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November 4, 2005 |
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UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF THE CUSTODIAN OF THE TWO HOLY MOSQUES AND THE CROWN PRINCE: TWO MILLION PERFORM THE LAST FRIDAY PRAYER AT THE HARAM HOLY MOSQUE. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz Al Saud, and Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz Al Saud, the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, have issued a joint speech to mark the occasion of the blessed Eid-Al-Fitr of the year 1426 H. Following is the text of the speech read by Minister of Information and Culture Iyad Ibn Amin Madani: Dear brothers and sisters in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, peace be upon you. As we get ready for the celebrating of Eid Al-Fitr Al Mubarak, the first thought comes to the mind is how to purify one's field after the month of Ramadan. The experience of fasting is truly worth knowing. One can only hope and pray that those values that Ramadan has embodied will continue to be present in our conduct throughout life. They are the values of care, solidarity, brotherhood and tolerance. May Allah accept what we have all endeavoured to offer during this very special month. Dear brothers and sisters Our nation is truly blessed nation. It is blessed by being a Muslim society following the path of Prophet Mohammad, Peace Be Upon Him; following the light that has been bestowed upon him; and following the Prophet whose message is the message of justice and equality to all humanity. The message of liberation from the burden of exploitation and the call of free choice that shall no coercion in the matter of faith as the Quran states: "He allows them as lawful what is good (and pure) and prohibits them from what is bad (and impure). He releases them from their heavy burdens and from the yokes that are upon them" (Al-Araf or the Heights - 157). And "Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from error". (Al-Baqarah or the Heifer 256). We are also blessed living in a country whose prime duty and responsibility is the service of the Two Holy Mosques and everything that is dear to Muslims' hearts. In a country that was endowed with natural resources that made it possible for it not to submit to the conditions of economic means and political dependency. We are also blessed to lead a life of moderation where extremism is shunned and where sensitive human bounding exists and prevails. It is our deep conviction that all humans go back to Adam and that Adam was created from earth. Our heritage shows very clearly how welcoming and open-minded Islam civilization was at its zenith. Brothers and Sisters, During the Eid days we can only pray to Allah that those belonging to a tiny minority of individuals who chose deviation as a frame of mind and a way of life may wake up from their deep dark slumbers and save their lives before they lose everything and realize that we live in a country that is genuinely Muslim in character, law and its vision for its future. It is only proper here, brothers and sisters, that we say a word for prayer to those souls who lost their lives protecting and in defence of our society, its peace and tranquillity and against such form of extremism. If there is a message that the Eid days crystallize, it is a message of kindness, tolerance and goodwill within ourselves, within our society and towards those who share our faith and those who share our humanity. May Allah makes this Eid holiday a blissful one and make every Eid fully blessings and may continue his blessings to our beloved country and may peace be upon all". Muslims performed Eid Al-Fitr prayers in various regions of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Muslims across the Kingdom celebrated Eid Al-Fitr with a variety of cultural and recreational programs while imams leading Eid prayers emphasized the need for strengthening Muslim unity. In Makkah, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz offered the prayers with other worshippers in the Grand Mosque. Along with the king, the prayers were also offered by Speaker of Yemeni Parliament Sheikh Abdullah bin Hosain Al Ahmar, Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, a number of princes, along with nearly two million faithful who included foreign pilgrims. The large mosque complex and its vast courtyards overflowed with worshippers and thousands joined the prayer standing in nearby streets and pathways. Authorities deployed a large number of security personnel to control the crowd. In his Eid sermon, Dr. Saleh Bin-Humaid, chairman of the Shoura Council and one of the mosque's imams, called upon Muslims to stand united in the face of growing challenges. "Muslims are divided at a time when they must unify their ranks to confront major challenges and threats," the Saudi Press Agency quoted him as saying. "Reform and change will come only from within, most importantly from the mind," Dr. Bin-Humaid said. He emphasized the importance of constructive dialogue and objective criticism, saying they are some of the noble human values. "World civilizations were the result of positive interactions of individuals and societies dealing with various issues," he explained. Bin Humaid called upon scholars and thinkers to shun intellectual tyranny, saying dialogues must aim to achieve higher interests of the religion, society and state. In Madinah, the prayers were performed in the Prophet's Mosque by Muslims including Prince Abdulaziz bin Majid Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Governor of Madinah region. Citizens and expatriates across Saudi Arabia enthusiastically participated in the congregational prayers. Hundreds of thousands of people took part in Eid prayers offered at open grounds and mosques in many parts of the Kingdom. Riyadh Deputy Governor Prince Sattam, who received and exchanged Eid greetings with a large number of princes, ministers, scholars and high-ranking government officials in the capital, offered prayers at the Dira Eid Ground. In his address to some 30,000 worshippers, Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh invoked the blessings of Allah on those who had observed the fast during the holy month of Ramadan and hoped that they would carry forward the spirit of fasting, which they had imbibed during the period. The mufti reminded the faithful not to forget the plight of their unfortunate brethren amid the festivities. Also more than two million faithful attended the Friday prayers at the two holy mosques in Makkah and Madinah, the last Friday of Ramadan. The Makkah Grand Mosque and its surrounding courtyards overflowed with worshippers and many had to stand in nearby streets and pathways to join prayers. In his Juma sermon, Dr. Saleh Bin-Humaid, one of the imams in the Grand Mosque, emphasized the role of Ramadan in reforming the faithful and bringing about positive changes in their lives. "Ramadan is a month of strengthening bonds, a month of worship, charity and good work, a month of patience and victories," Bin-Humaid, who is also the Shoura Council chairman, told the huge gathering. He urged Muslims to return to the teachings of Islam in order to change their pathetic situation. He stressed the need for Muslims to adopt the Qur'an as their guide, constitution and law of governance. "The Holy Qur'an is the panacea for all our ills," the Saudi Press Agency quoted the imam as saying. The whole of humanity must follow divine guidance to end injustice and oppression and establish peace and stability in the world, he added. Thousands of faithful had come to the mosque the night before to attend special prayers on the Lailat Al-Qadr or the night of power, which is expected on the odd-numbered days in the last 10 days of Ramadan. The first verses of the Qur'an were revealed on Lailat Al-Qadr, which is according to the holy book better than a thousand months. Leading the Qiyamullail prayers, Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais prayed for the unity of the ummah and for the liberation of Al-Aqsa, the third holiest mosque in Islam. The government deployed a large number of security personnel and traffic police to control the mammoth crowd in and outside the mosque. Despite the presence of hundreds of thousands of people, no major incidents were reported. In Madinah, Sheikh Ali Al-Hudaify led the Juma prayer. In his sermon, Hudaify emphasized the importance of giving Zakah and charity in this holy month. He also spoke about Lailat Al-Qadr and said those who worship in that night would get the reward of worshipping 83 years. Millions of Muslims from the Kingdom and abroad have already performed Umrah this Ramadan. According to Ibrahim Al-Kharashi, Foreign Ministry undersecretary for consular affairs, the ministry issued a total of 2.89 million Umrah visas during the last nine months. "This is 11 percent more than last year's 2.6 million," he added. The largest number of Umrah pilgrims came from Egypt. Saudi missions in the country issued 654,537 visas to Egyptian pilgrims. Kharashi said Pakistanis were the second largest beneficiaries as they received 361,937 visas. |
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