The annual Religious Freedom Reports released by US State Department often include sections about religious freedom in Saudi Arabia. These reports are officially distributed by the State Department and then circulated amongst the centers of research in the West as well as the international media outlets and other channels. Saudi Arabia comes on top of concern of those involved in these reports, due to its religious and political significance. Accordingly, it becomes incumbent on us, as Saudis, to discuss the sections in these reports which cover religious freedom in our country and provide facts that are not included in these reports. While discussing these reports, we should explain to the world our view point vis-à-vis these reports. We should also allow the reader to discover the truth as stated therein and according to criteria upon which many fair-minded, rational people agreed with us.
Perhaps some people will disapprove that we write about the position that Aqsa Mosque occupies in the hearts of the Muslims and in the Sharee’ah of Islam. For, the sanctity of Al-Aqsa mosque is an incontestable fact among the Muslims and the position it occupies does not need any further explanation. The merits of this mosque are established by explicit texts from the Qur’an and the Sunnah and the consensus of the Muslims. However, we are sure that the reader of this book will excuse us for the facts we are going to reveal, and realize how much we have been deceived by some people who claim to support Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Land of Israa and to defend the oppressed Palestinian people and their sacred sites. Therefore, it is very pertinent to rise up in defence of Al-Aqsa Mosque and to call attention to the fact that the Shiite books and their authorized sources, which they wrote with their own hands, indicate that they have no regard or recognition for Al-Aqsa Mosque in its present location and that, according to them. They also hold that ‘real Al-Aqsa mosque’ is in the Heaven and that majority of people mistakenly believe that it is the mosque that is in Palestine!! We have tried to not leave out those claims without refutations that show their falsity. This is a contribution we can make to reveal the truth so that all the Muslims will be aware of the enormity of the deception and fraud of those folks. Through research and exhaustive study, we have affirmed that all those Jews and orientalists who have attempted to cast doubt on the position of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque relied heavily, in support their vicious claims, on Shiite sources. They thereby used these sources as a weapon against foundations of our Ummah with an aim to shaken the position of Al-Aqsa Mosque in our hearts. We deem it suitable to point it out here that our goal is to unite the ranks of this Ummah to support our sacred sites and to love those individuals whom Allah used to win these places for Islam. We also intend to block the way in the face of these Jewish ‘professors’ and orientalists who find in the Shiite books, a ready tool for weakening the position that Al-Aqsa Mosque occupies in the hearts of the Muslims. As such, those dubious narrations whose goal is to cast doubt on the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque must be meticulously scrutinized and the sanctity of that mosque must be proved through argument and authentic evidences.
Author: Tariq Ahmad Hijazi
Publisher: A website Al-Haqeeqah www.haqeeqa.com
The first and second articles are an introduction for the Quran and the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and make comparison between the Quran’s content and the orientalists’ sayings about it. The third explains that in order for a religion to be true, it must be from God in a total sense and not only in its origin then the scholars distort it. The fourth and fifth mention one of the unique qualities of the Quran which is its detailed preservation, a fact which makes it much different than all other religions, confirm that the Quran itself contains proofs for its truth and requires no “leap of faith” in order to believe it, and take a look at the accusation that Muhammad borrowed or stole the Quran from other religions, particularly the Christianity and the Judaism. The sixth and seventh mention the depictions of God and the Prophets in the Quran vs. the Bible and the Talmud and explain the comprehensiveness, completeness, balance and practicality of the legislation of the Quran. The eighth shows the Quran's effect on the generation of the Prophet and the next generations to the extent that it made them leaders of the world to guide people to the straight path. The ninth mentions a unique prophecy which dealt with events completely out of the control of the Prophet or the Arabs that the Byzantine kingdom will defeat the Persian Kingdom within three to nine years. The tenth takes a look at some of the scientific facts mentioned in the Quran which modern scientists, Muslim and non-Muslim alike, affirm as true. Finally, the eleventh shows the linguistic miracle of the Quran and refers that Allah challenged the disbelievers of Makkah to compile a book like the Quran but they failed. The challenge got into very simple standard i.e. to compile a Surah (Chapter) looks like any of its Surahs but they also failed.
Author: Jamaal Zarabozo
Publisher: A website Islam Religion www.islamreligion.com
The Congregational Prayer is one of the most important outward manifestations of Islam. Prayer is of extreme importance to the well-being of a persons religion. But prayer in Islam is more than just an individual spiritual experience. It is mean to be performed in a congregation - the foundation of a Muslim society as a whole.
Author: Saleh Bin Ganim Al-Sadlan
Reveiwers: Muhammad AbdulRaoof
The author said in its introduction, "Nothing offends more the Christians than to cast doubt about the doctrine of the Trinity, the fountainhead of their faith. Since I grew up as a Christian, I know by heart that it will surely injure a devout follower of Christianity something he knew as true. But to lend a blind eye when I know better is far from righteousness since I am bound by the God's Commandments to guide those mislead by the false doctrine. It is a basic right of every individual to know the truth that will lead him to the right path.
The Quran and Modern Science: This book has statements of a scientific nature contained in the Qur’an and other subjects to specialists from other disciplines. Astronomers, zoologists, geologists and specialists in the history of the earth would all have been struck, just as forcibly as medical doctors, by the presence in the Qur’an of highly accurate reflections on natural phenomena.
Author: Maurice Bucaille
Reveiwers: Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips