Saudi Gazette report

JEDDAH — Eminent Saudi scholar Sheikh Muhammad Al-Issa, member of the Council of Senior Scholars and secretary general of the Muslim World League (MWL), will deliver the sermon and lead prayer at the Namirah Mosque on the Day of Arafat on Friday, Dhul Hijjah 9.

The highest authorities have issued the approval in this regard, the Makkah emirate said in a statement on its official Twitter account.

The Arafat Day marks the climax of the annual pilgrimage of Hajj, which will begin on Thursday, July 7. The standing at Arafat, one of the four pillars of Hajj and the most important ritual of the annual pilgrimage, will start after the Arafat sermon and performance of Dhuhr and Asr prayers in combined and shortened form.

Dr. Al-Issa is widely recognized as a leading global voice on moderate Islam, committed to bringing global awareness to the religion’s true message of empathy, understanding and cooperation among all people.

Dr. Al-Issa, who is former justice minister of Saudi Arabia, was known for his calling on Muslim communities in non-Islamic countries to respect the constitutions, laws and culture of the countries in which they live.

He also called on them to understand that their claim to their religious privacy is in accordance with the laws and by peaceful means, and that they must respect the final decision that decides on their claim, whether the decision is from legislative or judicial authorities.

At the academic level, Dr. Al-Issa has been specialized in Islamic Shariah, constitutional and administrative laws, and authored a number of books and published articles on Shariah, law and many intellectual issues.

He also taught Shariah and law in some Saudi universities, supervised and discussed many doctoral and master’s theses, and delivered lectures at international intellectual institutions and universities around the world.