JEDDAH, 6 December 2006 — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah yesterday emphasized that Islam would remain strong despite the efforts by enemies to destroy the religion and weaken its followers.
“I can tell you that there is no power on earth that can defeat your faith,” the Saudi Press Agency quoted the king as saying.
King Abdullah made the remarks while receiving Interior Minister Prince Naif, who is the chairman of the Supreme Commission for Naif Ibn Abdul Aziz Al-Saud International Prize for Sunnah and Contemporary Islamic Studies, and the commission members at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh.
“Islam is currently under attack, but its sons are capable of defending it with their faith and morals. You will certainly emerge victorious by the grace of God,” the king said and praised Muslims for their strong faith in God and their religion. “I congratulate every Muslim for his adherence to Islam. This is a faith that will not face any danger at all.”
King Abdullah urged all Muslims to join their hands in the fight against deviants.
“I am sorry to say that some members of this deviant group are our children but they are enticed by Satan,” he said, referring to Al-Qaeda sympathizers in the Kingdom.
The Interior Ministry recently announced the arrest of 136 militants plotting to carry out terrorist operations inside the country.
Abdullah also praised Prince Naif for his efforts to promote research and studies on the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him). “It is the duty of every Muslim to support the Sunnah,” he added.
The Supreme Commission of the Prize had chosen King Abdullah as the recipient of the prize in appreciation of his many efforts in the service of Islam and Muslims, particularly the initiative he had taken to hold an emergency summit of the Organization of the Islamic Conference in Makkah.
During the meeting Prince Naif presented a certificate, citation and shield to the king.
Earlier, Prince Saud ibn Naif, deputy chairman of the commission, thanked the king for his support to the prize. “Your Majesty has said earlier that this prize is a blessed addition to Saudi Arabia’s efforts in the service of Islam and Muslims,” Saud recalled. The prize was distributed to its winners by Crown Prince Sultan on Sunday during a ceremony attended by Saudi and foreign dignitaries.
The Prophet’s Sunnah Prize was awarded to Basim Al-Jawabra, a Jordanian national, for his research titled “Infidelity Charges in the Light of the Prophet’s Sunnah.”
In the same category, another prize was given to Saudi national Nawal Al-Eid for her research paper titled: “The Rights of Women in the Prophet’s Sunnah.”
Mohammad Waqiallah Ahmed, a Sudanese national, won the Contemporary Islamic Studies Prize for his research titled: “Islam in Current Western Curricula — Review and Criticism.” The winners were selected from 306 research papers submitted to the jury.
