In a striking Ramadan message, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and Crown Prince Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, joined together to condemn extremism.
In particular, the king and the crown prince said the Kingdom would not allow extremists to misuse religion in order to boost their own vested interests. They underlined the point that the Kingdom had always been a defender of moderation. Moreover, they said, that Islam rejects sectarianism, which serves only to create division and sedition. Saudi Arabia would not allow anybody to follow such groups, because for that to occur, would be to weaken the community.
The king and crown prince explained: “We have been taught from clear texts and great intentions of our True Religion that Islam rejects sedition in the name of this trend or that, which is followed by parties and factions who dive in the deep bottoms of those trends’ darkness, thinking, while in the midst of sedition, that they are right. But actually, they have missed the right path.”
Extremists disfigure the image of Islam through their offensive activities and unacceptable arguments, continued the king and crown prince.
“Call them to the path of your Lord with wisdom and words of good advice,” they added, quoting a Qur’anic verse.
The mission of Islam, they said, as demonstrated by the lessons drawn from the Muslim Ummah and its blessed ancestors, is that it is a religion of love, tolerance and forgiveness.
Islam, said the king and the crown prince, was a message for building and peace and a method for dialogue, not introversion and defeat. It sought to enhance the meanings of higher human civilization and to promote the community of human principles, according to the Qur’anic verse that said “Let there be no compulsion in religion: truth stands out clear from error.”
This, they said, is the criterion on which the Islamic mission was based as it trusts its values that rest in the voluntarily-not-forcibly-faithful hearts. This is summarized in the following Qur’anic verse “Don’t transgress limits for Allah loveth not transgressors.”
The king and the crown prince thanked God “who said in his holy book (of Qur’an) ‘Ramadan is the month in which was sent down The Qur’an, as a guide to mankind, also clear for (signs) for guidance and judgment (between right and wrong).
“Prayer and peace be upon our Prophet and Messenger, who was sent with the message of mercy to all people, he who said ‘Whoever fasts Ramadan out of faith and with the hope of reward, all his previous sins will be forgiven’ and (prayer and peace be) upon his family, and all his companions.”
The king and the crown prince congratulated Muslims all over the world on the advent of Ramadan, the month of goodness, mercy and forgiveness.
“Our sons, daughters, brothers and sisters in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, our Muslim brothers all over the world: we congratulate you on the blessed month of Ramadan, the month of good, blessing, mercy and best morals, as the Prophet says ‘I was sent as messenger of Allah to complete the best of morals’.”
The king ended with a heart-felt plea for peace in Syria saying: “I ask God Almighty to guide us to the right path and inspire us with better guidance and wisdom and to help us against he whoever becomes deviant and hurts human beings.
“We also pray to God Almighty to get our brothers in the sister country of Syria to alleviate their sufferings, calling on the international community not to pursue their political calculations over their ethical ones, and whoever does so, history will write that he participated in the killing of innocents and breaching the liberties of the people. We ask God to protect us and provide us with determination without hesitation as well as strength without weakness, for He is our Protector and our Supporter.”
Editorial: A strong message against extremism
