us devote
a great deal of our daily concerns. Recalling Ishmael, whose name means ‘God heard’, we
know that the Almighty Lord of the Worlds enjoins solidarity with weak children, who find
themselves far from the comforts and security of home.
6 Recalling Ishmael and Hagar’s story with Zamzam and the importance granted by the Holy
Qur’an to the blessing of water, we stress the need to protect and improve the water supply in
areas threatened by desertification and competition for resources.
7 Just as Allah has affirmed, through Ishmael, the need to respect the Other, and the duties
of hospitality and protection, we affirm the timeless Islamic virtue of hospitality to strangers,
and respect for those who are different from ourselves.
8 We commit ourselves to the struggle to eradicate illiteracy among all our people
9 We pledge ourselves to the struggles against diseases which devastate our people such as
Malaria and the HIV/Aids pandemic.
10 In a world of extreme disparities of income, we pledge ourselves to work alongside people
of all faiths in challenging global poverty and working to eradicate its causes.
11 Acknowledging with thanks the Middle Way of the glorious Islamic revelation, we reject
all forms of terrorism and the unjust taking of civilian life, both by governments and militias,
in Africa and around the world.
12 Our religion is based on peace and security. We categorically condemn all efforts to justify
violence and extremism through religious teachings.
13 We also affirm that the taking of hostages and kidnapping are actions that have no basis
in Islam: we find such actions completely reprehensible and unacceptable.
14 We celebrate the historic tolerance of the African continent, and pledge ourselves to
defending and enhancing this toleration, between races, peoples, and faiths, in the face of
religious and other forms of chauvinism and hatred.
15 We affirm the Holy Prophetic Teaching that calls for respect for everyone who pronounces
the Two Shahadas. We reject the ideology of takfir, and all forms of narrowness and
ungenerousity in religion.

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16 We call for the highest ideals of Allah’s Laws to guide our peoples as they search for more
representative and accountable government, under which all peoples and faith communities
can thrive in equal measure.

Fuad Nahdi Halle Usman Cisse Christopher Trott Mahamoud Dicko General Kafaougoune
Kone Baba Mahmaoud Haseyye Salem Ould Elhaj Mohamed Mahmoud Hammou Abdoul
Aziz Kebe Babikir Ahmed Babikir Khalid Zaki Oulefki Djafar Mohamed Garibullah Not
Identified Naser Qaribullah Shaykh Mohamed Al-Haj Ibrahim Hasan Cheikh Cisse Abdal
Hakim Murad Paul Hardy Shaykh Mohamed Abdul Qadir Mustafa Habib Omar Ben
hafedh Sedou Toumani Camara

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