The annual Religious Freedom Reports released by US State Department often include sections about religious freedom in Saudi Arabia. These reports are officially distributed by the State Department and then circulated amongst the centers of research in the West as well as the international media outlets and other channels. Saudi Arabia comes on top of concern of those involved in these reports, due to its religious and political significance. Accordingly, it becomes incumbent on us, as Saudis, to discuss the sections in these reports which cover religious freedom in our country and provide facts that are not included in these reports. While discussing these reports, we should explain to the world our view point vis-à-vis these reports. We should also allow the reader to discover the truth as stated therein and according to criteria upon which many fair-minded, rational people agreed with us.
An Authentic Selection from Imam Al-Qurtubi's At-Tadhkirah Fiahwalil-Mawta Wal-Akhirah. Death is not the absolute end. It is just the discontinuation of unity between the body and soul. It is a change from one state to another and a transition from this present life to that of the hereafter.
Author: Muhammad Bin Ahmad Al-Qurtubi
Reveiwers: Muhammad AbdulRaoof
Imam Shafi on On Legal Knowledge Read Classical – Excerpt Written in the second Islamic century by al-Imam al-Shafi’i (d. 204AH/820AD), the founder of one of the four Sunni schools of law. This important work gives the fundamental principles of Islamic jurisprudence and its influence continues to the present day. During the early years of the spread of Islam, the exponents of Islamic legal doctrine were faced with the problems raised by ruling and administering a diverse and rapidly growing empire. In Medina and Kufa, as well as other cities of early Muslim rule, schools of law had to be developed, but it took the genius of Muhammad b. Idris al-Shafi’i, born in the year 150AH/767AD, to establish the principles by which the various legal doctrines could be synthesised into a coherent system. In the Risala, which laid down the basis for such a synthesis, al-Shafi’i established the overriding authority, next only to the Qur’an, of the Sunnah or example of the Prophet Muhammad as transmitted in the traditions.
Author: Muhammad Bin Idrees Al-Shafaei - Mohammed Bin Idrees Al-Shafai
Reveiwers: Muhammad AbdulRaoof
An excellent book discussing the status of Jesus in those verses regarded as the oldest in the Bible.
Author: Brandon Torobov - Branden Trawbouf
Publisher: http://www.dar-alsalam.com - Darussalam Publications Website
Source: http://www.islamhouse.com/p/1399
This is the translation of an extremely important book by the eminent scholar Ash-Shaikh Salih Aal-Shaikh. In it are essential guidelines from the Sunnah and the example of the sahabah, on how a Muslim should think and behave in situations of tribulations, trials or calamities.
Author: Saalih Bin Abdulaziz Aal-ish-Sheikh
Reveiwers: Muhammad AbdulRaoof
Translators: Shuwana Abdul-Azeez
Publisher: A website Quran and Sunnah : http://www.qsep.com
The discourse in this book addresses elite western politicians, intellectuals and thinkers. It discusses the most important issues related to the political system of Saudi Arabia from an Islamic perspective and through the state's laws like the Basic Law of Governance. Among the issues discussed by the book, for instance, the imama (leadership), the rights and duties of the Muslim leader, the nature of relation between citizens and the King, the concept of Shoura in Islam and the impact of the implementation of this Shoura in Saudi Arabia compared with democracy, the concept of bay’ah (pay of allegiance), the formation of political parties and the so-called opposition, the freedom of opinion, as well as other issues raised in the Western media and political circles about the political system of Saudi Arabia.