Addressing a 20,000-strong congregation, Al-Asheikh said in his sermon it is sad to see that we (the ummah) are merely consumers, while calling on the ummah to be creative.
“To be creative we need to stay in step with modern advancements,” he said.
Al-Asheikh said we could still be modern while being religious, and use the modern knowledge to be creative. “Others make our clothes ready and we just wear them,” he said metaphorically.
Stressing the importance of manners and character, Al-Asheikh said, “Islam urges us to be kind, have good manners and right conduct and respect visitors.”
He added: “We belong to a society with divine guidelines to be cooperative and helpful to each other.”
The imam blamed some local media for being pliant tools to those who seek to tarnish the image of Islam, the ulema as well as Saudi judges during the holy month of Ramadan.
He was referring to some TV programs that displayed religious people in Saudi Arabia as being ridiculous and extremists.
He said these media behave as if they have not seen any wrongdoing in society, while being quick to blame ulema for everything. For them, being religious is a crime, and “they mock our scholars and judges who are highly respected in Islam.” He said the doors “are always open for objective discussions, but not at the expense of our religion or our country. At the same time, we do not accept corruption and injustice to the people.”
That’s why, he said, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has ordered officials to fight corruption. The scholar said committing acts of corruption while in position is not only ungrateful to Almighty Allah and His Messenger, but also treachery against the head of state.
The scholar praised the massive expansion of the Holy Kaaba at Makkah approved by King Abdullah, while expressing deep sadness at the events in Libya, Yemen and Syria.
Traffic police, meanwhile, had made elaborate security arrangements, and the worshippers started arriving to the ground early. Altaf Khan, from India, said: “This is a blessed occasion for us.”
Shamel Al-Arnous, from Syria, hoped Muslims would stay united, adding, “We strengthened our faith during Ramadan and, now we have to maintain the same spirit for the rest of the months.”
