Mohammed Al Arefe is the complete package. He is the Brad Pitt of Sheikhdom. Unfortunately he truly puts women in the toilet when it comes to their rights and humanity. His ideology is the typical close-minded outlook that Saudi society has grown accustomed to from its religious leaders, except when it comes to this particular religious leader, it almost seems like he has hypnotic super-powers. Even women will accept being told that they are less than men when it comes from his mouth. He is very charismatic. And I believe it comes across even with language barriers. This is a short video of him telling a funny story about his seven year old daughter learning her daily prayers.
Rough Translation: In the video he says that he is trying to encourage his daughter Jumana to pray. So one day he told her to pray the thahir (noon) prayer, she with resignation said ok. On his way back from performing Asir (afternoon) prayer at the mosque, Jumana opened the door for him and he asked her if she had prayed that prayer. She replied oohhh not again. Do I have to? But she goes and does it anyway. Then on his way back from the next prayer, the Maghreb (sunset) prayer, she again opened the door for him and immediately laughingly says OOhhhh you’re killing me with all this pray pray pray …
Some of the issues that he has raised was his objection at the first National Forum to the women who drove in 1991. That they should not have been allowed to resume work and influence other women, especially the participants who also happen to have teaching posts at schools and colleges. He also proposed that a rule or law be established so that liberal women would not be able to take advantage of their jobs as teachers and lecturers to spread their sinful ideas. And that those teachers would be strictly instructed to teach what is in the books and not their opinions and views.
He is also extremely well-travelled. He hops from one country to the next giving lectures at mosques and even has debate type of sittings with priests and leaders of other religions. I attended one of his lectures at a mosque in Birmingham, UK. Of course he sat in the men’s section and women could only hear the lecture on the sound system. In the lecture he spoke about how to deal with teenagers that are raised in the west and have been westernized. Throughout the lecture he completely ignored women. He gave advice only to fathers and spoke only about problems with sons. As though mothers had no say or effect and there was no fear about daughters being westernized.
Here’s another video of him speaking on how to beat your wife. It already has English subtitles.
If only whatever changed Sheikh Salman Al Ouda would change Sheikh Mohammed Al Arefe it would probably be the last straw that breaks our ultra conservative camel’s back. With his huge following here in the central region, he is a man with a lot of power to either keep us on our crazy path or get us to see the light.
23 Comments
September 13, 2008 at 2:40 am
This was a really interesting and informative article. Thank you for explaining to me what this guy stands for. Sometimes I have seen him on TV when we are at my MIL’s – she likes to hear him! – but I have never really known what he talks about, until now. It’s such a shame that men like these in the Kingdom have such a loyal following.
September 19, 2009 at 6:42 am
He isn’t that way, I heard many lectures by him and never heard him say anything that degrades woman. I hope we as Muslims concentrated on the Ummah and stop worrying about ppl that post stuff like this. All of it, just causes fitna among Muslims and plus its a sin to have negative thoughts about a person. I remind myself and others to fear Allaho Subhano wa ta3ala. What good does this do for anyone?! I ask Allah SWT to unite our hearts as Muslims insha’Allah. Ameen
September 13, 2008 at 2:55 am
Hi Susie!
I really loved that post on your blog about how you met your husband, especially the photos. Both of you were so pretty and handsome.
September 14, 2008 at 5:50 am
When TV shows instruct men about how, when, and why it’s ok to beat their wives, hasn’t the flock lost its path?
September 19, 2008 at 5:08 am
Thankyou for sharing this very interesting video.
Warm wishes, Jo.
September 19, 2008 at 5:14 am
I read today in the New York Times that Oprah is very popular on TV amongst young Saudi women. What a contrast in her message of respect and empowerment, with this, comparing the ways a man is allowed to beat his wife with the ways he can beat an animal!
September 19, 2009 at 6:38 am
He said u can’t beat her like u beat an animal. I think u heard the video wrong.
September 19, 2008 at 11:50 pm
You are welcome Jo! And yes paradoxically Oprah is quite popular here.
September 21, 2008 at 2:56 am
Thanks for your nice compliment, my dear! If only I still looked like that 30 years later …
September 22, 2008 at 5:43 pm
just fear Allah
he didn’t say any thing wrong
i truly respect him
November 7, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Salam alaikum, Saudiwoman.
Hope you’re well.
I am studying to be a Sheikh (ie, I am a student of the Islamic and socio-cultural sciences) too, and as someone who is familiar with the entire system, I can assure you that many, if not most shuyukh are sincere, kind, humble, albeit culturally-unaware or simply insipid people.
The tendency to blindly follow the opinions of your teachers arises from the experience of witnessing firsthand their exemplary manners, kindness and piety, as well as depth of knowledge and charisma. Given these circumstances, disagreeing with any of their opinions is generally seen as the same as revolting against their (and consequently Islam’s) teachings. This is why many opinions based on the ‘Urf of previous times continue to be followed even when times have clearly changed. A thorough training in the science known as Usool al-Fiqh (which I describe as the Juristic Philosophy of Islam) is one of the best and most effective antidotes to this problem.
Shaykh Salman al-Oudah is merely one example, and what essentially differentiates him from his previous self is the employment of an Usooli approach in dealing with issues considered important in the current context. I suggest you look into the works of Ibn Uthaimeen(r). He was unarguably a stalwart in the Islamic tradition of scholarship, and you will find the approach followed by him to be the closest to the Islamic sources, yet relevant to contemporary society. I am only referring to his approach here, and not the conclusions he came to in particular instances.
I didn’t really want to get into the technical aspects of this discussion, but somehow I ended up doing exactly that. Apologies.
July 12, 2009 at 9:49 pm
I found your comment very informative, and a positive recommendation for change. Hopefully it will happen. Thanks
January 16, 2009 at 12:19 am
“just fear Allah”
Umm, so who are men supposed to fear ? If no one hasn’t noticed, there’s no female deity that males should fear, only a long history of male deities invented by males to justify their bigotry with “this supernatural force is on my side”
March 10, 2009 at 8:16 pm
Then how come we women cannot beat out husbands if they disobey?
Why only the man can beat a woman, someone who is smaller and weaker than he is? He is no man! He has no honour!
People who blindly belief everything they are told, just like this “man” are nothing but sheep. Blindly following the Qu´ran,or the traditions without raising any intellectual discussion about them, is a sign of a fool. Go ahead, be oppressed and blindly obey. Be sheeps.
March 31, 2009 at 6:02 pm
بارك الله فيكم
ياسمين الجزائر
April 3, 2009 at 11:24 am
انا اشكركم كثيرا
الله يوفقكم
كريم
June 5, 2009 at 7:53 pm
Asalam Alaykum,
In Islam men who are not mahram to a woman or not supposed to speak to her. I do not find anything wrong with him being religious what so ever, that his job mashAllah. The things you say are as if your shocked that he is following the laws of Islam.
I think things seem a lot easier when people do not live in Saudi and understand the way the system is. You can not just want change and thing it can happen overnight, not with the way this culture is. That just would not work at all.
June 14, 2009 at 9:15 am
[...] our guys do the same (I know they have their own theater plays called Aljawala)… I would nominate Al-Oraifi to be the lead star in the upcoming movie, that would be a blockbuster… anyone wanna invest in [...]
July 5, 2009 at 11:15 pm
salam brothers and sisters,
hello to non muslims
i just want to say that Dr mohamed alarefe is the only shiek i follow i love everythink about him i think some of you people have miss understood him totaly !!!! but then everyone is entitled to there opinion…
you guys should see his other lectures when he is with young boys and girls he has a way to make us see the light and see that ISLAM is really just simple way to live happy in a different non stricked way he laughs with us makes jokes and makes us feel really comfortible with him i wish all shieks were like him……………………HE ROCKS LOL
July 11, 2009 at 12:47 pm
Mashallah ce sheikh
August 13, 2009 at 5:40 am
Assalamu aleikum warahmathullah
Shaykh Arefe is one of my favorite. His lectures are so sincere and true. It’s almost like he never says anything out of place.
I humbly disagree with your allegation that he
“puts women in the toilet when it comes to their rights and humanity. His ideology is the typical close-minded outlook that Saudi society has grown accustomed to from its religious leaders”
Fist and foremost, I cannot recall a single moment where he has said anything that ‘violates’ woman’s rights. I think most of the sisters get a bit ‘offended’ when he doesn’t address them or talk more about their issues in his lectures. Just because he doesn’t speak much about women, that doesn’t mean he is anti-woman; to derive such a conclusion, you would have to present evidence in which he explicitly/obviously insults or degrades women. If you think allowing a husband to tap his wife (yes; literally ‘tap’, since it’s not supposed to cause any pain or leave any ark) is a ‘violation’ of woman’s rights, then I’m sorry to say you’re over reacting. The tap is merely psychological, and isn’t meant to be physical; this ‘FACT’ is blatant in the Shaykh’s expressions, gestures and all non-verbal communication cues.
I also fail to see how one can deduce that the Shaykh is “close-minded”!!???
Just because he sticks to the Qur’an and Sunnah doesn’t mean he will refuse to hear your concerns, thoughts or allegations. Have you ever tried talking to him? I doubt you have.
We really don’t need any more Muslims slandering scholars without ever consulting them or exposing any apparent mistake they may have committed. BTW – insulting/backbiting/slandering Muslims is not a walk-in-the-park experience that will never com back to haunt you. Speaking ill of any Muslim in his absence is sinful; let alone degrading scholars who devote their lives to studying and implementing this faith.
Which is why this sincere reminder of mine is not meant to degrade or slander ANYONE but instead is directed directly at any one who may insult or degrade Shaykh Arefe, or/and the allowance given in the Qur’an for a Muslim husband to ‘tap’ his wife after all prior steps to reconcile the marriage have been taken.
The Qur’an and the sunnah and divinely molded to guide men and women to the best code of conduct and lifestyle.
The failure of the west in trespassing the divinely decreed limits when it comes to inter-gender relationships and rights is evident from all the premarital problems, family breakups and the utter destruction of the moral fabric in western society.
It is bitterly sad to see some Muslims, both men and women, who want that same moral destruction to take place in Muslim countries.
My dear brother and sisters, adhere to the Book of Allah and the teachings of his Prophet(Peace be upon him), you will never lose. Never.
“But nay, by thy Lord, they will not believe (in truth) until they make thee judge of what is in dispute between them and find within themselves no dislike of that which thou decidest, and submit with full submission.” (Al-Qur’an: 4 : 65)
” Say, (O Muhammad, to mankind): If ye love Allah, follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.” (Al-Qur’an: 3 : 31)
“Abu Sa’id al-Khudri reported Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: You would tread the same path as was trodden by those before you inch by inch and step by step so much so that if they had entered into the hole of the lizard, you would follow them in this also. We said: Allah’s Messenger, do you mean Jews and Christians (by your words)” those before you”? He said: Who else (than those two religious groups)?”
(Sahih Muslim : Book 34 : Hadith 6448)
“Abu Huraira (God be pleased with him) reported God’s Apostle (may peace be upon him) as saying: He who believes in God and the Hereafter, if he witnesses any matter he should talk in good terms about it or keep quiet. Act kindly towards woman, for woman is created from a rib, and the most crooked part of the rib is its top. If you attempt to straighten it, you will break it, and if you leave it, its crookedness will remain there. So act kindly towards women.”
(Sahih Muslim : Book 8 : Hadeeth 3468)
Wassalamu aleikum warahamthullahi wabarakathuhu
August 14, 2009 at 5:23 am
Assalamu aleikum
Here are Sheikh Arefe’s Lectures on Women; a series called ‘Qawareer’(Glass Vessels).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KM0MGDdCKJU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TL_vFVAIaZo
The links are for the first part(of three parts) of each episode. You can navigate to the rest by finding them in the uploads column on the right.
Hope this sheds more light on what a balanced, rational and great Sheikh, Muhammed Al-Arefe is.
May Allah bless him, his family and all his efforts.
Wassalamu aleikum warahmahtullah.
September 19, 2009 at 6:35 am
I honestly don’t think its fair to judge a sheikh and say he is agianst woman or doesn’t give them a say from the 2 incidents that u mentioned. I have heard many lectures by this sheikh and I never heard anything bad or offending to woman. If anything, he always encourages Muslim men to be good to their parents especially to their mom’s. The video really doesn’t prove anything, cuz he just mentioned how it should be done and said that scholars said one should use the miswak! I think its good to be positive and remember when Muslims try make efforts of advice in the society it is because they reward form Allah SWT. Plus it’s a sin to hold bad doubts about someone. I think we shouldn’t focus on issues like this that only make problems and divisions among Muslims. We are all Muslim and should fear Allah Subhano wa ta3ala. if one thinks negative, I think they should chng it to a positive thought and keep it to themselves. What good is it to say bad views on a person and spread it around. I think it only causes fitnah sister. I ask Allah to make our hearts one and our word one, and may he make Islam the dominant religion. May Allah forgive me if I said anything wrong.
Assalam Alikum