King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Saturday called upon the Islamic Ummah to hold fast to the Holy Qur'an, abide by its moderation and flexibility and keep away from fundamentalist thoughts and beliefs. This came in the King's speech, read out by Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah, during the inauguration of the First International Conference on Teaching of the Holy Qur'an here, Saturday. King Abdullah's speech urged scholars to correctly interpret the verses of the Holy Qur'an in order to refute the allegations of the enemies of Islam who “accuse our religion and the Holy Qur'an as preaching extremism, terrorism and rigidity although our religion is distinguished for advocating tolerance, mercy and compassion.” King Abdullah also stressed the Kingdom's keenness on continued support for all the institutions which care for the Holy Qur'an, its memorization and teaching. He stressed that the Kingdom always takes the initiative in spreading Allah's Book as well as its recitation and memorization. He said the Holy Qur'an is the constitution of all Muslims. “They derive from it all the rulings and apply them in words and deeds. There will be no pride for Muslims unless they abide by the principles and teachings of the Holy Qur'an,” the King said. The Kingdom, the Monarch said, is founded on the love, glorification and respect for the Holy Qur'an. “We take pride in deriving all our legislations from the Holy Qur'an beside following its orders and refraining from all that it forbids. This explains why the Holy Qur'an has always been the source of our strength, stability and dignity,” the King said. The Monarch also lauded the efforts of the Muslim World League (MWL) and the International Organization for the Memorization of the Holy Qur'an for their efforts in spreading the teachings of the Holy Qur'an and prayed to Allah to enable them to keep on their efforts. Addressing the conference, Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bin Abdullah Aal Al-Sheikh, Grand Mufti of the Kingdom and Chairman of the Board of Senior Ulema, said Almighty Allah revealed His Book to be a guide and light for all the people. He said the Holy Qur'an leads its followers to happiness in this world and the Hereafter stressing that the first generation who saw the revelation of the Holy Qur'an learnt the Qur'an and taught it and kept disseminating it to all corners of the world so that justice and benevolence prevail. Dr. Abdullah Bin Abdul Mohsin Al-Turki, Secretary General of the Muslim World League (MWL) and Chairman of the International Organization for the Memorization of the Holy Qur'an, said the convening of such conferences offers a unique opportunity for the Holy Qur'an institutions and Holy Qur'an memorization circles to exchange experience and boost their relations in the service of the Book of Allah. More than 300 scholars, Muftis and ministers of endowments from various Islamic countries are participating in this first conference of its kind.
