Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah last month paid a historical visit to the Vatican — the first by a Saudi king.
The visit had tremendous importance in view of what the Vatican represents for Christianity and the fact that the visitor is the Custodian of the Mosques in Makkah and Madinah, Islam’s holiest. Added to this is King Abdullah’s prestigious position in the Islamic world.
Looking deeply into the address of the king at the Vatican, we will see that it focused on Islam as the divine religion that respects all other divine faiths. Islam enjoins its followers to believe in Allah, His Scriptures and Messengers. Looked at from this perspective, Islam is a religion of peace and the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) a Mercy to the whole of mankind.
The Prophet was very keen to show respect to the People of the Book (Christians and Jews) and followers of other creeds. He used to order his followers to respect those who believe in other religions, not to do harm to them and not to force them convert to Islam. That was in response to the clear ordinance from Allah: “Let there be no compulsion in the matter of religion.”
The king’s address focused on the fact that all divine religions call for doing good to others and that if the followers of these religions hold fast to the principles of their religions and what was ordained by Allah then there will be no conflicts and people all over the world will live in peace, harmony and stability.
Reports say that Pope Benedict XVI, head of the Vatican, was very pleased to meet with King Abdullah, since he respects this king and his country that is home to Islam’s two holiest shrines.
Pope Benedict knows that brothers of King Abdullah used to send letters of appreciation and exchange views with the ex-Pope John Paul IV on different occasions. They sent delegations to hold meetings with the pope and his assistants.
It had the privilege of being a member of more than one such delegation that visited Christian centers in Strasbourg and Geneva to hold inter-faith dialogues with the pope and his clergy. In his address to our delegation Pope Paul welcomed us and said, “We know that you undertake high-level religious, juridical and cultural responsibilities in your country which is home to Islam and many spiritual values. We acknowledge the many advantages of your short stay in Rome as it makes it clear to all people that Muslims and Christians are in direct and close contact for a better understanding of each other. These contacts make us feel happy and satisfied.”
While they are not intended to unite our beliefs and theologies, such meetings or exchanges of views do help the two religions come closer and closer to each other.
Both sides emphasized the need for discharging our duty toward Almighty Allah, the Creator of the universes.
There were always calls and appeals from both sides that emphasized the importance of inter-faith dialogues, especially between Islam and Christianity. As a result, meetings and conferences were held but the results, unfortunately, did not match the hopes and aspirations of the wise men.
Sheikh Abdullah Bin Baya makes it clear that one cause of this failure may be a shortfall on our side: “The Islamic delegations who are entrusted with the mission to hold meetings and dialogues with the Vatican clergy or churchmen in the West do not make adequate arrangements or hold meetings to agree on clear-cut visions regarding the issues to be discussed before they go to such meetings. More disappointing is the fact that sometimes there are contradictions in the attitudes and visions of the delegation members themselves.”
One example was the attitude of some Muslims who came to a recent forum in London with claims and thoughts that are designed to provoke the West against Islam and Muslims.
From this perspective the visit of King Abdullah to the Vatican is considered a major landmark in the process of the Muslim-Christian dialogue. Moreover, it helps open new channels to present the true teachings of Islam to Westerners.
In his speech during a reception at the Vatican, King Abdullah emphasized that “All divine religions call for doing good to others and that followers of these religions should grasp the teachings of their divine religions for a better and a peaceful life for peoples all over the world.” He called for a bold step to start a multicultural dialogue where all believers will take part to eliminate the harmful actions and bring back to humanity the bright hope of a better future for our coming generations.
We are happy to note the positive comments made by intellectuals, reporters and media persons on this visit. All of them stressed that it came just in time to help us remove the unflattering image in the minds of Westerners regarding Islam in general and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in particular. They stressed the fact that the visit was a valuable opportunity to realize the attitude of the moderate majority as opposed to the aggressive and extremist minority.
It is relevant also to remember that before this visit there was a document signed by more than 138 of our scholars. The 29-page document carried the heading: “Say Oh People of the Scripture, come to a word that is just between us and you.”
This was a message addressed to the pope in person and other heads and leaders of Christian sects in the East and the West.
King Abdullah was frank when he stressed the importance of inter-faith and inter-culture dialogue for the promotion of tolerance that is enjoined by all religions, as a means to preserve peace and stability. He added, “Violence and terror have no home and no motherland. All states and those who believe in peace and coexistence should join hands to eliminate this practice.”
The king pointed out the core problem, discharged his duty and was brave and frank when he addressed this complicated issue with the pope. He expressed his desire to see the church in Rome make serious efforts to enjoin individuals and rulers in the East and West to reduce pressures against Muslims.
The king went to the Vatican with a sincere belief in Allah, an open mind and heart, and a serious will to embark on a constructive dialogue. He acted and spoke as should a man who holds the Prophet Muhammad as his model and example. The Prophet taught his followers and the whole world that others’ dignity should be respected, that all prophets and messengers sent by Allah should be revered.
If the meeting with the pope achieved nothing apart from removing suspicions about and hostilities to each other, and presenting Islam and Muslims in a better light, then we would say it is quite enough. The king’s words made it clear that Muslims are not fanatics, that they are sincere and serious about dialogue with other religions and are willing to be involved in any issue of mutual interest as they are ordered to do so by Allah Who taught them to “Invite (mankind) to the Way of your Lord with wisdom and fair preaching.”
For all these, I believe that the visit was successful and paved the way for a Christian dialogue with Muslims. Furthermore, I think it has removed many obstacles and made all men to know that cooperation, not threats to destruct the other, is the only way forward. Aggressive actions and threats are against the teachings of Allah Who created us all to live in peace, mutual respect and to “argue with each other in ways that are best and most gracious.”
An immediate response to the message of those scholars came from Abu Dhabi where 300 churchmen tendered an apology to Muslims for the Crusades. That was a bold beginning toward a better relationship and rapprochement between Muslims and Christians. I should also mention the initiative by churchmen who asked forgiveness from God and from Muslims all over the world for the damage and harm caused to Muslims by the war on terror during the past decade.
I would like to conclude this article by saying that King Abdullah’s visit to the Vatican was successful and meaningful and that this dialogue should continue for the betterment of the humanity.
— Dr. Muhammad Abdu Yamani is a former information minister of Saudi Arabia.
