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The Kingdom of
Saudi
Arabia,
occupying most
of the peninsula; and bordered on the north by Jordan, Iraq, and Kuwait;
on the east by the Persian Gulf and Qatar; on the south-east by the
United Arab Emirates and Oman; on the south by the Republic of Yemen and
on the west by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba. Boundaries in the
southeast and the south are not precisely defined. Saudi Arabia has an
area of about 2,240,000 sq. km (864,869 sq. km). The capital and the
largest city is Riyadh. The population of Saudi Arabia is mainly
composed (90%) of native Arabs. Virtually
all Saudis are Muslims. The national language is Arabic. Saudi Arabia
has a population of 18,426,000 (1996 official estimate). Education
in Saudi Arabia is free. King Saud University of Riyadh, the Islamic
University in Madina, King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah, King Fisal
University in Dammam, Umm al-Qura University in Makkah, and King Fahd
University of Petroleum and Minerals at Dhahran and a number of other
institutes and collages. Some
of the largest libraries of Saudi Arabia are situated in Riyadh. The
King Saud University library contains more than 1 million volumes. Saudi
Arabia has the largest reserves of petroleum (26%) in the world. It
ranks as the largest exporters of petroleum and plays a leading role in
the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. About 6 million
foreign workers play an important role in the Saudi economy. The
Government is based on the Shari’ah law of Islam. The chief ruler of
Saudi Arabia is a king and the crown prince who succeeds the king. Saudi
Arabia has no separate legislatures of political parties. The king and
his ministers issue laws. Saudi
Arabia is a member of the U.N., the Arab League, OPEC, Shura and the
Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC). Saudi
Arabia is divided into 13 administrative provinces, with appointed
governors and assemblies of local notables. Councils of elders govern
towns and villages. The
judicial system of Saudi Arabia is based on the Shari’ah, which is
derived from the Holy Qur’an, and hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
The principle tribunals of the country are Supreme Council of Justice,
the Court of Cassation, General Courts and Summary Courts. Islam. Prophet
Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) was born into a family belonging to the
Quraish, the ruling tribe of Makkah
in
570. Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) father had died before he was
born. His mother died when he was 6. The orphan was consigned to the
care of his grand father. After the death of his grand father Muhammad (pbuh)
was raised by his uncle Abu Talib. During the period of his life
Muhammad (pbuh) traveled widely. In his late 30’s he began to retire
to meditate in a cave on Mt. Hira, outside Makkah, where the first of
great events of Islam took place. It was then the first revelation (the
96th Surah or chapter of the Qur’an) was sent down through
the angel Gabriel. As more and more revelations came, he went into the
people to make them understand the principles of Islam. His teachings
angered local residents and Muhammad left for Madina. In 630,
he retuned with his followers and conquered Makkah, setting into motion
the rapid expansion of Islam across the Middle East. The Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh) profoundly changed the history of the country with his
renewal of Islam in the 7th century. Islam, in
Arabic, means "submission"-- submission to the will of God.
Faithful Muslims, therefore submit unreservedly to Gods will and obey
His precepts as set forth in the Qur'an -- The Holy Book and transmitted
to mankind by Muhammad, His Messenger. Muslims
believe that theirs is the only true faith. Islam, the say, was revealed
through a long line of prophets inspired by God. Among them are Ibrahim
(Abraham), patriarch of the Arabs through his first son Isma'il
(Ishmael), Musa (Moses), who received the Tawrah (Torah), Dawud (David)
who spoke through the Zabur (Psalms), and Isa (Jesus), who brought the
Injil (Gospels). But the full and the final revelation came through
Muhammad-- the last of all prophets-- and were embodied in the Qur’an,
which completes and supercedes all previous revelations. Muslims
consider the Qur’an as the word of God as transmitted by the angel
Gabriel, in the Arabic language, through the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
The Qur’an is regarded as the summation and completion of the earlier
revelations. The
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) delivered the text of Qur’an orally to his
followers as it was revealed to him. Non-Muslims
are often struck by the range of styles found in the Qur’an. Passages
of impassioned beauty are no less common than vigorous narratives. The
sublime “Verse of the Throne” is perhaps one of the most famous: ‘
God – there is no god but He, The
Living, the Everlasting, Slumber
seizes Him not, neither sleep, To
Him belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth, Who
is there that can intercede with Him Save
by His leave? He
knows what lies before them and what is after them Nor
do they compass anything of His knowledge Except
such as He wills, His
throne overspreads the heavens and the earth, The
preserving of them wearies Him not, He
is the Most High, the All Glorious.’ __
(Surah al-Baqarah or Chapter 2 of the Qur’an) As
the chief source of Islamic doctrine and practice, the Qur’an is the
main foundation of the Shari’ah, the sacred law of Islam, which covers
all aspects of the public, and private, social and economic and
religious and political life of all Muslims. Unlike
Western legal system, the Shari’ah makes no distinction between
religious and civil matters, it is the codification of God’s Law and
it concerns itself with every aspects of social, political, economic and
religious life. In
addition to Qur’an the Shari’ah has three sources:
Despite
the great body of the tradition and law however, the practice of Islam
is essentially personal—a direct relationship between individuals and
God. Although there are Imams who lead prayer and deliver sermons, there
are no priests or ministers. To
practice their faith Muslims must accept primary obligations, which
Islam imposes, called the Five Pillars of Islam. They are: .
Shahadah-
the profession of faith. It is the repetition of the simple statement
“La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammadun rasulAllah”(There is no god but
God; Muhammad is the Messenger of God), yet also profound, for in it a
Muslim expresses his complete acceptance of, and total commitment to the
Message of Islam. .
Salah
–devotional worship or prayer, requires Muslims to pray five times a
day. .
Zakah-
the religious tax. Like
prayer, zakah is considered a form of worship. It enshrines the duty of
social responsibility by which the well-to-do Muslims must concern
themselves about those less fortunate. The zakah prescribes payments of
fined proportions of a Muslim’s possessions for the welfare of the
community in general and for its needy members in particular, whether
Muslims or non-Muslims.
In addition all Muslims are encouraged to make voluntary,
contributions to the needy called ‘Sadaqa’. .
Sawm
-fasting during the month of Ramadan, the 9th month of the
Muslim year. Ordained in the Qur’an, the fast is an exacting act of
deeply personal worship in which Muslims seek a richer perception of
God.
Hajj- pilgrimage to Makka.
It is for the Muslims who can get to Makka, the peak of their
religious life. The hajj is at once a worldwide migration of the
faithful. People put on their Ihraam dress while performing hajj. It
consists of two simple seamless garments for men and a simple
dress and head covering for women. Dressed in their simple garments all
are equal in the eyes of God.
(Source:
Saudi Aramco
And Its World)
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