FROM THE HOLY HARAMS

Taqwa, trust are attributes of obedient servants of Allah

MAKKAH/MADINAH - The Imams and Khateebs of the Two Holy Harams in Makkah and Madinah in their Friday Khutbah on 11 October urged Muslims to remember and fear Allah in everything they do.

Sheikh Osamah Ibn Abdul Ghani Khayyat in his Khutbah said that while the people are busy in material things, they forget the fundamentals of monotheism and the cardinal principles of faith and, when they are beset with adversities, they start fearing the unknown future. He explained that those who recite the Holy Qur'an every morning and evening know that they should fear none but Allah, and look for mercy from none but Him.

He said that "fear of Allah" is held in great esteem because it is the practice of the angels who are near to Him and to the Prophets (peace be on them), as they are certain that He Alone regulates the affairs of this world and of the next and also of all creatures therein. They know that all creatures possess neither harm nor benefit for themselves, and have no power of causing death, giving life, nor of raising the dead to life.

According to Sheikh Khayyat, the Muslim scholars reject what some people say that "they fear Allah and fear those who don't fear Allah," because those who don't fear Allah are the supporters of the Satan, who are, in fact, too weak to hurt those who fear Allah.

He said even those devils, who hurt some people, are given this power by Allah because of the sins committed by the said people, and Allah can withdraw this power from the devils. But the people who fear Allah are safe from the plots of the Satan as, "whosoever puts his trust in Allah, then He will suffice him."

In this connection the Sheikh recited the Qura'nic verse: "Those (i.e. believers) unto whom the people (hypocrites) said, 'verily, the people (pagans) have gathered against you (a great army), therefore, fear them.' But it (only) increased them in faith, and they said: 'Allah Alone is sufficient for us, and He is the Best Disposer of affairs (for us).'" Sheikh Khayyat concluded by reciting the Qur'anic verse: "It is only those who have knowledge among His slaves that fear Allah."

Meanwhile, Sheikh Ali Ibn Abdul Rahman Al-Hudhaifi, Imam and Khateeb of the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah, spoke in his Friday Khutbah about the importance of Al- Amanah (keeping trust or moral responsibility or honesty and being mindful of all the duties which Allah has ordained). He explained: "Al-Amanah was offered to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, but they declined to bear it, and were afraid of it, i.e. afraid of Allah's torment. But man bore it. Verily, he was unjust (to himself) and ignorant (of its results)." He explained that Al-Amanah can be best manifested in the rights of Allah and the rights of man and, that whosoever observes them in full, will have the ample reward of Allah, and those who violates them will be exposed to torment.

The Sheikh explained that Al-Amanah includes Monotheism, discharge of religious duties, offering prayers, paying Zakah, observing fasting and performing Hajj as well as keeping good terms with kit and kin, enjoining virtue and forbidding vice. He added that wealth is also a trust and should be used to realize only good objectives and that the wives are a trust unto their husbands who should not deny them their rights in full. He said that the trust also includes guarding the private organs of man and woman, i.e. to be used for only what Allah has ordained. Similarly, the tongue is also a trust, i.e. to utter only righteous words. He enjoined the people not to use their limbs for any act, which may provoke the wrath of Allah. He said that the violation of trust produces a bitter taste in life and poses a great threat to the private and public interests.

Sheikh Al-Hudhaifi called on the officials to be trustworthy and be mindful of Allah while carrying out their duties and that they should refrain from bribery and embezzlement in order to please Allah and avoid His torment. - SPA

Madrid Cultural Center serves Islam in Spain

THE Islamic Center in Madrid bears witness to the fact that Saudi Arabia is playing a leading role in meeting the requirements of Muslim minorities abroad. Dr. Saleh Ibn Muhammad Al-Sureidi , Director of the Center, said that the Center has been providing its services to the Muslims of Spain. He said that the Center had made contacts with various Spaniards in order to introduce Islam to them in the right manner and that the Center had received visitors from several schools and institutions across Spain.

Dr. Saleh said: "These visits have provided us with an opportunity to deliver lectures on Islam and Muslims and also to provide those interested with books on Islam in Spanish. The Center also participates in meetings where the problems faced by the expatriates are discussed." He pointed out that Spain is now a secular state and hence Muslims in Spain are entitled to all benefits that are available to people of other religions. He also said that in coordination with the Islamic Federation of Spain, the Center has been working to increase the role of the Muslim minority in the country.

Dr. Saleh said the issue of teaching Islam at government schools is given top priority. "We have been involved in negotiations and discussions with the Spanish officials on this issue. We hosted the meeting of Islamic Federation of Spain with the Spanish justice ministry, which yielded positive results. The Center also hosts Imams and Ulema who visit Spain on Da'wah work and we provide them all necessary services."

The Center has requested the office of Prince Abdul Aziz Ibn Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz and the Muslim World League to provide it with some Da'wah activists and to help renovate some mosques. There are many mosques in Spain which are directly or indirectly linked to the Center.

Speaking about the activities of the Center in Ramadhan, he observed: "We deliver lectures on intonations and proper recitation of the Holy Qur'an, besides organizing Holy Qur'an memorization contests. We also provide Muslims with Iftar meals in coordination with other Islamic societies."

The Center also provides poor families with financial assistance. "We have been distributing money provided by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd to poor Muslim families and students, in coordination with the Saudi Embassy in Madrid. We also undertake the funeral rites of Muslims who die and extend financial help to the poor bereaved family members. We also provide Muslims with copies of the Holy Qur'an as well as other Islamic publications and audio cassettes in Arabic as well as Spanish." The Center has also translated the directory of the Muslim World League in order to shed light on its role in the service of Muslims around the world.

Dr. Saleh added that the Center had established a unit for research and translation with the help of generous support extended by Prince Abdul Aziz Ibn Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz. Moreover, it has been organizing important lectures for Muslims within the framework of its cultural activities.

Russia expands war against Islam

Dr. Nora Ahmed

HAVING enough devastation of the Muslim lands in Chechnya, Russia has expanded its war against the Muslims in Ingushetia. Going against international rules by violating the state of Ingushetia, Russian warplanes and artillery pounded Chechen freedom fighters claiming they escaped into Ingushetia.

The outcome was the fleeing of hundreds of civilians. Residents fled in dozens of trucks and cars from the village of 6,000 inhabitants, including 1,500 Chechen refugees. Ingushetia sheltered 140,000 refugees that fled a three-year brutal war in Chechnya now has been facing Russian attack as well.

Russian troops, for a long time, have closed escape routes for civilians in central and eastern Chechnya, forcing virtually all to travel west into Ingushetia. Long before the bombardment of Ingushetia, the Daily Telegraph reported: "An eight mile queue of refugees desperate to flee the bombardment jammed the main road leading west from Chechnya into Ingushetia, their only escape route as the border with the rest of Russia is sealed by the army." Now Ingushetia itself is no longer safe for many of these refugees as Russian troops hardly consider the human plight of these Muslims.

Once there, border guards "meticulously inspected trunks and cargo," The International Herald Tribune said, reportedly turning back persons whose identification documents bore only Chechen nationality." On 30 September, Agence France Presse reported: "Women and children have been fleeing across the border (into Ingushetia), but Russian officials have turned back most of the men."

Human Rights Watch (HRW) said it was "profoundly concerned for the safety and well-being of civilians displaced by renewed Russian bombardments over Chechnya and by the prospects of the conflict's escalation." Dismissing claims by Russia's Emergencies Ministry that the refugee situation did not amount to a humanitarian emergency, HRW said, "Relief efforts for the displaced are inadequate to say the least. Reliable reports of a lack of shelter, warm clothing, food, and medical care...are inconsistent with this claim." Now after the recent attacks on Ingushetia those refugees have nowhere to go.

The onslaught against Muslims is carried out by the inheritors of the former communist regime in Russia. They are heartless and determined to use force to carry out their ethnic cleansing of the Muslim populated areas. The Caucasus, which remains populated by Muslims, hinders Russian plans for the region. Russia has never abandoned its dream of expansion and colonization of the Muslim lands.

The war that has left indelible scars on Kosovars

PSYCHOLOGICAL agony is often more severe than bodily pain. This is evident because psychological affliction takes longer to heal compared to bodily injury. Allah Almighty has bestowed on His Servant Moses (peace be on him) the grace of recovery from a severe psychological trouble when he killed a man. Allah said: "We saved you from trouble, and we tried you in various ways." Allah Almighty also bestowed the grace of recovery on the first generation of Muslims from psychological distress. Allah said: "After (the excitement) of the distress, He sent down calm on a band of you." The Holy Qur'an has cautioned against secret counsel that causes depression (secret councils are only inspired by Satan in order that he may cause grief to the believers). Consequently, great attention was given to the treatment of psychological ailments, particularly doubt about Allah.

In grief-stricken Kosova, many a catastrophe has caused despair and psychological troubles that robbed the faces of the beautiful smile, replacing it with sorrow and sadness. In fact, that was the only logical result of a vicious war fraught with malice and wrath, flouting all religious principles, moral norms and even military discipline. It has brutally exceeded the killing of combatants to the destruction of property and the crushing of unarmed civilians. As if that was not enough, it went on to include the abhorrent crime of rape. These factors have led the Saudi Joint Committee to sponsor a program for the treatment of psychological stress after securing the approval of officials in Saudi Arabia who have shown deep concern in the plight of the people of Kosova.

Chapters of the tragedy

A six-year-old child looks aimlessly, shifting his eyes in all directions. His steps along the road are reminiscent of the bullet- riddled bodies consumed by the war. Specialists say he is suffering from shock after his tender- hearted grandfather was killed in the war and Serb soldiers set their home ablaze.

Another afflicted child has tried in vain to forget that devastating day when Serb soldiers killed his mother, brothers and 58 other persons before setting the family home on fire.

The boy escaped this grisly death because he fled the scene of the massacre when he heard the order to set the house ablaze.

A third example is that of a wretched man who became haunted with the scenes of enemy soldiers raping his wife and molesting his daughters before his eyes. There are thousands of such horrible examples, and to give the reader a clear picture, we publish the following figures:

* 50 percent of the population of Kosova suffer from psychological stress as a result of the war.

* 40 percent are unable to accommodate themselves with the Serbs.

* 17 percent suffer from psychological disorders resulting from bodily injuries.

The following two facts may sum up the situation:

* 620 students out of 850 students in one of Kosova villages have no complete families (made up of father, mother and siblings) i.e. that 80 percent of the children have lost one or both parents.

* Psychiatrists are a rare commodity, but whoever is available receives between 50 to 60 patients daily.

Types of psychological stress

It wouldn't be difficult for a clever person to assess the psychological disorders resulting from killings, cases of rape, demolition of homes and displacement. Social workers of the Saudi Joint Committee have summed up the types of stress in the following:

1. Victims of rape suffer from depression, aggressive behavior, withdrawal and loneliness. This is in addition to abdominal and menstruation disorders and headaches.

2. Children were so scared that they would not venture out of the house and could not focus on their studies. They also suffered from isolation and aggressiveness.

3. As for men and the rest of the society they suffer from hallucinations, particularly those whose sons were killed before their eyes.

Program idea

Dr. Majd Almaz (an American Muslim) had previously trained the people in Bosnia- Herzegovina on how to cope with psychological disorders. He prepared efficient instructors from various segments of the society to undertake the training of other people. His idea was presented to the Saudi Joint Committee. Later it was referred to Prince Naif Ibn Abdulaziz, Minister of Interior and the Supervisor General of the committee, and approval was promptly given to adopt the program which began only one month after the withdrawal of the Serb forces. The program alleviated the sufferings and revived hopes.

Program nature

The program idea focuses on the preparation of qualified instructors to train others, eventually increasing the number of trained social works. The trainees were selected from various segments of the society, including doctors, teachers, nurses and psychologists. They received training on how to treat psychological disorders using collective sessions, psychoanalysis and methods of breaking the psychological barriers so that the patient may resume his normal life. It is a purely psychological treatment that does not use medicines or electrical or surgical methods. As reliance on Allah Almighty and adherence to Faith proved a sufficient treatment in many cases, Da'wah work was included in the program, 230 persons have been trained to contribute to the treatment of psychological disorders and 60 of them have been appointed at the committee's treatment centers.

Program execution

After sponsoring the program, the committee started its cooperation with Dr. Almaz, establishing two centers in Pristina and Gjacova which has witnessed the largest share of killing, demolition and rape cases. The Saudi Joint Committee has borne all the costs of the program, including the provision of food for the center's staff.

After Dr. Almaz commenced his work a ray of hope cleaved the darkness and with his expert management the program achieved continuous success, won confidence and became independent and self-supportive.

It was a difficult job, because women, in general, and Muslim women, in particular, prefer not to speak about the violation of their honor which even the shedding of blood couldn't prevent. The job was difficult but not impossible, with reliance on Allah and perseverance, spectacular results have been achieved and many women resumed their normal life.

The wide array of problems included husbands who distanced themselves from their wives who were victims of rape. Also, some children became aggressive and introvert due to the heinous crimes that took place before their eyes. The committee was able to treat 1,100 cases some of them were on the verge of committing suicide.

Taste of success

It is a source of immense delight that happiness has once more returned to numerous households in Kosova. Thousands have returned to their works and fields and students resumed classes in high sprits. Such achievement is a source of satisfaction and may be rewarded by Allah as the best deed is to introduce happiness to the heart of a Muslim.

Those invited by the committee to attend the ceremony held on the occasion of the recovery of 2,000 persons in Kosova, included the US Red Crescent Society, World Health Organization, doctors, the dean of the Faculty of Medicine in Pristina and the head of its Psychological Department, who all heaped praise on the program and underlined its success.

The western and international media recently focused its attention on this program, the first of its kind in Kosova and considered a model for innovative relief work various delegations have arrived in Kosova to be acquainted with the program and try to copy it in other parts of the world. Such achievements make you taste the thrill of success with a clear conscious (say: In the bounty of Allah and in his mercy, in that let them rejoice.") - RD