A word on the role of the Haramayn Foundation in this field.

The questioner : The truth is that this institution, the Haramayn Foundation, is very interested in calling people to Allah. It wants the youth to devote themselves to this and to follow up on it. It does not say, "Cut off your jobs and leave your families." Rather, we have the funds that bring you to us, and you direct the people, and everything is prepared for you. An example of this is thatThe Shaykh : Abu Ubaydah sends you his greetings. He says, "GreetThe Shaykh : Nasser, who is from Egypt, very much."

The Shaykh : Who is Abu Ubaydah?

The questioner : Abu Ubaydah’s name is al-Najdi or something like that; I do not remember now, but he loves you for the sake of Allah.

The Shaykh : He is from Egypt, meaning?

The questioner : From Egypt, yes.

The Shaykh : Because we have here Abu Ubaydah, our well-known brother. So it came to my mind that it might be him. So he is Egyptian, meaning, okay.

The questioner : He is Egyptian. May Allah reward him with good. In his methodology, he is a Salafi in creed, praise be to Allah.

The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah.

The questioner : He is married to three women, and they will be brought to him there so that he can take his life in hand and study. They may become da'iyah (female callers to Islam), because there are Bosnian women who know Arabic, praise be to Allah. His wives are righteous, praise be to Allah. As for him, he can stay for six months, for example. As for the youth and the da'iyah, the institution urges Muslims who can devote at least a month to take some of their leave or something like that. It prepares the conditions for them. There is no objection to this place being far from danger, which he chooses, because there are camps in need. Since the relief, praise be to Allah, is proceeding with their food and clothing, why do we not take care of these people, since we are not able to reach the front lines themselves? Or what we might mean is that we expect what we fear. This is feasible, O Shaykh, from all nationalities.

The Shaykh : This is beautiful, and this is obligatory.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : But in recent times, it should have been that the situation there was very normal, and you send to them the delegations and missions calling to Allah the Exalted and Majestic. But if that cannot be achieved, then obtaining the lesser good is permissible, rather it is obligatory. Even if the complete good cannot be achieved, what cannot be fully attained should not be largely abandoned. If the issue now is jihad there in spreading the da'wah, okay. What is the area that is far from the da'iyah being exposed to danger there from the Serbs or the Christians in general?

The questioner : As I mentioned to you, the last strong stronghold of the Muslims in the region of Bosnia is "Ginjsk." This is where the course I mentioned to you is, and the imams are there and remain. Although many look forward to weapons and entering [the conflict] if they can, but the high morale makes us say that these people should be patient and call to Allah until the weapons come. This institution, praise be to Allah, has the da'wah in its sights. It cares about this and says, "Do not occupy yourselves with what we cannot do." Allah the Exalted and Majestic appreciates our remaining and our calling people.

The Shaykh : Yes, this is the obligation, and Allah is the Helper.

The questioner : O Shaykh, regarding the acceptance of these people of the da'wah, praise be to Allah. We were in a remote area. When we first entered Croatia, we found graves around the mosque or in its courtyard or something like that. The people of the village were so happy with us that some of them almost called out to one another to see our Arab clothes. We became a sight for the people, and the old women were running in the streets just to see who these people were!

The Shaykh : Arabs. When I was in our country, a mu'tamir (one who performs 'Umrah) from the mu'tamirun would come to take pilgrims with him, and his goal was money. People would seek blessing from him, even if he might be the most ignorant of people. My brother, may Allah have mercy on him, Munir, told me that one of the mu'tamirun who stayed at his house there in Makkah was described as an atheist. Nevertheless, as soon as they saw this mu'tamir, they would seek blessing from him and rush to him because he is an Arab. The word "Arab" in our Albanian language equals Muslim.

The questioner : That is it!

The Shaykh : A Muslim, so-and-so is an Arab, meaning a Muslim. So they seek blessing from him. They do not say about a non-Arab that he is an Arab, even if he is also a Muslim. But this is specific to the Arab Muslims in their view. So there is no surprise in what you witnessed, because this is a remnant of the old emotions of respect for the Arabs who brought Islam to their lands. Unfortunately, what remains with them are only matters of shirk (associating partners with Allah), as I said. The Christians do not circumcise, but they do circumcise. This is the case. As for prayer, as for zakah, Allah is the Helper. We see this phenomenon in this country and others. I used to see in Syria the youth sitting in the cafes playing backgammon, shiddeh, and so on. They hear the adhan through the microphone from the mosque, and you find them stop playing and stand up. This is what respect for the adhan is in general. It falls, and he sits on the ground, and no one moves to go to the mosque. So unfortunately, what remains with them are only these formal matters!

The questioner : Yes, O Shaykh. Some of the Shaykhs mentioned this. They say that when they saw us in our clothes, the old women cried.

The Shaykh: Allahu Akbar.

The questioner : She said, "We know this sight from seventy years ago." And unfortunately, some of the brothers say, "Do not go except in trousers..."

The Shaykh : These are Arabs, these are Arabs...

The questioner : So that you do not be exposed to embarrassment, or people see in you a target or something else, meaning

The Shaykh : These are of the school of al-Ghazali of the modern era. He used to criticize the da'iyah when they went to America in short shirts and so on. These people are repelled, yes.

The questioner : I used to say that these graves which are around the mosque, we entered the mosque and spoke with the imam. We said to him, "How can there be a mosque and a grave?" He said, "I know what you are saying, and I agree with you in that. He said, but these graves, we only brought out the bones of the Muslims. This is because the communists wanted to build a hospital on the Muslim cemetery and throw, meaning dig up the graves of the Muslims and throw away their bones. So we brought them, and we cannot preserve them in any place other than this. And they are outside the mosque, meaning, praise be to Allah, there is no tawaf (circumambulation) around the awliya (close friends of Allah), praise be to Allah, and there are no remnants associated with these people. We say this about the imams themselves who speak every Friday, praise be to Allah. Meaning, the field of da'wah and tawhid (the oneness of Allah) to Allah the Exalted and Majestic is feasible, feasible, praise be to Allah.

The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah.

The questioner : Yes, many argue, saying, "You want us to listen to you, to hear your da'wah, to learn Islam. We want food to eat so that we can live." So the one who is patient, he is patient only with reluctance.

The Shaykh : Yes, Allah is the Helper. A fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) that leaves the calm one bewildered.

The questioner : This is the problem, O Shaykh.