Shun deviant thoughts, religious scholar says

Abu Dhabi :General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, attended on Monday evening one of the first of series of Ramadan lectures given by Shaikh Mohammad Bin Saleh Bin Ali Al Duhaim, an Islamic intellectual and researcher.

The lecture was held at the majlis of Shaikh Mohammad.

In his lecture, Shaikh Al Duhaim said Islam is a religion of progress and guidance, and is meant for the growth of society. However, deviant religious thoughts and practices, although not practised by the majority of society, have the potential of negating that purpose.

He explained that all religions had been revealed to humans to benefit them and to aid in their growth. However, misinterpretation of texts is one of the reasons that lead to "wrongful" religious practices.

"Religions are revealed to us for our progress. Religions are not a source of crises at all. They act as a source of security for us. They have helped in building culture and producing knowledge," Al Duhaim said.

"The problem with wrongful interpretation of the Quran is that this person [the one following deviant religious practices] projects his own thought and ideas onto religious texts, instead of actually reading them. The person uses texts to justify his actions or thoughts by religion," he added.

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Al Duhaim explained that the most effective way of dealing with this issue is to start at the "thought" level. People who practice deviant religious practices need to be taught proper Islamic thought, as the mind and one's beliefs are the source for one's actions.

"The problem with this issue is that it has a very dangerous effect if these wrong ideas were to spread to the rest of society. These ideas and thoughts do not stay within the person, but they begin to be reflected in his talk and actions, and that is why it is important to deal with this issue," he said.

"This issue should be addressed at the thought level. This person needs to be convinced that their actions are wrong.

"As a society, our role towards this issue should not only be reactionary, it should also consist of planting proper, correct ideas, before allowing incorrect ones to take over," he said.

In addition to his role in Islamic science, Al Duhaim is a lawyer and legal consultant. Having graduated form the Sharia Institute at Al Imam Mohammad Bin Saud Islamic University, he has had many publications in the field, including The Mentality of Fear and the Logic of Confrontation and The Right and the Other Right.