Sheikh, the Grand Mufti of the Kingdom, has said in a new book entitled “Advice to Sermonizers” that Friday sermons should be used to “correct behavior and promote good morals in the best way possible” and not to “name and shame specific persons”. “It is not appropriate for sermonizers to mention the names of specific people, their task is to show the truth and refute falsehood and handle issues in accordance with Shariah and following the methods of the Quran and the Sunna,” the Grand Mufti says in the book. He also calls upon sermonizers to warn society against the dangers of terrorist ideology, deviation and falsehood, particularly in current times, which he describes as witnessing “division, innovation, superstition, temptation, ignorance, corruption and evil” and “calls to falsehood and deception by encouraging and supporting the enemies of Islam and their supporters who have exploited the weakness and ignorance of Muslims”. “We are facing at this time an unjust media and challenges from our enemies against our religion, our leadership, our Ummah, our prosperity, our social life, our unity, and our harmony,” the Grand Mufti writes. “There are calls to deviation, deviant views and unfair media campaigns, and the sermonizer should be aware of everything that damages the Ummah and warn it of evils.” Aal Al-Sheikh also said that sermons should not be used for insults, defamation and vulgar expressions, but that they should be used to correct erroneous ways. “Vice cannot be changed by vice, instead vice and errors are corrected by good deeds, truth and honesty, and by showing people the truth,” he writes. “Advice to Sermonizers” is the 14th work in a series of books from the Public and Media Relations Administration at the Ministry of Islamic Affairs. It describes the sermon as of “great importance in Islam and of great beneficial value as one of the rituals of Islam”.
