IT has been a great pleasure to the community of believers, including myself, to listen to the speeches of great Islamic scholars. Amr ibn Khaled is one of the latest to join the ranks of these eminent Muslim preachers. Unfortunately, he has been severely criticized by my fellow columnist Abdullah Bajubeer. I wonder why Bajubeer has attacked a man whose only fault is that he encouraged people to lead virtuous lives. As far as I can gather, both from reading his writings and listening to his speeches, he has never claimed to be a great religious scholar.
Bajubeer began his article in a tone of ridicule: “A preacher named Amr ibn Khaled has come among us, the people of the Kingdom. Amr, an Egyptian graduate in accounting, is here to instruct us in Islamic principles.” We all know that it is the duty of each Muslim to call others to the religion of God. Taking Islam’s message to people is not the monopoly of any particular class or group of people. Amr’s professional background does not disqualify him from being devoted to God or from taking God’s message to the people. There is no particular “man of religion” in Islam. Most Muslim scholars in the early centuries of Islam were obliged to practice a trade in order to earn their daily bread. Their love of God brought them to the study of the religion. Imam Abu Haneefa was a textile trader. Do we deny his great contributions to our religion because of his occupation?
Another charge against Amr is that his religious knowledge is no greater than that of a primary or secondary school student. Amr never claimed to be a top Muslim scholar. What counts in preaching is not the vastness of the preacher’s knowledge but the effective way in which he communicates with his audience. Almighty God has given Amr the skill to attract people and persuade them to strengthen their faith or return to the right faith. We should not envy him but rather pray for his success in exploiting this skill. We should not question his inner motives which God alone knows.
Bajubeer has questioned Amr’s sincerity earlier. He was prompted to do so because, to “the movements of his hands and fingers and the timing of his smiles suggested that the young preacher had been well-trained in a specialized institute on body movements in America. No doubt the future will reveal the truth as well as the forces behind him.”
Bajubeer, I believe that your religious and national duty makes it imperative upon you to uncover the forces behind him. He may be a Mossad or CIA agent. Your findings may even result in your winning a cash reward! We need only look at the preacher’s visible actions and speeches as his intentions are unknown to us. The visible truth is that the numbers of those guided by him onto the right path, particularly ordinary people and young ones, are increasing everyday.
A man’s sincerity cannot be questioned simply because he dresses stylishly or is clean shaven. The only thing forbidden is that believers should not imitate unbelievers. It is a fact that Amr dresses in the ordinary way that people dress in his country. Can he be disqualified from being a scholar because he is clean shaven? Indeed, the rector of Al-Azhar University, whom I have seen preaching at Friday prayers, is clean shaven. When a Muslim is found wanting, our duty is to correct him. We should not correct by ridiculing him or belittling him.
Bajubeer is apparently making an attempt to fish in troubled waters by saying “The Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry has evidently been convinced that we lag behind in religious knowledge, including understanding the Holy Qur’an. The chamber authorities must believe that our great religious scholars have failed to discharge their religious duties.” He aims to incite the religious scholars against Amr. To their credit, the scholars welcome any individual willing to invite people to the true religion. Bajubeer has supplied the names of Saudi scholars who might be invited by the chamber to deliver religious lectures. I have great respect for these scholars but our respect for a preacher should not be based on which country he comes from. It should be on the basis of his ability which is a special blessing from God. A good preacher need not be a great scholar. He should, however, be skilled in presenting his message in a compelling style and manner so that ordinary people can easily grasp the ideas.
The chamber understands the needs of the public, particularly of the younger generation while Bajubeer seems not to. The proof is the people’s rejection of Bajubeer’s call to stop “this graduate in accounting from ascending the platform of Islamic propagation in the land of the Two Holy Mosques.” But I advise you, Bajubeer, to fear God in whatever you write. Why don’t you obey God’s command not to laugh at others? We can only judge by what is visible as God alone knows the secrets of our hearts.
We need a million more preachers such as Amr ibn Khaled to call people to love God, His Messenger and his companions, particularly in these times of increasing moral degeneration. Aren’t you aware that increasing numbers of young women are discarding immodest clothing and following Muslim ideas of dress? Aren’t you aware that more and more young people, both male and female, have started practicing their religion in earnest? Are you, by any chance, unaware of the saying of the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him, that guiding a man to the right path is more important than winning any material gains?
So, I say to Amr and those like him: A thousand and one welcomes to the land of the Two Holy Mosques and God willing, your words will find their way into the hearts of your listeners.
I wonder how Bajubeer would react if the chamber organized a musical evening in Jeddah with popular Arab singers such as Amr Dayyab. Would his concern for art in this country make him object to the singers if they happen to be university graduates or from some professional backgrounds? Would Bajubeer voice his worries about the future of art even if the artists are held in high esteem by the people here? How good it would be if we supported and encourage preachers because they are inviting people to come to the best path. Each preacher has his own supporters and admirers who are influenced by the preacher’s actions and words. Instead of supporting these preachers, should we support so-called musical performances which consist of shrieks, screams and whoops presented by people who are for the most part immodestly dressed?