Minister of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Call and Guidance Sheikh Salih Bin Abdulaziz Aal Al-Sheikh has underlined the importance of spreading knowledge, clarification of facts and understanding the purposes of Islamic Shariah. Aal Al-Sheikh was speaking in a lecture he gave at the Officers Club in Riyadh on Tuesday night, titled “Moderation and Its Impact on the Lives of Muslims.” “It is an essential matter to understand Islam so as to worship Allah Almighty properly,” said Aal Al-Sheikh. “Earlier, the Muslim society was not in need to speak about moderation because the phenomenon of extremism was unknown.” He added that the Muslim society also did not know the phenomenon of Westernization and demoralization. Aal Al-Sheikh said it would be better to behave in a moderate manner and to keep away from extremism. He said that the proper understanding of Islam will lead to moderation, because the Holy Qur'an and Sunnah (the Prophet's teachings) advocate moderation. “As Allah Almighty wanted this nation to become a moderate one, those who opt for the path of extremism will either disappear or shrink,” he said, adding that moderation is the most important factor for the survival of the Muslim Ummah. Sheikh Salih also said that adherence to the principle of moderation is a necessity for preserving the strength of Islam and the Muslim nation, and to fortify Muslims against any alien ideology. He added that moderation requires correction of ways of thinking. “We are in need of programming our way of thinking so as to make it capable of matching the great changes in the life of the nation,” he said. Aal Al-Sheikh said the proper way of thinking should pass three stages. “In the first stage, we should understand the reality of the matter,” he said. “Secondly we should realize the environment surrounding us, because realizing the environment will lead to sound thought, and at the third stage, we should realize the dimensions of the principles and their outcome and fate.” __
