His Excellency the President of Umm Al-Qura University, Prof. Abdullah bin Omar Bafail, today, Tuesday, opened the International Charitable Work Conference under the title, "Charitable Work: Its Objectives, Rules, and Applications". The conference was organized by the College of Shari`ah and Islamic Studies in partnership with Al-Huda Center for Shari`ah Studies for Charitable Activities. The opening was attended by His Excellency the President of Jouf University, Dr. Isma`il Al-Bishri, and a number of individuals interested in charitable work, and was held at King Abdulaziz Historical Hall, Al-Abdiyyah.

In his speech, His Excellency the UQU President, Prof. Abdullah bin Omar Bahusain Bafail, underlined that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, since its establishment to the present day, has been striving to sponsor charitable work, establish charitable organizations, and support charities inside and outside the kingdom. These commendable efforts contributed to consolidating its global leadership in this humanitarian field. In the same vein, the Saudi Vision 2030 came to continue the development and creativity march to enhance the welfare and quality of life through its themes and objectives.

Moreover, His Excellency the UQU President, Prof. Abdullah Bafail, lauded the great efforts extended to UQU by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Muhammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, the Deputy Prime Minister, and the Minister of Defense (may Allah safeguard them), and thanked their continuous support and promotion of scientific and cultural mobility. He also thanked His Royal Highness Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, the Adviser to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Governor of the Makkah Region, for his continuous support of the activities and events of UQU, noting the lauded support of His Excellency the Minister of Education, Dr. Hamad Al Al- Sheikh, for such scientific and research forums.

The Head of Al-Huda Center for Shari`ah Studies for Charitable Activities, Abdullah Al-Faiz, emphasized that the charitable work and volunteer programs are good deeds and acts of worship covering various fields and yielding varying rewards, with the ultimate aim of fostering true servitude to Allah (Exalted and Glorified Be He). Moreover, he pointed out that the idea behind founding ​​the center was to contribute to the resolution of the overall problems of charitable work, and provide solutions to the contingencies and problems in accordance with methodological principles and Islamic objectives. He underlined that this remarkable initiative, crowned by the organization of this conference by the University of Umm Al-Qura, represented by the College of Shari`ah and Islamic Studies, in partnership with Al-Huda Center for Shari`ah Studies for Charitable Activities, serves as a building block and an applied model for realizing the objectives of the religion through charitable work. This is by combining the compliance with the Islamic fundamentals and constants, keeping abreast of latest developments, interacting with the contingencies, and addressing the challenges, while adhering to tolerance and moderation in all actions and practices.

The Dean of the College of Shari`ah and Islamic Studies and the Secretary General of the Conference, Dr. Ra'id Al-Usaimi, said that the development of charitable work in our present time has its institutions, organizations, tools, fields and channels, stressing that there are contingencies and new developments that constantly materialize. Therefore, the academic bodies, institutions and scientific centers are required to keep abreast of such developments to disseminate the culture of charitable work, demonstrate the religious ruling on it, and underline its priority.