MOSQUE SERMONS FOR SAUDI ARABIA, DECEMBER 15:

C O N F I D E N T I A L JEDDAH 000765 SIPDIS SIPDIS PLEASE PASS TO DHAHRAN E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/18/2016 TAGS: PGOV PINR PREL KISL SA SCUL SUBJECT: MOSQUE SERMONS FOR SAUDI ARABIA, DECEMBER 15: MECCA, MEDINA, JEDDAH, AL-KHOBAR Classified By: Consul General Tatiana C. Gfoeller for, reasons 1.4 (c) and (d) MECCA: HAJJ; ART OF LISTENING IS KEY TO SUCCESS ¶1. (C) Sheikh Salih bin-Abdallah bin-Humayd delivered the sermon in Mecca on December 15. He began by encouraging Muslims to follow Allah and participate in the Hajj. The imam continued, "Muslims are feeling that their religion is being exposed to fierce onslaught. They talk about this onslaught in their seminars, their writings, their meetings, and their media. We do not complain or blame the enemies and foes, although we have the right to do so only if it encourages positive action." He urged Muslims "to look into their state of affairs in a realistic and positive way so that they can continue their march." He said that the nation can promote Islam only if it overcomes its whims and desires, adding that good relations with others and the art of listening are the key to success in life. ¶2. (C) In the second sermon, the sheikh continued with the theme of listening as a way to success. He concluded by asking Allah to strengthen Islam and Muslims, humiliate atheism and atheists, protect Islam, give success to the Saudi monarch, support mujahadin in Palestine and elsewhere, and "to destroy the Zionist occupiers." MEDINA: RESPONSIBILITY TO COMPLETE THE HAJJ ¶3. (C) Sheikh Abd-al-Muhsin bin-Muhammad al-Qasim Husayn Al al-Sheikh delivered the sermon in Medina. He spoke of the responsibility to complete the Hajj as it is one of the pillars of Islam. In the second sermon the imam urged Muslims to read the Koran, maintain good ties with relatives, and obey their parents. Both sermons were devoted to the subject of pilgrimage. He concluded by asking Allah "to strengthen Islam and Muslims, humiliate atheism and atheists, destroy the enemies of Islam, protect Saudi Arabia and other Islamic countries, and give success to the Saudi leader." JEDDAH: HAJJ; DO NOT RETURN TO OLD WAYS ¶4. (C) Two mosques in the Al Rabwa district of Jeddah were visited. The first one is called Sharbatly Mosque and is located on Al-Habbab bin Manzer Street. More than 1,000 men, of different nationalities, attended the Friday prayer service. The imam, a Saudi, spoke about people who perform the Hajj, criticizing them for spending thousands of riyals in their journey to Mecca, doing all of the rituals correctly, and then returning to their old ways and bad habits after concluding the pilgrimage. The sermon was concluded with prayers for forgiveness and goodness. ¶5. (C) The second mosque, name unknown, is located on Makarona Street and belongs to the Capitols Medical Institute. Approximately 1,000 men were in attendance. The sermon dealt with the issue of pilgrimage and the command to complete it when the opportunity arises. The imam added, "each Muslim, whenever ready, should immediately execute and not wait for another season. Any Muslim could die or get sick or lose his money suddenly and waste the only chance he had for Hajj." The sermon was concluded with prayers for forgiveness and petitions regarding Hajj issues. AL-KHOBAR: FATE; ACCEPT WHAT LIFE BRINGS ¶6. (C) Sheikh Mohammed al-Qahtani delivered the sermon at the Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal Mosque in al-Khobar. He began by speaking of fate, known in Arabic as "ghedha wa qadar." After speaking of destiny, al-Qahtani said that the faithful should accept what life has in store for them, "despite how difficult or unfair, because Allah has the best interests of his creatures at heart and only He knows best." As an example, he spoke of parents who lose young children. The imam said that parents should understand that their fate, and their child's, were predetermined by Allah. He continued, "Had the child lived to adulthood, who knows what he would have become? He could have turned out to be a pious person, true, but the possibility exists that he could have grown up to be a new Hitler or Saddam, thereby dragging his family in the direction of hell!" ¶7. (C) Al-Qahtani then spoke of death, wars, disasters, conflicts, and injustice, explaining that nothing happens in life without Allah's knowledge. In conclusion, he stated, "Whenever something happens in the world, from genocide to natural calamities, Allah has His reasons why He allows them to happen. Allah is not impotent or weak, for it is within His powers to put a stop to them. I ask that you do not look at such occurrences from the perspective that our Creator is a mere spectator. Nothing can be further from the truth." (Comment: There were no mentions of Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, George Bush, Israel, or any of the usual subjects. It will be interesting to see whether al-Qahtani picks up on these issues next week. End Comment.) GFOELLER