The Noble Shaykh Saaleh
bin Muhammad aal at-Taalib [may Allaah Preserve him]
Imaam and Khateeb in
Masjid al-Haram, Makkah
All Praises are due for
Allaah, the Lord of the creation. Ar-Rahmaan, ar-Raheem. Master of the Day of Judgement.
I bear witness that
there is no god worthy of worship except Allaah, having no partners, for Him is
the Dominion, the Lord of Clear Truth.
I bear witness that
Muhammad is His Slave and Messenger, the truthful and trustworthy one. May the
Peace and Blessings of Allaah be upon him, his family, and all of his Companions.
To proceed:
Surely, the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia with its men, its resources and its establishments, have put forth
an enormous effort in order to cater for the needs of the Pilgrims – those coming
to preform Hajj, ‘Umrah and visiting of religious landmarks. For decades
this country anticipates the season of Hajj with a generous budget and employment
of increased manpower, an exertion that any country would be proud of. None of
this can be belittled nor negated in the event of an accident caused by overcrowding, or the accidental pushing of some of the pilgrims or the decision
of some of the pilgrims to violate governmental guidelines and instructions.
It may be that such
accidents occur, not due to the oversight of the authorities, rather it be that
Allaah, the Most High, has Decreed that He has Chosen for some of His Slaves to
be taken as martyrs, taken in the best possible situation – in a virtuous place,
whilst others sustaining injuries in which they may be heavily rewarded in
enduring.
Based on all of this, blaming
the authorities who have put forth such an endeavor and have exceeded in its accomplishments
is not acceptable. All of this just leads to resentment and others boastfully claiming
a supposed superior degree of skillfulness.
The implications of such negativity include a negation of reward for those who have been afflicted. Rather those who busy themselves in criticizing, only criticize with a worldly objective or in order to take advantage of some political gain.
The Kingdom - and all
Praises are due to Allaah - is more than able to manage the annual Hajj,
without any need for assistance. It has been blessed by Allaah with a sovereignty
that is led by the Custodian of the Two Noble Masjids. Its constitution is
founded with the objective of governing under a Devine directive. The produce
of such foundations has effected and continues to affect the two Holy Masjids.
For instance, Allaah has Surrounded His House and His Slaves with peace and serenity during times in which the world is experiencing an increase intensity of chaos and disruption and being burnt from the fire of tribulations and war.
And all Praises are due
to Allaah, the One Who has enabled the truthful ones from His Slaves to protect
His Religion and His Sanctified City. And by them, the Muslims and the lands
are in turn protected.
“Have they not seen that We have made (Makkah) a sanctuary
secure, and that men are being snatched away from all around them? Then do they
believe in falsehood and become ingrate for the Graces of Allah?”
[al-‘Ankaboot 29: 67]
Likewise we thank Allaah
for His Bounty upon us in enabling us to complete the Hajj, catering for
hundreds and thousands of pilgrims. Surely, we are saddened by the accidents
that occurred yesterday (10/12/1436 - 24/9/15), a Decree of Allaah that effected
some of the pilgrims - an incident which caused an unfortunate stampede in Minaa;
but with this, we do not say anything except that Pleases our Lord, without
gaining His Anger or displeasure in His Decree.
It is imperative that we
investigate the causes so that such accidents do not reoccur. Those who were
negligent must be immediately held to account, so that the efforts of the
hundreds within the task force are not undermined. They are those who have given
all in order to serve the Guests of ar-Rahmaan and have shown extreme kindness
to the pilgrims, being with them in every step of the Hajj. They have made the
pathways safe to cross, they navigated the crowds, treated the sick, given direction
to the lost, gave religious guidance to the ignorant, fed the hungry, quenched
the thirsty and been of serviced to the helpless. These are those who have been
at the forefront of appeasing the desperation of the pilgrims, thus being
deserved of recognition, commendation and our supplication and beseechment to Allaah,
the Glorified and the Exalted, for them. Their hard work is not hidden and most
of it is clear for the people to witness. So may Allaah reward them and
multiply their recompense.
From the corruption of
the adversary is that they use accidents and tribulations that befall the
people, in a chance and an opportunity to raise doubts. They use it as
propaganda to belittle the hard efforts of others.
The whole world is
witness to the remarkable endeavors and the substantial budget set aside for
the Hajj. The Guests of ar-Rahmaan have been welcomed with by the organizers
and the general public alike.
However, they behave
in this manner because in the absence of shame, morals cease to exist and one
is led to act however he pleases. From the bitterest forms of satire is that
they use the pilgrims and martyrs as pawns to lament their objective.
Meanwhile, their history is full of atrocities committed within the Haram! They bombarded the Haram in Makkah, killed its worshippers and used explosives within the Haram itself. Despite being a holy sanctuary, they brought within it weapons, casted horror into the hearts of the pilgrims, and even threatened to take their lives and possessions. All of this to fulfill their ghastly objective - to try to prevent the people from performing the pilgrimage safely[1].
Meanwhile, their history is full of atrocities committed within the Haram! They bombarded the Haram in Makkah, killed its worshippers and used explosives within the Haram itself. Despite being a holy sanctuary, they brought within it weapons, casted horror into the hearts of the pilgrims, and even threatened to take their lives and possessions. All of this to fulfill their ghastly objective - to try to prevent the people from performing the pilgrimage safely[1].
What is strange is now
they want to create manufactured tears in the name of the victims of these
accidents.
They display eagerness
in protecting the blood of the pilgrims, despite the fact that they have funded
tens of militia in Iraq, Yemen and Syria in order to kill thousands of innocent
Muslims. They have driven out millions from their homes, and have gathered for
themselves heavy artillery which they have now spread throughout the lands of
the Muslims in order to kill them.
They have instilled hate
into the hearts of those who have been deceived by them.
May Allaah Protect the
Muslims from the evil of these people, and guide those who have been led astray
and deluded by them.
They are those who
dance in the event of killing and injury, and are at the forefront of
displaying joy and happiness when such incidents occur. They drop on the
Muslims the veil of at-Taqiyyah[2],
using it as propaganda to spread their doubts.
Clear daylight is
surely visible for those who see with both eyes[3],
and those who have been given by Allaah the ability to fairly analyze the truth
from falsehood.
They scream desperately
and their objectives are exposed. As every day goes by, they do not increase
except in disgrace. No accident takes place except that they show mischief.
Whenever something bad befalls the Muslims, they always welcome it with happiness
and delight. They want sorrow to spread amongst the Arab lands and the Muslims
as they want you to be suppressed.
[Khutbah entitled Fadl al-Ayaam al-Ma’doodaat,
11/12/1436 – 25/9/2015]
[1] The Shaykh is
referring to the attempted-hijacking of the Haram by Iran-led Shia’s in 1987.
This began as a Shia protest but a confrontation with the Saudi authorities led
to a stampede which killed over 400 people and injured thousands. Even more despicable
is the action of the Qaraamitah (commonly known as Ismaeeli’s today), a Shia
sect that stemmed from Koofah in 317AH. Its leader was a man named Sulaymaan bin
al-Hasan al-Qarmitee that took over the Haram and killed the Hujjaaj whilst
they were performing Tawaaf. They threw the dead bodies in the well of Zamzam
and corrupted its water. But before that, on the eight day of Hajj they
slaughtered the masses in Minaa on the 8th of Dhu al-Hijjah (the
first day of Hajj) and called this an act of sacrifice. As they left, they
stole the black stone and took it with them to Koofah. As the stone was being
liberated by the following Caliphate that took power, they refused a hand over
the stone and opted to smash the stone into pieces instead. [see al-Bidaayah 37/15-39]
[2] See here for more
information on at-Taqiyyah: http://ahledhikr.blogspot.com/2015/04/normal-0-false-false-false-en-us-x-none.html
[3] A simile given by many
of the scholars in reference to ad-Dajjaal. He is the impostor and only sees with
one eye, as for the Muwaahid, he is able to see clearly with two eyes and is
able to decipher the truth from falsehood by it. [TN]
