Salman al-Ouda explained

Religion:Islam
Salman al-Ouda
Birth Date:1956 12, df=yes[1]
Birth Place:al-Qassim, Saudi Arabia
Nationality:Saudi Arabia
Denomination:Sunni
Jurisprudence:Ahl al-Hadith
Movement:Sahwa[2]
Main Interests:Sharia
Alma Mater:the Faculty of Sharia and Religious Principles in al-Qassim
Influences:Abdullah Abdal Rahman Jibreen, Sayyid Qutb[3]
Influenced:Muhammad al Arifi, Zakir Naik, Yasir Qadhi
Children:Abdullah Alaoudh[4]

Salman bin Fahd bin Abdullah al-Ouda (Arabic: سلمان بن فهد بن عبد الله العودة) or Salman al-Ouda (Arabic: سلمان العودة), Salman al-Oadah, Salman al-Audah, or Salman al-Awdah (Arabic: سلمان بن فهد العودة ) - kunya: Abu Mu'ad (أبو معاذ)- (born 14 December 1956)[1] is a Saudi Muslim scholar. Al-Ouda is a member of the International Union for Muslim Scholars and on its board of trustees.[5] He is a director of the Arabic edition of the website Islam Today and appears on a number of TV shows and authors newspaper articles.[6]

In 1993 al-Ouda was one of the leaders of the dissident group Committee for the Defense of Legitimate Rights (CDLR) that challenged the Saudi government, for which he was imprisoned during 1994–1999. In 2007 he was viewed as a government supporter. He was detained by the Saudi authorities in September 2017., he remained in solitary confinement without charge or trial. Officials imposed travel bans on members of his family.[7] [8] [9] He was arrested for his refusal to comply with an order by Saudi authorities to tweet a specific text to support the Saudi-led blockade of Qatar. In a 4 September 2018 legal hearing, prosecutors applied for al-Ouda to be sentenced to death.

Personal life

Al-Ouda was born in 1956 in al-Basr, near the city of Burayda in Al-Qassim in central Saudi Arabia.[10] He spent his early years in al-Basr, then moved to Burayda.

Al-Ouda was married to Haya al-Sayari.[11] His eldest son is named Maaz, or Mu`âdh. In January 2017, a traffic accident killed al Ouda's son Hisham and his wife Haya.[12] [13] [14] Condolences to al-Ouda over this accident were given on Twitter by Mohamad al-Arefe,[15] Aid al-Qarni,[16] Ibrahim al-Dawish,[17] Hassan al-Husseini,[18] Ziyad al-Shahri,[19] Nayef al-Sahfe,[20] Moussa al-Omar,[21] and Muhammad al-Yaqoubi.[22]

Education

Al-Ouda joined an educational institute in Burayda, where he spent six years. He studied under scholars such as Ibn Baz, al-Uthaymin and Ibn Jibrin. In Burayda, he studied Arabic grammar, Hanbali jurisprudence and hadith under the guidance of local sheikhs. He completed a B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. in Islamic jurisprudence at Imam Muhammad bin Sa'ud University.

He graduated from the Faculty of Sharia and Religious Principles in Qassim, then became a teacher at the Scientific Institutes there. He wrote the book (Arabic: أفعل ولا حرج) (English: Do No Wrong),[23] [24] which became well-known.

Career and legal cases

In 1990 Salman al-Ouda was a teacher at the main mosque in Burayda. He gave weekly lessons for the general public at the mosque and other lessons where he gave commentary on the book Bulûgh al-Marâm. He gave daily lessons after the Morning Prayer, where he talked about the authoritative collections of Hadith - Sahîh al-Bukhârî, Sahîh Muslim and discussed the Qur'an. He described the content of the books Kitâb al-Tawhîd by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, al-Usûl al-Thalâthah, and Nukhbah al-Fikr.

The 1990–1991 Gulf Crisis and War, in which an American-led coalition of forces aligned against the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein in response to its seizure of Kuwait, proved an opportunity for al-Ouda and others to tap into an already-existing current of discontent within the Kingdom. When the then-Grand Mufti Abd al-Aziz bin Baz issued a fatwa lending Islamic justification for the regime to invite American forces to defend Saudi Arabia from Hussein, al-Ouda raised questions about the ability of the Saudi military to defend the Kingdom with so much investment in U.S. armaments. During the war, al-Ouda was a moving force behind two reform petitions addressed to the King. The first, in 1991, was known as the Letter of Demands and was signed by leading Saudi religious, mercantile, and socially prominent figures seeking changes in the form of government, notably the establishment of a Shura (consultative) Council. A year later, the second petition, known as the Memorandum of Advice, which was signed by more than one hundred religious scholars, including establishment Ulama, called for a Shura Council as well as media censorship under religious guidance and review of all the kingdom's laws to insure their conformity with Shari'a. Both petitions expressed loyalty to the house of Sa'ud while opposing the lack of representation in the existing government. Meanwhile, audiotapes of al-Ouda's sermons gained wide circulation and encouraged to other opposition voices after the first Gulf War, as the United States military settled in for a long stay at an airbase outside the capital.

Al-Ouda was one of the leaders of the Committee for the Defense of Legitimate Rights (CDLR) that was a Saudi dissident group created in 1993 and was the first ever opposition organization in the Kingdom openly challenging the absolute monarchy, accusing the government and senior Saudi scholars of not doing enough to protect the legitimate Islamic rights of the Muslims.

In September 1994 Salman al-Ouda was imprisoned for alleged "anti-government activities." He and Safar al-Hawali were arrested together with a large number of their followers in the city of Burayda, Qasim region.

Following his five years of imprisonment for having incited opposition to the Saudi government, al-Ouda emerged "rehabilitated" in 1999 to become one of the kingdom's most prominent religious spokespersons. With a television program and a website in four languages, he was viewed in 2007 as a supporter of the Saudi government, operating under its protection and in competition with the government-sponsored establishment Ulama (clergy). He was also an advocate for Sunni-Shia dialogue,[25] calling for a more inclusive society that would end the marginalization of Saudi Shia citizens.

In May 2017 he was banned along with Bilal Philips and four others from entering Denmark for a period of two years over concerns that they would preach hate towards Danish society and indoctrinate others to commit violence against women and children and disseminate ideas about a caliphate.[26] [27] The name was removed from the list shortly before its expiration (2 May 2019), without explanation.[28] [29] [30]

In September 2017, Al-Ouda, along with other prominent preachers and activists such as Awad Al-Qarni and Ali Al-Omari, were arrested by the Saudi authorities for "terrorism and conspiracy against the state".[31] Calls have been made by "international and Islamic personalities and organisations for their release" and concern has mounted since 37 Saudis were executed in April 2019 for what authorities said were "terrorism-related crimes", one of the charges against Al-Ouda. According to Amnesty International, al-Ouda was arrested "a few hours after posting a tweet welcoming reports of a possible reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Qatar" which Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman had blockaded since June 2017.[32]

As of December 2020, Al-Ouda's son, Abdullah Al-Ouda, stated that his father had "lost almost half of his ability to hear and see" in prison.[31] In an op-ed piece in The New York Times, Abdullah Alaoudh highlighted the deteriorating condition of his father Salman al-Ouda, who was kept in solitary confinement in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi scholar and activist said that due to three years of abuse and isolation, his father's physical and mental condition has been declining at a greater pace. He also appealed President-elect Joe Biden to push the Saudi government to release his father and other political prisoners.[33]

Books and online publishing

Among the roughly fifty books that he has published[34] are:

The anti-government content of some of his books and some of the lessons that he had given was a factor in al-Ouda's 1994–1999 imprisonment. He was quoted by Osama bin Laden in his 1994 Open Letter to Shaykh Bin Baz on the Invalidity of his Fatwa on Peace with the Jews. After his release, al-Ouda resumed his activities from his home, giving lessons from Wednesday to Friday weekly on topics such as Qur'anic commentary, ethics, education, and personal reform.

Al-Ouda stated that he supports peace and tolerance with other religions. He announced that this was a result of deeper understanding of Islamic teachings.

Al-Ouda is in charge of the popular website He gives classes and lectures over the Internet to a wide range of listeners.[41] He works daily in answering the questions that people send to him in addition to compiling and preparing a number of his writings for publication. He had a show on MBC TV.[42]

In 2006, around 20,000 young British Muslims in London's East End listened to a speech by al-Ouda. Sheikh Salman has over 4,000 Facebook friends and over one million fans through the site.[43] He has 14 million followers on Twitter.[44]

Rebuking Osama bin laden

Al-Ouda is known not only for criticizing the September 11 attacks, but also for directly criticizing Osama bin Laden. In 2007, around the sixth anniversary of 11 September, he addressed Al Qaeda's leader on MBC, a widely watched Middle Eastern television network, asking him:

My brother Osama, how much blood has been spilled? How many innocent people, children, elderly, and women have been killed ... in the name of Al Qaeda? Will you be happy to meet God Almighty carrying the burden of these hundreds of thousands or millions of victims on your back?[45]

See also

Notes and References

  1. https://themuslim500.com/books/The%20Muslim%20500%202022%20edition%20-%20Free%20eBook.pdf The Muslim 500 2022 edition
  2. Pashayan, Araks. "Saudi Arabia on the Road to Modernization: Reality or Myth?." Ժամանակակից Եվրասիա= Contemporary Eurasia 8.1 (2019): 34-44.
  3. Book: Robert G. Rabil. Salafism in Lebanon: From Apoliticism to Transnational Jihadism. 26 Sep 2014. Georgetown University Press. 9781626161177. 55.
  4. Web site: Alaoudh . Abdullah . Opinion My Father Faces the Death Penalty. This Is Justice in Saudi Arabia. . . 26 February 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190226132813/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/13/opinion/saudi-arabia-judiciary.html . 26 February 2019 . en . 13 February 2019.
  5. "http://www.islamway.com/?iw_s=Scholar&iw_a=info&scholar_id=1" islam way.
  6. Web site: Ibrahim al-Rubaish: New Religious Ideologue of al-Qaeda in Saudi Arabia Calls for Revival of Assassination Tactic. The Jamestown Foundation. 2009-11-25. ...al-Rubaish released a book criticizing Shaykh Salman al-Ouda because of the latter's "alliance" with the Saudi regime. The shaykh, who directs the website Islam Today, has condemned the 9/11 attacks and used his media access to rebuke Osama bin Laden as a killer of innocent people.. Murad Batal Al-shishani. https://web.archive.org/web/20110228121511/http://www.jamestown.org/single/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=35771&tx_ttnews[backPid]=7&cHash=d0039659b9. 2011-02-28. live.
  7. http://www.middleeasteye.net/columns/mohammed-bin-salmans-silencing-dissent-bound-be-suicide-strategy-long-term-1946408243 Mohammed bin Salman's reign of terror will not make Saudi Arabia stable
  8. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/mideast/saudi-cleric-salman-al-awda-called-reform-now-he-s-n840916 Saudi cleric Salman al-Awda called for reform. Now he's in solitary confinement.
  9. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/global-opinions/wp/2018/07/19/saudi-arabias-crown-prince-is-taking-the-kingdom-back-to-the-dark-ages/?noredirect=on Saudi Arabia's crown prince is taking the kingdom back to the Dark Ages
  10. Web site: Sheikh Dr Salman Al-Odah | CILE - Research Center for Islamic Legislation and Ethics .
  11. سلمان العودة (معتقل) . salman_alodah . 824358925378211845 . 25 January 2017 .
    1. هيا_السياري حين رحلتي أدركت أني لا أستحقك اللهم في ضيافتك وجوارك
    .
    1. Haya_Siyari When I left, I realized that I do not deserve you, O God, in your hospitality and your presence
    . ar . 5 December 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220907204141/https://twitter.com/salman_alodah/status/824358925378211845 . 7 September 2022 . live.
  12. سبق المملكة . sabqqorg . 824340084438827008 . 25 January 2017 . عاجل: #سبق_المملكة . . وفاه زوجه الشيخ #سلمان_العوده وابنه في حادث مروري . #وفاه_زوجه_سلمان_العوده_وابنه https://t.co/iopNh5j6lj . Urgent: #Before_the_Kingdom. . The death of Sheikh Salman Al-Awda's wife and son in a traffic accident. # The death of his wife, Salman Al-Awdah, and his son . ar . 5 December 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220118112617/https://twitter.com/sabqqorg/status/824340084438827008 . 18 January 2022 . live.
  13. Web site: وفاه زوجه الشيخ #سلمان_العوده وابنه في حادث مروري . 25 Jan 2017 . Twitter . أخبار السعودية . https://web.archive.org/web/20170204214532/https://twitter.com/SaudiNews50/status/824337968878014464 . 2017-02-04 . ar . 2023-06-07.
  14. Web site: فاه زوجه الشيخ #سلمان_العوده وابنه في حادث مروري . 25 Jan 2017 . Twitter . أخباركم . https://web.archive.org/web/20170204221157/https://twitter.com/kbr_1121/status/824339795967168520 . 2017-02-04 . ar . 2023-06-07.
  15. Web site: د. محمد #العريفي on Twitter: "#وفاه_زوجه_سلمان_العوده_وابنه لا حول ولا قوة إلا بالله اللهم اغفر لهم وارحمهم واربط على قلب الشيخ وأسرته واجعل هذا المصاب رفعةً في درجاتهم" . العريفي . محمد . 25 Jan 2017 . Twitter . https://web.archive.org/web/20170125211535/https://twitter.com/MohamadAlarefe/status/824339078422429696 . 2017-01-25 . live .
  16. Web site: د. عائض القرني on Twitter: "#وفاه_زوجه_سلمان_العوده_وابنه أسأل الله باسمه الأعظم أن يتغمّدهم برحمته وأن يحسن عزاء أخينا د. سلمان العوده وأهله وذويه." . القرني. عائض. 25 Jan 2017. Twitter. https://web.archive.org/web/20170125211542/https://twitter.com/Dr_alqarnee/status/824339143736119302. 2017-01-25. live.
  17. ابراهيم الدويش . Ibrahim_aldwish . 824338901708013568 . 25 January 2017 .
    1. وفاه_زوجه_سلمان_العوده_وابنه أحسن الله عزاءكم @salman_alodah وعزاء الأهل والأسرة،عظم الله أجركم ورزقكم الصبر،رحمهم الله وأسكنهم جنة الفردوس
    .
    1. The death of his wife_Salman_Alodah_and his son, may God bless your condolences @salman_alodah and the condolences of the family and family.
    . ar . 5 December 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170222134031/https://twitter.com/ibrahim_aldwish/status/824338901708013568 . 22 February 2017 . live.
  18. Web site: د. حسن الحسيني on Twitter: "اللهم اغفر لهما وارحمهما واربط على قلب الشيخ وقلوب ابنائه وذويه وانا لله وانا اليه راجعون #وفاه_زوجه_سلمان_العوده_وابنه" . الحسيني . حسن . 25 Jan 2017 . Twitter . https://web.archive.org/web/20170204222149/https://twitter.com/7usaini/status/824338939477655552 . 2017-02-04 . live .
  19. Web site: زياد الشهري #مرحبلي. On Twitter: "لله سبحانه ما اعطى وله ما أخذ،احسن الله عزاك ياشيخ سلمان إنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون . #وفاه_زوجه_سلمان_العوده_وابنه" . الشهري . زياد . 25 Jan 2017 . Twitter . Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia . https://web.archive.org/web/20170204223455/https://twitter.com/zio36/status/824338358944071680 . 2017-02-04 . live .
  20. نايف الصحفي . alsahfe2 . 824339889739206656 . 25 January 2017 . اللهم ارحمهم برحمتك الواسعة وتجاوز عنهم يارب العالمين #وفاه_زوجه_سلمان_العوده_وابنه . Oh God, have mercy on them with your vast mercy, and forgive them, O Lord of the worlds. . ar . 5 December 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220312153444/https://twitter.com/alsahfe2/status/824339889739206656 . 12 March 2022 . live.
  21. موسى العمر . MousaAlomar . 824350964425641989 . 25 January 2017 . أتقدم بأحر التعازي للشيخ سلمان العودة بوفاة زوجته وولده بحادث سير أليم.. آنسهم الله رحمهم الله عوضهم الله الجنة وإنا لله وإنا لله راجعون . . I extend my deepest condolences to Sheikh Salman Al-Awda on the death of his wife and son in a painful traffic accident.. May God have mercy on them, may God grant them paradise. . ar . 5 December 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170222154611/https://twitter.com/mousaalomar/status/824350964425641989 . 22 February 2017 . live.
  22. Web site: Our heartfelt condolences to Dr. @salman_alodah…. Al-Yaqoubi . Muhammad . 25 Jan 2017 . Twitter . https://web.archive.org/web/20170205012358/https://twitter.com/Shaykhabulhuda/status/824366421786447877 . 2017-02-05 . 2023-06-07 .
  23. "http://islamtoday.net/salman/aboutus.htm." Sheik Salman Al-Audah's website.
  24. Web site: تحميل كتاب افعل ولا حرج pdf - سلمان العودة كتوباتي . 2023-02-11 . كتوباتي kotobati . ar.
  25. News: A Muslim appeal for Saudi Arabia to show mercy . . 2 June 2019.
  26. Web site: Jensen . Teis . Denmark bans six 'hate preachers' from entering the country . . 13 April 2019 . 2 May 2017.
  27. Web site: Rabiate religiøse forkyndere får indrejseforbud til Danmark — Udlændinge- og Integrationsministeriet . . da . 2017-05-25 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170506143447/http://uim.dk/nyheder/2017-05/rabiate-religiose-forkyndere-far-indrejseforbud-til-danmark . 2017-05-06 . live .
  28. Web site: Ritzau . Saudiarabisk forkynder er fjernet fra dansk sanktionsliste . sn.dk . 13 April 2019 . da . 12 April 2019.
  29. This archive of the sanction list, dated 15 February 2019, includes him (number 005). Web site: Den nationale sanktionsliste - Religious preachers with entry ban . . da . 13 April 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190215050543/https://www.nyidanmark.dk/en-GB/Words-and-concepts/US/Religious-workers/Religious-preachers-with-entry-ban . 2019-02-15 . dead .
  30. This archive of the list, dated 11 April 2019, no longer includes him, nor does the Google cache dated 27 March 2019.Web site: Den nationale sanktionsliste - Religious preachers with entry ban . . da . 13 April 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190411152642/https://www.nyidanmark.dk/en-GB/Words-and-concepts/US/Religious-workers/Religious-preachers-with-entry-ban . 2019-04-11 . live .
  31. News: Al-Ouda's son: 'My father lost half his ability to see and hear' . 3 January 2021 . Middle East Monitor . 4 December 2020.
  32. News: Trial of Saudi scholar Salman al-Awdah postponed, says son . 3 January 2021 . Al Jazeera . 28 July 2019.
  33. News: Saudi Arabia Is Slowly Killing My Father. 30 December 2020. The New York Times. 30 December 2020. Alaoudh. Abdullah.
  34. Web site: Islam Today . 2019-03-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181205232704/http://www.islamtoday.net/ . 2018-12-05 . live .
  35. Web site: تحميل كتاب صفة الغرباء pdf - سلمان العودة كتوباتي . 2023-02-11 . كتوباتي kotobati . ar.
  36. Web site: مراجعة كتاب الغرباء - سلمان العودة كتوباتي . 2023-02-11 . كتوباتي kotobati . ar.
  37. Web site: تحميل كتاب كيف نختلف pdf - سلمان العودة كتوباتي . 2023-02-11 . كتوباتي kotobati . ar.
  38. Web site: تحميل كتاب لو كنت طيرا pdf - سلمان العودة كتوباتي . 2023-02-11 . كتوباتي kotobati . ar.
  39. Web site: تحميل كتاب دروس رمضان وقفات للصائمين pdf - سلمان العودة كتوباتي . 2023-02-11 . كتوباتي kotobati . ar.
  40. Web site: تحميل كتاب مع الله pdf - سلمان العودة كتوباتي . 2023-02-11 . كتوباتي kotobati . ar.
  41. Web site: Sheikh Salman al-Ouda Articles . En.islamtoday.net . 2016-05-05 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160506130134/http://en.islamtoday.net/Sheikh-Articles . 2016-05-06 .
  42. Web site: Sheikh Salman al-Ouda TV Show on MBC Channel . 2008-09-12 . https://web.archive.org/web/20081011084805/http://vramadan.mbc.net/mediamanager/?ee_category=6711 . 2008-10-11 . dead .
  43. Web site: World's 25th Most Influential Muslim . 2010-11-23 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20101118065233/http://www.rissc.jo/index.php/english-publications/125-worlds-25th-most-influential-muslim.html . 2010-11-18 .
  44. News: Muhammad bin Salman cracks down on his perceived opponents . . 21 September 2017 . 2017-09-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170922175535/https://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21729460-police-have-arrested-dozens-public-figures-who-were-critical-crown . 2017-09-22 . live .
  45. Web site: The Unraveling by Peter Bergen and Paul Cruickshank. The jihadist revolt against bin Laden . 2008-05-27 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090102142834/http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=702bf6d5-a37a-4e3e-a491-fd72bf6a9da1&k= . 2009-01-02 . live .