fear, and through feeding them against hunger.
If someone asks, “What duty do Quraysh owe for this blessing? Likewise, what is required of those now dwelling in Mecca, whether of Quraysh or otherwise?”
We reply: They must show gratitude to Allah Most High by obeying Him, carrying out His commands, and avoiding His prohibitions. For this reason, when sins become widespread within the Sanctuary, the danger to its inhabitants is greater than it is elsewhere, because a sin committed in a virtuous place is graver than one committed in a place of lesser virtue. Allah Most High therefore says:
“Whoever intends therein deviation through wrongdoing, We shall make him taste a painful punishment.” [al-Hajj: 25]
Allah Most High thus threatens anyone who merely intends deviation therein, let alone one who actually commits it. A person must remember Allah’s blessings upon him wherever he may be, not only in Mecca. Today, praise be to Allah, our country is among the safest in the world and among those enjoying the greatest prosperity and ease of living. Allah Most High has fed us against hunger and granted us safety from fear. We must therefore give thanks for this blessing, cooperate in righteousness and piety, enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong, and call to Allah with insight, patience, and careful deliberation. We must be brothers living together in harmony.
It is incumbent upon us—especially students of knowledge—when disagreements arise among us, to sit together for consultation and calm discussion aimed at reaching the truth. Once the truth becomes clear to a person, he must follow it. He may not champion his own opinion, for he is not an infallible lawgiver entitled to claim that his view alone is correct and every other view mistaken. A believer must be as Allah has commanded him:
“It is not for a believing man or woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decided a matter, to retain any choice in their affair. Whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger has indeed strayed into manifest error.” [al-Ahzāb: 36]
As for a person championing his own opinion and persisting in his position even after it has become clear to him that it is false, this is wrong. It is the habitual way of the polytheists, who refused to—