JEDDAH — Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Alsheikh, the Kingdom's Grand Mufti, called on Muslims within their societies to protect the trust and stand shoulder to shoulder as a united entity against outside influences. In a sermon at Imam Turki Bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh, the Grand Mufti said, “We must learn lessons from those around us. We should be a Muslim society. Luring women and the feeble minded to incite resistance against the lawful authority is wrong and violates the Shariah and the principles of faith.” He added, “The nation of Islam is a trust on all. It should be protected. We should not provide cover-up to criminals and close our eyes to evildoers. We should be a strong barrier against anyone who wants to disturb our security. We are all responsible for that.” The mufti stressed that blowing up oneself in “acts of martyrdom,” blasts, crimes and taking people's lives is doing evil on the earth. “These people have blown themselves up. They have committed suicide after they were enticed and brainwashed. A person who blows himself up and kills others has committed a crime and it is a great evil that is not justified.” He said the Holy Qur'an and the Prophet's teachings call upon Muslims not to take their own lives. He added that killing oneself in this way is a crime, which was not known to people before. These new methods have come from the enemies of Islam, as it is they who manufacture the explosives. In some places, thousands of human beings are being killed. “This is a crime that we cannot accept. It is a serious crime and an evil. There is nothing good in these blasts. They are an evil crime. We cannot approve them,” he said. Asked about the Arab Spring revolutions, the Grand Mufti said, “This is not a spring, but a suffering, ordeal and incitement. Honor was violated, bloodshed was carried out and properties destroyed. Till now they are suffering. They escaped from injustice and fell into what is worse. There is no good in resistance to lawful authority; countries are destroyed, the nation is displaced and people fall into a terrifying ordeal,” he concluded.
