The Council of Senior Scholars [Of Saudi Arabia] Stresses Unity Preservation and Prohibition of Demonstration

All praise is due to Allah. May peace and blessings be upon the Servant of Allah, His Honest Messenger, as well as all of his family members and companions. Then, to proceed:

Allah (Exalted and Glorified be He) took a covenant from scholars to clarify the matters of religion.

Allah (Exalted and Glorified be He) says in His Glorious Book: “(And remember) when Allah took a covenant from those who were given the Scripture (Jews and Christians) to make it (the news of the coming of Prophet Muhammad and the religious knowledge) known and clear to mankind, and not to hide it.” (3: 187)

Allah (Exalted and Glorified be He) also says: “Verily, those who conceal the clear proofs, evidences and the guidance, which We have sent down, after We have made it clear for the people in the Book, they are the ones cursed by Allah and cursed by the cursers.” (2: 159)

In times of unrest and crises, scholars have to clarify matters to people given the recent events, disturbances and troubles in different parts of the world.

The Council of Senior Scholars asks Allah (Exalted and Glorified be He) to grant all Muslims safety, stability and agreement with what is right; both as rulers and subjects. It also thanks Allah (Exalted be He) for the concord and unity in the light of the Book of Allah (Exalted and Glorified be He) and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) which the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is favored with under such wise leadership that had legitimately taken the pledge of allegiance. May Allah maintain their success and prosperity and maintain and complete this favor for us.

Indeed, the preservation of unity is one of the greatest principles of Islam which is highly recommended by Allah Who at the same time dispraises those who do not preserve this unity in His Glorious Book.

Allah Exalted and Glorified be He, says: “And hold fast, all of you together, to the Rope of Allah (i.e. this Quran), and be not divided among yourselves, and remember Allah's Favour on you, for you were enemies one to another but He joined your hearts together, so that, by His Grace, you became brethren (in Islamic Faith), and you were on the brink of a pit of Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus Allah makes His Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.,) clear to you, that you may be guided.” (3: 103)

Allah (Exalted be He) also says: “And be not as those who divided and differed among themselves after the clear proofs had come to them. It is they for whom there is an awful torment.” (3: 105) He (Exalted be He) also says: “Verily, those who divide their religion and break up into sects (all kinds of religious sects), you (O Muhammad, peace be upon him) have no concern in them in the least. Their affair is only with Allah, Who then will tell them what they used to do.” (6: 159)

The principle of preserving unity was highly recommended by the Prophet (peace be upon him) in both general and special situations.

For example, he (peace be upon him) said: “The Hand of Allah is with the Jama`ah (main body of Muslims).” (Related by Al-Tirmidhy)

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whosoever withdraws his hand from obedience will meet Allah on the Day of Resurrection without any excuse, and whosoever dies while he does not have on his neck a pledge of allegiance dies the death of Jahiliyyah (Pre-Islamic era).” (Related by Muslim)

The Prophet (peace be upon him) also said: “There will be disturbances and troubles. So whoever wants to disunite this Ummah (nation based on one creed) while being united, put him to the sword.” (Related by Muslim)

Concord and unity are highly recommended because of the considerable advantages they bring and the considerable disadvantages caused when they are absent, of which sensible people are aware and evidence are provided both in the past and the present.

Allah has granted the people of this country agreement with their leaders in the light of the guidance of the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him).

They could not be disunited or divided by incoming trends or various parties according to the following verse: “(Always) Turning in repentance to Him (only), and be afraid and dutiful to Him; and perform AsSalat (IqamatasSalat) and be not of AlMushrikun (the disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah, polytheists, idolaters, etc.) Of those who split up their religion (i.e. who left the true Islamic Monotheism), and became sects, [i.e. they invented new things in the religion (Bid'ah), and followed their vain desires], each sect rejoicing in that which is with it.” (30: 31-32)

The Kingdom has preserved Islamic identity.

Though it has developed and used the permissible worldly ways and means, it did and will not, Allah willing, allow such ideas coming from the West or the East to affect the identity or disunite the Saudi people.

One of Allah’s Favors on the people of this country as rulers and subjects is the honor of serving the two Holy Mosques which, all praise is due to Allah,

Are shown due care by the Saudi Arabian government in compliance with the following verse: “And (remember) when We made the House (the Ka`bah at Makkah) a place of resort for mankind and a place of safety. And take you (people) the Maqam (place) of Ibrahim (Abraham) [or the stone on which Ibrahim (Abraham) stood while he was building the Ka`bah] as a place of prayer, and We commanded Ibrahim (Abraham) and Isma`il (Ishmael) that they should purify My House (the Ka`bah at Makkah) for those who are circumambulating it, or staying (I`tikaf), or bowing or prostrating themselves (there, in prayer).” (2: 125)

Providing this service, the Kingdom has a special advantage in the Muslim world. It is the Qiblah (Ka`bah-direction faced in Prayer) for Muslims and the country comprising the two Holy Mosques to which Muslims go from all corners of the world during Hajj season as Hajj pilgrims and throughout year as `Umrah pilgrims and visitors.

Appreciating the blessing of agreement with the guidance of the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him) under wise leadership, the Council of Senior Scholars calls on everybody to exert every effort to increase solidarity, promote unity and warn against all causes giving rise to the opposite.

In this connection, it stresses the importance of mutual advice, understanding, cooperation in righteousness and piety and forbidding sin and transgression and warns against injustice, evildoing and ingratitude.

It also warns against deviant intellectual and partisan tendencies as the people of this country are a single unit following the example of the Salaf (righteous predecessors),

Their successors and the old and contemporary Muslim Imams when it come to preserving unity, sincere advice, refraining from finding and exposing faults in spite of the necessity of admitting to imperfection, fault and the importance of reformation in any way, and at any time.
The Council recognizes the high standing of advice in terms of religion as the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Religion is advice”. It was said: “For whom, Allah’s Messenger?” He said: “For Allah, His Book, Muslim rulers and individuals.” (Related by Muslim)

Rulers are the most deserving people of advice as

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Indeed, Allah is pleased with three things from you, and He is angry with three things from you. He is pleased that you worship Him and do not associate anything with Him, and that you take hold of the Rope of Allah altogether, and that you give good counsel to the one to whom Allah gives command over you.” (Related by Imam Ahmad)

The Council asserts that reformation and advice have their own legitimate methods that bring advantage and avoid disadvantage and they can not take place by making exaggerated statements, trouble incitement or collecting signatures for the stated statements for this contradicts the commandments of Allah (Exalted and Glorified be He)

In the following verse: “When there comes to them some matter touching (public) safety or fear, they make it known (among the people), if only they had referred it to thMessenger or to those charged with authority among them, the proper investigators would have understood it from them (directly). Had it not been for the Grace and Mercy of Allah upon you, you would have followed Shaitan (Satan), save a few of you.” (4: 83)

Since the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is based on the Book of Allah, the Sunnah of the Prophet, the pledge of allegiance, compliance, and obedience, reformation and advice can not take place by means of violent demonstrations or other means or methods that spark unrest and disunity.

That is why it is decided by the scholars of this country in the past and at present that the above is banned and so they warn against it.

Understanding that demonstrations are banned in this country,

The Council believes that the legitimate method that brings advantage and avoids disadvantage is advice which was enacted by the Prophet (peace be upon him) and used by his grand companions and those duly following them.

The Council stresses the importance that legal, supervisory and executive authorities should fulfill their duties as set out by the state laws and the directives of people in authority and that everybody found guilty of dereliction of duty should be penalized for that.

We ask Allah (Exalted be He) to safeguard our country as well as all Muslim countries from each sort of evil and harm, bring us together for right, reconcile us, guide us to peaceful ways, show us right as such, help us follow it, show us wrong as such, help us avoid it and reform Muslim deviants. We beseech Allah to guide rulers to things of benefit to peoples and countries. Indeed, He is the Patron, Capable of all things.
May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.

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