By: Asem Mustafa
The final sermon of Hajj came with a piece of advice and a clear message not to create ‘mischief on earth’ and warnings from Allah Almighty are permanent and any deviation from the straight path will result in chaos and destruction. The sermon reflected the seriousness and resolve of the grand Muslim clergy, especially the imam e Kaaba from Makkah-tul-Mukarramah.
Sheikh Bandar bin Abdul Aziz while delivering the sermon referred to many edicts where Allah has given stern warnings to wrong-doers and the people who create chaos on earth will be dealt with severity. It is already clear from a number of verses of the Holy Quran that those who disobeyed Allah almighty and the prophets were destroyed. However, there are rewards for good deeds and punishments await the wrongdoers and it encompasses all walks of life – personal, social, and professional.
Sheikh Bandar clearly pointed out the Muslim world that their internal conflicts are weakening the Ummah as a whole. The situation in Afghanistan was also pointed out by the scholar as the internal strife between the warring Afghans is only causing harm to Muslim unity.
The two extremes of cases took special mentioning from the Sheikh as Palestine and Kashmir have been long-standing issues in the Muslim world and the internal strife in Afghans gives out another picture of the Muslims. In the current global scenario, the Muslim Ummah needs a much closer collaboration and unity to stand out as a distinguished entity. Muslims need to come forward and have a straightforward dialogue with the rest of the world. The world views this with a very negative impression.
The sermon in bits and pieces pointed out at the political corruption where power elite have grabbed positions of power and have left no stone unturned in their hegemonic designs to attain maximum control. This trend should end as the religion which represents peace and peace alone cannot bear the burden of the political corrupt who go all out in usurping the rights of the others.
Sheikh Bandar bin Abdul Aziz also prayed for Palestine and Kashmir which have been bleeding for decades under the cruel Israel occupation forces well aided by the despotic anti-Muslim Indian regime. Both Israel and India have never missed an opportunity of hurting the Muslim sentiment.
The scholar also mentioned hadith from Prophet Muhammad (SAW) that don’t go to areas that are affected from plague and those who are inside the area shouldn’t go outside.
The pandemic which has gripped the world witnessed Saudi government restricting the visitors and the Hajj was performed with very limited attendance and with strict ‘coronavirus protocols’.
Sheikh Bandar called on Muslims for establishing equality in their ranks and encourage the Ummah to do good towards others.
