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.
The Book Of Prayer: Salaat (Prayer) is one of the main obligations which Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) has ordained on His servants. It is the first act of worship decreed on the Muslim Nation (Ummah) by Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) and was ordained on the night of the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) ascension to the seven heavens. It is the second of the five pillars of Islam after the proclamation of the “Shahada” (the words of witness).
Author: Nathif Jami Adam
Reveiwers: Muhammad AbdulRaoof
Publisher: http://www.islambasics.com - Islam Basics Website
This is an important book talks about a common issue misunderstood but misused by lots of thinkers and orientalists. It is “Why did Prophet Muhammad marry Aisha the young girl?” The author shows the reason behind their discussion. They want to distort the picture of Prophet Muhammad not criticize the marriage of young girl. Also if this kind of marriage was strange, why did not the disbelievers of Quraish use it as a pretext against Muhammad?! The author discusses other topics such as: Europe also allows marrying young girls, the age of consent in most countries worldwide.
Publisher: http://www.rasoulallah.net - Website of Rasoulullah (peace be upon him)
The book begins with a discussion of the sacred nature of Makkah Al-Mukarramah, the boundaries of the Haram (Sanctuary) and its sanctity. Then it discusses the superiority of Makkah and narrates Ahadith to that effect. Then it mentions the names of Makkah and the significance of these names. This book also speaks of Ibrahim (Abraham) and Isma'il (Ishmael) (peace be upon them) and their connection to Makkah and its sanctity and development.
The 'Ideal Muslim' is now in its second revised edition in English, it has been very well received by our English and Arabic readers. The author has even examined both Eastern and Western thoughts on certain issues and proved that the Islamic Ideal is superior in all cases.
Author: Muhammad Ali Al-Hashemi
Publisher: International Islamic Publishing House
In conveying the message of Islam to a non-Muslim, it is usually not sufficient to highlight only the positive nature of Islam. Most non-Muslims are not convinced about the truth of Islam because there are a few questions about Islam at the back of their minds that remain unanswered. This book will help non-Muslims to discover and know more common questions about Islam in more depth.
Author: Zakir Naik
Reveiwers: Muhammad AbdulRaoof