Saudi Sermon:Islam Natural Evolution for Jews&Christians

[Guest guest]

Saudi Sermon: Time for Christians and Jews to Convert to Islam

[FBIS (US Government service) Translated Excerpt]

[With thanks to www.mideastweb.org/mewnews1.htm ]

 

Riyadh Kingdom of Saudi Arabia TV1 in Arabic, official television

station of the Saudi Government, carries on February 27, 2004 at

0945 GMT a live sermon from the holy mosque in Mecca.

Shaykh Salih Bin-Muhammad Al Talib delivers the sermon, which he

devotes to the story of genesis and the heavenly messages brought by

the prophets, beginning with Adam and ending with Prophet Muhammad

and the message of Islam. All heavenly religions, he asserts, came

with one message -- worship of God.

 

"Therefore," the imam says, "is it not time the People of the Book

[Christians and Jews] pondered and acknowledged that Islam is a

continuation of the messages that came before it and that it is the

religion that God has chosen for the whole of mankind?From the

time of Prophet Muhammad, may the peace and blessings of God be upon

him, until the Day of Judgment, God will not accept any other

religion or creed," the imam says and cites the Koranic verse: "If

anyone desires a religion other than Islam, never will it be

accepted of him; and in the Hereafter he will be in the ranks of

those who have lost."

 

Continuing, the imam says: "Have you not noticed that in the past 15

centuries history has not recorded that one single Muslim religious

scholar has entered Judaism or Christianity? On the other hand,

history records with letters of light the columns of rabbis and

priests who have converted to Islam and linked their messages with

its final message, which God has chosen for all mankind."

 

The imam makes this appeal: "Therefore, from the fountain of the

message, the site of its revelation, and the pulpit of the house

[ka'bah], which was built by Abraham and to which Moses and Jesus,

peace be upon them, made pilgrimage, I make a sincere appeal along

with our Prophet Muhammad's message to non-Muslims and say: Embrace

Islam so as to be peaceful. Embrace Islam so as to be peaceful.

Embrace Islam so that God would reward you twice. Otherwise, you,

and those that follow you out of ignorance would have to account for

your sin. It is an appeal to accept the truth and study Islam; the

correct Islam that the prophet of guidance, Muhammad, may the peace

and blessings of God be upon him, has brought; Islam as it really

is, free of innovations and distortions; the Islam that is innocent

of human violations and the errors made by some of its followers."

 

The imam then reads this Koranic verse: "Say: "O People of the Book!

Come to common terms as between us and you: That we worship none but

Allah; that we associate no partners with Him; that we erect not,

from among ourselves, Lords and patrons other than Allah. If then

they turn back, Say ye: Bear witness that we (at least) are Muslims

bowing to Allah's will)."

 

The imam continues with the same theme in the second sermon. He

says: "What has caused misery to mankind in these times of confused

ideas is when some politicians hijacked religions and used them as a

means to suppress others and a tool to dominate the followers of

other faiths. This is what world Zionism did to Judaism. This is

also what the so-called secular governments did to Christianity.

They coerced peoples and occupied states by religious motives and

claims of religiousness. And, although they deny these motives in

their statements, they come out in their slips of the tongue and are

unequivocally explained by their statements. The clerics in those

religions are called upon to clearly say that they do not approve

the behavior of their governments and that what is happening is not

advocated by their religions so that their followers who are used in

these attacks, those who think they are doing a good thing and

getting closer God, would know that they are mere tools in the hands

of the politicians serving their reckless whims, which are not

curbed by religion or morals. These people's [clerics] silence and

shy statements would only lead to the conflict or clash of

civilizations. The racial segregation wall, which usurps Muslim

lands in Palestine, is one example."

 

The imam says: "O Muslims, and now a final word on the roots. It is

the duty of Muslims to strongly uphold their religion. The nation of

Islam must believe that it is the only one on the right path, that

Islam is the last of religions, that the Koran is the last of the

Books and most importantly, that Prophet Muhammad, may the peace and

blessings of God be upon him, is the last of the apostles, that the

Islamic law [shari'a] is a copy of their laws, and that God will not

accept any other religion. Thus, it is impermissible to concede any

of that even if at the cost of our lives. We say this at a time when

some defeatists have weakened and called for mixing distorted

scriptures with Islamic religion under the claim of bringing

religions closer to one another. We say it also at a time when some

people's faith is so weak as to believe that everyone is correct.

This began from the statements uttered by some and the behavior and

theses written by others. It is as if they did not hear God's

words: "If anyone desires a religion other than Islam, never it will

be accepted of him; and in the Hereafter he will be in the ranks of

those who have lost."

 

The imam says: "If we are to renew the religious discourse, we must

go back to the roots. This means going back to the Koran and the

Sunnah. O God, show us the truth and help us to follow it, and show

us falsehood and help us to avoid it. Please know ye, may God have

mercy on you, that fasting on the 10th day in the month of Muharram

[the first month of the new Hegira year, which began on 21 February

2004] atones for the sins of the two previous years. Fast on that

day and also on the day before or after it. This is the tradition

of your Prophet Muhammad, May the peace and blessings of God be upon

him. He fasted on this day to thank God for saving Moses and his

people and drowning the Pharaoh and his people. It is a strange

paradox that this happy occasion has been transformed by a Muslim

faction into continuous mourning and ceaseless wailing, in a picture

that clearly shows ignorance of religion and following misleading

persons without a good reason. O Ye, correct the path to God and

follow the guidance of the prophet."

 

The imam concludes with a prayer to God to support Islam and

Muslims, defeat the tyrants, atheists, and corrupt. He also prays to

God to keep this and other Muslim countries safe and secure. He

prays: "O God, spare us the evils of sins, earthquakes, and

seditions, both the open and secret. O God, whoever wishes Islam and

Muslims and their lands evil, busy him with himself, turn his plot

against him, and make his plans destroy him. O God, support your

religion, Book, the Sunnah of Your prophet, and your faithful

subjects. O God, save oppressed Muslims everywhere. O God, support

the mujahidin for your sake. O God, support them in Palestine and

everywhere." The imam also prays to God to grant success to the

king and his brothers in their endeavors for the wellbeing of the

country and people.

--- End forwarded message ---