MAKKAH — Millions of worshippers converged on the holy mosques of Makkah and Madinah to offer congregational prayers on the last Friday of Ramadan in their zeal to reap maximum rewards as the fasting month was drawing to a close. Addressing worshippers who packed the sprawling prayer complex in Makkah, the imam of the Grand Mosque criticized the apathy of the international community toward people suffering under tyranny in various parts of the world. In his sermon, Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, who is also head of the Presidency of the Holy Mosques Affairs, urged Muslims to fear Allah both in their private and public lives and obey His commands to win His blessings and forgiveness in this world and the Hereafter. He said at a time when Muslims are bidding farewell to the holy month, the Ummah is experiencing the worst kind of oppression and suppression in many parts of the world, including Palestine, Syria and Myanmar. Amid a broad range of services and comprehensive care provided by the Saudi government, more than 2 million people, including Umrah performers from around the world and visitors from all over the Kingdom, performed the prayer in the Grand Mosque in Makkah Friday, the Saudi Press Agency reported. Sheikh Sudais said tyrants “are committing the most heinous crimes against humanity by killing children, women and old people indiscriminately.” “Regrettably, these vicious crimes are taking place with the knowledge of the international community which turns a deaf ear and a blind eye to the massacres and genocides that have no resemblance in history,” Sheikh Sudais said. He said King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, hosted the Extraordinary Islamic Solidarity Summit in the holy city against this backdrop. The summit received a welcome response from the leaders of the Muslim World, which was reflected in their unprecedented presence at the conference on the most blessed days of the sacred month and in the holiest place on earth, he added. “The Muslim leaders came together in response to the call of the Qur'an, which says: ‘And hold fast all together, by the rope which Allah (stretches out for you) and be not divided among yourselves.' (Holy Qur'an 2:103). By doing so, they have set an example for nations on ways of forging unity and mending rifts,” Sheikh Sudais said. The imam also warned the believers against deviant ideologies and destructive thoughts. In Madinah, Sheikh Abdul Mohsen Al-Gassim, Imam and Khateeb of the Prophet's Mosque, urged Muslims devote themselves to worshipping Allah and seeking His mercy and forgiveness. He said the wise believers would seize the opportunity of the holy month in which the Holy Qur'an was revealed to devote themselves to worshiping Allah. He said the hallmark of a true Muslim is his love for his brothers in faith, untainted by worldly interests or ulterior motives. “This is brotherly love, whose purity is derived from the light of the Islamic guidance and its effect on the behavior of Muslims is unique in the history of human relations,” said Al-Gassim. — SG/SPA
