MAKKAH/MADINA (SPA)
Sheikh Dr. Saleh Bin Abdullah Bin Humaid, Imam and Khateeb of the
holy Mosque in Makkah, enjoined the worshipers to fear Allah, avoid
being frivolous, derive lessons from those who pass away everyday and
remember that they will sooner or later meet the very same fate and
face the Day of Reckoning.
In his regular Friday sermon, Sheikh Bin Humaid said that Islam is
the seal of religions revealed by Allah to His Apostle (pbuh) to
guide all humanity in the various parts of the globe, males and
females, strong and weak, wealthy and pauper, learned and ignorant,
healthy and sick.
He added that the Islamic Shariah has been made very simple so that
all people may appreciate and understand its teachings and act
accordingly. He said that Allah never asked the people to do things
beyond their ability, as the Holy Qur’an says, “Allah intends for you
ease, and He does not want to make things difficult for you.”
Sheikh Bin Humaid explained that the word `ease’ refers to every
action which does not cause exhaustion and hardship to the soul and
body, and that this noble meaning is reflected in the Holy Qur’an, in
the person of the Prophet (pbuh) and in the fundamental and
subsidiary matters of religion. He made reference to several verses
of the Holy Qur’an.
Sheikh Bin Humaid said that the Shariah rules take into consideration
the conditions of worshipers in all cases. He explained that the
most gracious religious act after Monotheism is Salat (prayer) that
can be shortened in certain cases. Similarly, ablution can be
substituted by Tayammum with clean earth if there is no water or if
one cannot use water for a sound reason. He added that though every
prayer is to be performed at a prescribed time, one can combine two
prayers at one time for certain reasons, just to make things easier
for the worshipers. Sheikh Bin Humaid said that even the Zakat,
Pilgrimage and Jihad are to be performed by those who possess the
necessary means and ability.
He said that accountability has been waived in case of an insane
person, the underage and the person who is sleeping and that Allah
multiplies the reward ten times over while the sin is recorded as one.
He called on the religious scholars who issue Fatwas to put in
consideration the conditions of the worshipers and try to make things
easier for them, without drifting from the righteous path as “Allah
burdens not a person beyond his ability.”
Sheikh Bin Humaid made it clear that making things easier does not
mean showing any laxity in the matters of religion or in the rules of
creed and morals or showing any weakness in supporting the religion
and righteousness. He warned the parents against allowing their
children to indulge in prohibited pastimes on the pretext of being
modern or cultured or anything of this sort, but they should bring
them up according to the Islamic teachings, and make it easier for
them to comprehend the objectives behind these teachings, so that
they may perform them with full understanding.
Meanwhile, Sheikh Ali Al-Hudhaifi, Imam and Khateeb of the Prophet’s
Mosque in Madina, warned the Muslims against committing major sins
and wrong-doing, particularly slandering and backbiting. He said in
his sermon that committing major sins is the cause of every misery,
suffering and punishment in this world and the Hereafter. He said
that slandering and backbiting, sow evil and sedition among the
people and widen the scope of conflict and disputes. He said that the
backbiting is a despicable act and despised by the holy Qur’an. He
explained that Islam has prohibited this habit and enjoined the
people to guard their tongues from uttering such sinful utterances.
The Sheikh said that while the Prophet (pbuh) was ascending to
heaven, he passed by some people with brass fingernails with which
they were scratching their faces and chests. He ask the Archangel
Gabriel about them, and Gabriel said, “These are backbiters who tear
up the flesh of other people.”
He said that if someone suffers injustice, he has the right to take
his complaint to the concerned authorities, and this is not
backbiting. He added if someone saw another one committing a sinful
act, he can rightly report this to the concerned authorities and if
anyone sought the advice of his brother, he should be rightly advised
without concealing the truth from him.
Fwd’ing
*PUBLISHED—SAUDI GAZETTE—30th SEPTEMBER 2001
*