MOSQUE SERMONS FOR SAUDI ARABIA, DECEMBER 15:

C O N F I D E N T I A L JEDDAH 000765

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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