Qatar Emir Inaugurates Imam Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab Mosque

Doha, December 16 (QNA) - HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani before noon today inaugurated the "Imam Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab" Mosque in Doha. HH the Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and HH the Emir's Special Advisor, HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Thani attended the inauguration. The inauguration was also attended by HE the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor Al Thani, HE Mohammed bin Mubarak al Khulaifi, Speaker of the Advisory (Shura) Council, a number of Their Excellencies Sheikhs, ministers, dignitaries, a number of Their Excellencies the heads of diplomatic missions accredited to Qatar and guests. In a speech on the occasion, HH the Emir expressed his belief that this mosque, which stems from the land of Qatar, will serve as a platform for reform and worshipping God Almighty in spirit and in truth away from fads and fancies . We named the mosque after the great reformer and a renowned reviver Imam Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab in honor of the Muslim scholars, who still carry his thought and call for revival to serve Islam and Muslims, said HH the Emir. His walk all through life in the path of light spread throughout the Arabian Peninsula, guides people to the right path according to the Holy Quran and Sunnah, removes confusion from the minds and deviations that confounded souls, said HH the Emir. HH the Emir reaffirmed commitment to spare no efforts to carry the message and spread the teachings of Islam in the whole world, noting that the Muslim nation is now in need of renewal and inspiration of the experience of Wahhabi's da'wah (call) while keeping pace with the era and its developments. In his speech HH the Emir said on occasion is as lofty as it and no event lives up to it , praying the Almighty Allah to provide us with his grace after "we raised the bases of one of Allah's houses and completed its construction. Is there a greater and higher act of worship than the remembrance under the roof a new house of Allah's houses?, HH the Emir inquired. We named the mosque, which we have the honour to inaugurate today, after the renowned figure, great reformist and pioneer renewed Imam Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab, HH the Emir said asking the Almighty Allah that he would be graced by the saying of Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) : "God sends to this nation at the head of every one hundred years who he renews its religion". I am confident that this mosques which stems from the land of Qatar, as an eternal part of it, will serve as a platform for reform and sincere call to the Almighty Allah away from fads and fancies to serve the people on earth while coping with the spirit of the era and saving them in the hereafter in order to please Allah and his messenger. HH the Emir said our grandparent the founder Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani (may Allah have mercy upon him) who was both knowledgeable in religion and a governor, was one of those who adopted the message of Sheikh Muhammad bin Abdul Wahab and spread it in our country and in the Muslim world as he worked hard to spread the Wahhabi thought books among other books and printed them in India in order to let people know more about Allah's religion and the message of his Messenger. We are still following in the steps of these great grandparents, guided by the Holy Book and the Sunna (saying and deeds) of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and we will not spare any effort to continue hold the message and spread the tolerant teachings of Islam in the whole world, HH the Emir said adding We can see that Ummah today is in need of rejuvenation and getting inspiration from Wahhabism while keeping pace with the age and its developments. HH the Emir We, as we meet today to open this mosque and name it after Imam Muhammad bin Abdul Wahab, are honoring scholars who still carry his thought and his message to serve Islam and Muslims. I'm honored along with you to open this mosque and I pray to Almighty Allah to help us now and in the future to keep this mosque a platform to light and a torch of guidance, HH the Emir concluded. The inauguration started with a recitation of verses from the holy Qur'an followed by the screening of a documentary on the mosque of Imam Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahab. Afterwards HE the Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Dr. Ghaith Mubarak Ali Omran Al-Kuwari gave speech in which he stressed the great role undertaken by the mosque institution throughout the history of Muslims in preserving the Islamic nation identity and the spiritual and moral values, realizing the spiritual security of the Muslim nation, reassurance and spread of the good among the faithful. He also pointed to the pioneering role of mosques in the history of the dissemination and development of knowledge and urging of competition in seeking and excelling in servicing it for the whole of humanity. Dr. Al-Kuwari noted that out of these important roles the houses of Allah, according to the guidelines and directives of HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and HH the Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs has paid special attention to mosques in Qatar and abroad. "In this matter, it believes in the roles of mosques in enhancing the stability and spiritual security of the community," he said. The Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs stressed that mosques, in addition to being houses frequented by the faithful for worship, remembrance and the getting of knowledge, they are also minarets for da'wa (call) for the Almighty Allah and edifices for education that have a considerable stake in the formation of the good citizen who is conscious of his identity's limits and who believes in the ability of religion to achieve balance for individuals and groups and the consequent compelling results that establish inter grace, compassion, interdependence, integration, tolerance and justice, and result in safeguarding the rights of others, renunciation of selfishness and all other diseases that cause the extinction of nations, the decline of their thought and their demise. He cited in this respect the Quranic verses which praised those who frequent mosques of the Almighty Allah. HE the Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs described the Mosque of Imam Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahab a civilizational landmark saying " the inauguration day of this civilizational landmark is a memorable day full of significances starting from the frequenting of mosques and ending with allegiance to the national's scholars and preachers, and a reminder of their great efforts in clarifying the truth and in supporting faith and teaching people their religion." He said the mosque of Imam Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahab is a clear image of the vision of Qatar, which he stressed that it was successfully launched from the moderation of Islam and the traditions of the forefathers to the distant horizons of creativity, excellence, innovation and building of the effective human being and the knowledgeable community under the wise rule of HH the Emir. Dr. Al-Kuwari said the mosque was a real school for creative people, engineers and artisans in Qatar who worked hard to highlight the culture and inherited traditional skills and the gained modern scientific skills. He also stressed that the mosque is a living testimony for future generations for the loftiness of beauty values when combined with the values ??of moderation, constructive knowledge. Concluding his speech, HE the Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs expressed deepest congratulations to HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and HH the Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on the occasion of the mosque's inauguration. Dr. Al-Kuwari said we couldn't have seen the launch of this 'good seed' without the grace of Allah to the people of this country and support and guidance of the leadership which hasn't spared anything that can serve Islam, its followers and the dignity and glory of Islam. HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, accompanied by guests of the ceremony, then unveiled the memorial plaque of the Mosque of Imam Muhammad bin Abdul Wahab, marking its inauguration and performed the Friday noon prayer at the mosque. Breacher and Islamic caller at the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Dr. Mohammed bin Hassan Al-Khatib delivered the Friday prayers sermon in which he confirmed the greatness of this religion that Allah saved from changing and alteration. He pointed out that Allah kept the Islamic religion by devoting for it faithful and pious Muslim scholars who call for Allah in accordance with the path of the prophet (PBUH) and spread the message of Islam which is free from heresies and superstitions. He pointed out that paying attention to reformers and memorizing them strengthen determination, sharpen minds and awaken the nation from hibernation while the study of their biographies gives the sense of pride and calls for the adherence to the right and straightness. He said the da'wa of Imam Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahab was comprehensive and covered urban and rural areas, the elite and the normal people and focused on teaching them the principles and origins of the religion, so deserved that mosques, colleges and universities be named after him.(QNA)