Grand Mosque Imam: Find Righteous Path

MAKKAH, 28 July 2007 — Imam and khatib at the Grand Mosque Sheikh Saud Al-Shoraim attributed the problems facing Muslim societies to their failure to understand the sound teachings of Islam.

While addressing a large Friday congregation at the Grand Mosque yesterday, Sheikh Saud Al-Shoraim said that some selfish people are interpreting the principles of Islam to suit their whims. They portray the image of Islam in a distorted manner falsifying and demeaning the reality.

“The falsehood has been heaped on the truth,” said the sheikh. “Ideas extraneous to Islam have been placed over the strong and original principles of Islam to such an extensive manner that the people have been led to view and understand Islam in an upside down form.

“People have been fed with polluted ideas about Islam. When efforts are being made to return them to the right path shown by the Prophet, peace be upon him, they reject it. Those who strive to bring them back to the right path are accused of being reactionaries with stagnant ideas.”

The sheikh condemned the preachers of misguidance and deceptive teachings as the ones who break the Muslims to sects of pervert ideologies. “Islam has only one law and a single distinctive feature. It is a God-fearing and pure society in which prevails an atmosphere of purity and clarity. Its goals are clear and sound in every respect,” the sheikh said. He warned the promoters of pervert ideologies against marginalizing the Islamic Shariah.

He said they are “creating confusion and presenting the falsehood in the form of the truth, the ugly in the form of beauty and the evil in the guise of virtue.”

He warned such misguided people against the hiding of the truth from the people and called upon them to accept the eternal law of Allah which is crystal clear and valid for all people in all times.

He reminded the misguided preachers that there is no dignity for the people without the real teachings of Islam. The loss and ruin are the plight of the Muslims if they keep away from the true teachings of Islam, he said.

The sheikh called upon the Muslims to stand firm against the waves of misguided teachings aimed at marginalizing the true Islamic way and Shariah.