Abderahman Hammouche, the English guide at the Exhibition Centre for the Qur’an, Madinah City, Saudi Arabia has said the idea of selling the copies of the Noble Qur’an given as gifts to Nigerian Muslims by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is Haraam (unlawful).
Hammouche said this in an exclusive interview with Muslim News during a Qur’an exhibition session at the Prophet Muhammad’s Mosque, Madinah, recently.
The Madinah Qur’an Exhibition was declared opened 4 years ago by the late King, His Eminence, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and it houses the biggest handwritten Qur’an in the world, written about several decades ago, among other sacred and rare manuscripts.
Hammouche described the act as disloyal to Allah, stressing that those who engage in the commercialisation of free Qur’ans have indeed committed a great sin.
There have been reported cases that some NOT TO BE SOLD (NTBS) Qur’ans in the Nigerian markets were being sold.
Last year, no fewer than 200 tonnes of dates donated by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and fasting Muslims in Nigeria were sold in the open market in Abuja, the Nigerian capital.
Hammouche, of the Faculty of Daw’ah and Theology, Islamic University said the Saudi Arabian “Not For Sale” Qur’ans are strictly for charity, while selling them for whatever price is bad, Haraam (unlawful) and disloyal to Allah.
“How dare you take it and decide to make money on charity made for Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala? As Muslims, a person who does this has committed a major sin and anybody who has done this should repent to Allah immediately,” he said.
Hammouche called on Nigerians with relevant information to notify the officials of the Saudi Embassy about the illegal sales of NTBS Qur’ans for proper investigation.
Preservation Of The Qur’an
Hammouche said the Kingdom is concerned about the preservation of the Qur’an and guiding it from being misinterpreted by extremists who hide under Islam to commit evils.
He said: “Alhamdulilah, the King of Saudi Arabia is taking care of the Qur’an in many ways. As you know, we have the biggest printing centre in the world here in Madinah.
“We print over 6 million Qur’ans every year. We have also translated the Qur’an into more than 60 world languages.
“No country of the world has done this before. So, you can see the efforts of the Kingdom in taking care of the Book of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala”, he stated.
Hammouche also said Saudi Arabia is blessed with scholars who are on the right way of Islam and who take care of the Qur’an and its interpretation (Tafsir).
He said: “This country has a lot of scholars, including Sheikh Solih Al-Fawzan, Sheikh Abdul Muhsin Al-Abad and before them, Sheikh Al-Imam Abdul Azeez bn Baz and Sheikh Solih Al-Uthaymin, among others.
“These scholars take care of the Qur’an and its Tafsir (Interpretation). Their Tafsir were translated and printed alongside those of Imam Ibn Kathir and Imam Ibn Sa’adi, and have been distributed across the world.”
Hammouche urged Muslims to look out for the authentic Qur’an. He said: “Don’t take the Qur’an from anybody. Look for the authentic source of the Qur’an Al-Kareem.
“For example, in Nigeria, you have to ask; where was this Qur’an printed? Who printed it? Who translated it? You have to ask for the person because there are many enemies of Islam in the world who want to change and show Islam in a bad way as seen in the European media, where we are shown as a religion which encourages killing.
“That is wrong. The Qur’an was sent as a mercy to the Muslims and all the people of the world”, he added.
Identifying The Reliable Qur’an
Hammouche called on Muslims to always take instructions from the scholars who are on the path of guidance and do not take to extremism.
Allah said; “Fas’alu Ahla Dhikri In kuntum La Ta’lamun” – Ask the people of knowledge if you don’t know. So, in Nigeria, I am sure you have a lot of Muslim scholars who live there and standard Islamic Universities.
“These people can help you in accessing the authentic works on the Qur’an,” he concluded.
- The story first published in Daily Independent Nigeria by the same author on April, 2018
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