FROM THE MIMBAR OF THE TWO HOLY MOSQUES IN MAKKAH AND MADINA (Friday, December 20, 2002) Islam stresses unity: Imam of Grand Mosque IN MAKKAH Imam and Khateeb of the Grand Mosque in Makkah, Sheikh Dr Saleh Bin Abdullah Bin Humaid, in his Friday Sermon said it is Allah’s law that His creatures cannot lead a righteous life and they cannot achieve great accomplishments unless they come together Islam is the religion of natural human qualities that call upon the Muslims to get acquainted with one another for the sake of unity and harmony.Allah says in the Holy Qur’an.’ “O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know each other (Not that you may despise each other).” (Verse 13 Surah Al Hujuraat). Sheikh Bin Humaid also said that disposition or tendency to know other people and mix with them is an essential trait in the Islamic way of life, that is, to live with the group or gathering and have good relations with one another so that there is stability and peace of mind in the Muslims community. He also noted that in a closely-knit community knowledge is spread,Allah is obeyed in a correct manner, religious fundamentals become clear,virtue prevails and evil does not have an upper hand. “Some people may come up with a pretext that is in an age of corruption it is better to lead a lonely life worshipping Allah and not being influenced by others”. “If there are ills in society, it is the duty of its members to advise one another to get rid of these ills,” he said. “There is a great reward from Allah for those Muslims who counsel their brethren or tell in forceful words as compared to those who (prefer to) stay aloof”. “Reward of Allah is greater for the worship that is offered in congregation as compared to praying alone. The bigger the congregation, the more pleased Allah is with the worshipers.” he added. Sheikh Bin Humaid concluded his Sermon by saying,although Islam stresses the need to come closer,it also calls for keeping a balance between the Muslims brethren with some time spared for staying alone in order to contemplate about certain matters or carryout personal tasks. IN MADINA In Madina,The Imam and Khateeb of the Prophet’s (Sallallaaho alaihi wa sallam)Mosque,Sheikh Saleh Al Bedair,in his Sermon advised Muslims to be patient under stressful conditions and in hardships, for Allah will give them victory and domination ultimately. Today,the Muslim Ummah is facing a fierce opponent and a brutal war waged by the conspirators whose rancor has been unmasked by the events (of aggression).They have filled the earth with corruption and strife and have ignited fires that have engulfed all corners (of the world), how can such people bring long-lasting peace and tranquility to the world?” he said. "Incidents are orchestrated and then allegations are fabricated in brazen arrogance,as outrageous alliances are formed among wrongdoers,thus creating a state of recurrent violence,instability and insecurity in many places. The world has thus come to be ruled by the law of the jungle and threats and intimidation is being resorted by self-serving uni-polar system that seeks to dominate others and impose their will on the weak, trying to sow seeds of disunity and weakness among Muslims.” he said. This is a situation no honorable person can accept.The continued backing and support given to the crimes and atrocities of the Zionists, and aiding them to further commit brutal crimes of genocide and destruction is an evidence of their blind hatred,” he added. Sheikh Bedair concluded his Sermon by saying;injustice and oppression have reached an intolerable point and must be ended.Injustice cannot last long,and it will end,however strong the wrongdoer may be, and however weak the oppressed may be. ***********************THE END**************************** With the very best of good wishes, Musa Amadu Pembo Glasgow, Scotland UK. [log in to unmask] Da’wah is to convey the message with wisdom and with good words. We should give the noble and positive message of Islam. We should try to emphasize more commonalities and explain the difference without getting into theological arguments and without claiming the superiority of one position over the other. There is a great interest among the people to know about Islam and we should do our best to give the right message. May Allah,Subhana Wa Ta'Ala,guide us all to His Sirat Al-Mustaqim (Righteous Path).May He protect us from the evils of this life and the hereafter.May Allah,Subhana Wa Ta'Ala,grant us entrance to paradise . We ask Allaah the Most High, the All-Powerful, to teach us that which will benefit us, and to benefit us by that which we learn. May Allaah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala grant blessings and peace to our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions..Amen. _________________________________________________________________ MSN 8 with e-mail virus protection service: 3 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus&xAPID=42&PS=47575&PI=7324&DI=7474&SU= http://www.hotmail.msn.com/cgi-bin/getmsg&HL=1216hotmailtaglines_eliminateviruses_3mf ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~