It was with
great pleasure, and a feeling of privilege, that together with other guests I was
invited to meet Shaykh Abdul Rahman al-Sudais, the former
Chief of Imams at the Masjid al-Haram, & Current President of Haramain (the
two holiest mosques).
This
meeting with the Shaykh was facilitated by the Director of the London office of
Saudi Islamic Affairs ministry, providing an opportunity, for those who work in
the Islamic field and greater awareness of Islamic teachings in this country,
to remind them of how they could and should be real ambassadors of Islam, and
work for the benefit of their religion by serving humanity.
The
Shaykh is a well-known religious personality throughout the Muslim world, who,
besides his duties as an imam of the holiest mosque in Islam, has also acted as
goodwill ambassador for the Haramain for the past 35 years.
He
has become very popular amongst Muslims for his recitations of the Quran and
dua (supplications) during the month of Ramadan. His voice had a magical impact
on listeners, particularly during the traweeh and Night Time prayers (Qiyamul
lail salaah), which I myself experienced, and which had a profound effect on
me.
Shaykh
Sudais's address demonstrated to those
who work for Islam how to be positive and bring benefits to all communities, by
showing compassion and kindness to all, and by not becoming involved in
controversy or harmful preaching that would divide people and bring harm to
Islam.
Some
of the key points offered by Shaykh al-Sudais were as follow:
1-
Working for Allah always
should be based on ‘Taqwa’ the piety and awe of Allah, which purifies one's
intention for the sake of Allah. No personal gain should be intended or
received from such work.
2-
The Shaykh then, in
conjunction with his first point, emphasised that our work should be based on
‘sincerity and pure following’ (al-Ikhlaas wal Ittibaa`). Sincerity is a
pre-requisite to our dedication towards our work, as without it our work would
not be solely for the sake of Allah. We need to seek the pleasure of Allah
through our work and not let any other consideration be part of it, or it may
be spoilt. ‘Following’ means following the rules and teachings of the Prophet
Mohammad, Peace and Mercy of Allah be upon him, in our dedication in our work,
or it may change the nature of the outcome and we may fail to achieve that
which we desire. The Shaykh elaborated this point further by giving examples
from the hadith.
3-
He reminded us
all that Islam stands as the religion of moderation, between two extremes of
attitude, and that the work of Dawah must take this into consideration. He
quoted the Quranic verse which says: ‘and that We have made you a nation of
moderation (or a just and well balanced nation) so that you may be a witness
over people..’
He
emphasised the fact that those who practise violence in the name of Islam are
misled and harm the spirit of Islamic teachings for their own goals.
4-
Shaykh al-Sudais
also reminded us that those who work towards Islamic awareness must not cause
division among the Muslim communities, but rather say the good words and unite
them around the word of Allah,
5-
The Shaykh was
keen that Islamic preachers should understand the importance of consultation
and taking into consideration the opinions of other people. By doing so we
would help create a world of mutual understanding, respect and a decent space
for Islamic work.
6-
He also
emphasised that we very often forget where our priorities lie in our Islamic
work. Sometimes, because of the lack of understanding, or a hasty decision that
we take, we get a very negative result. Being the ambassadors of Islam, we need
to ensure that all our work and our decisions are for the benefit of Islam and
the Muslims, and that we serve humanity.
7-
For this
purpose, the Shaykh reminded us that the work of inviting people to the path of
Islam should be based on proper knowledge and not ignorance, and he quoted a famous verse from
the Quran which says: ‘Say that this is my path I call on Allah with sure
knowledge; I and whosoever follow me..’ S12 V108
8-
To this effect, he also
reminded us to study more closely the greater purpose of Islamic Law (Shari`ah)
and in particular the Five Purposes that form the basis for Islamic
understanding and the noble spirit of its teachings. Without understanding Shariah
Law in its proper context we would always be vulnerable to errors of judgement.
9-
Shaykh al-Sudais is the head
of Haramain or the body that oversees the work of both Harams, Makkah and
Madina. He highlighted the works that are currently being undertaken, to expand
the capacity of the grand mosque in Makkah, to accommodate the ever-increasing
number of pilgrims. Any work of expansion is to ensure that the number of
pilgrims is well accommodated, facilities are well provided and all pilgrims
manage to perform their religious duties in complete comfort. The rumours that
the Saudi Government is destroying the ‘aathaar’ (historic buildings) are pure
misinformation. Muslims should look forward and support the work of expansion
that will serve the Muslim pilgrimage in the future.
10-
The Shaykh highlighted some of
the work that would double the capacity of the Tawaaf area - facilities for
electronic vehicles in the tawaaf area for those who are elderly, disabled or
for those for whom it takes great effort to make tawaaf in their pilgrimage. He
highlighted the fact that the whole tawaaf area would be covered so that
pilgrims do not suffer from the burning heat.
It was a very
positive meeting. Muslim scholars and the public should be behind this great
project of expansion. The Saudi
government does not have any ulterior interest in this expansion but seeks only
to facilitate it for the benefit of visiting pilgrims of the Haramain. This is
something that should unite all Muslims worldwide, as their support for this
great cause belongs only to Allah and is done for the sake of Allah.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Your feedback is appreciated!