King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, receives Islamic officials and heads of Haj missions at the Royal Court at Mina Palace, Saturday. The King later left Mina and arrived in Jeddah. — SPA Saudi Gazette report MINA – King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Saturday urged the UN to draft a law which makes it illegal for any country or group to insult divine religions and prophets (peace be upon them all). “It is obligatory upon each and every Muslim to defend our religion and all the prophets,” the King said during an annual reception ceremony held at the Royal Court at Mina Palace Saturday for Islamic officials and heads of Haj missions. In an eloquent speech interspersed with quotations from the verses of the Holy Qur'an and the sayings of the Prophet (pbuh), the King said that the message of Haj calls for unity of ranks and the rejection of fragmentation. “We are in dire need of true solidarity which maintains the unity of the nation, protects it from fragmentation and division, and prohibits bloodletting,” King Abdullah said. “We beseech Allah Almighty to help leaders of Muslim states for the good of our homeland and societies. We also call on Muslim leaders to fear Allah while dealing with their peoples and countries. We are responsible before Allah for our peoples and nation.” Stressing the importance of dialogue, the Monarch said, “As renaissance and progress are achieved through prosperity and security, we Muslims, nowadays, are in dire need of dialogue with others and ourselves, in order to put an end to dissent, ignorance, extremism, and injustice which threaten the aspirations of Muslims. Out of this vision, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is still calling for dialogue between religions and cultures. It is following this path for the good of the Islamic nation and humanity as a whole.” Addressing pilgrims, the King said that Haj teaches that the mission of a true Muslim is to spread security and peace, not only with human beings, but also with birds, trees and stones. This ultimate aim to which a Muslim yearns, is to contribute to the reform of the earth. Quoting the farewell sermon of the Prophet (pbuh), the King said: “On this blessed site, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), whom Allah sent as a mercy to mankind, stood preaching to pilgrims, explaining to them the sanctity of souls and property, and laid down the highest sense of brotherhood, saying: ‘O people: Your blood and wealth are sacred to you such as the sanctity of this day of yours, in this month of yours, in this country of yours. I have informed you and my Lord stands as witness. O people: Your God is one, your Father is one, all of you belong to Adam, and Adam was created from earth. The most honored of you are the most pious. There is no favor for an Arab over a non-Arab except through piety. I have informed you, and my Lord stands as witness'.” King Abdullah said: “During Haj, the values of brotherhood and tolerance and the rejection of rancor appear clearly, since Allah wished the Muslim to lead a life which is an example of purity, and Haj reflects the above mentioned values, in submission to Allah's Almighty saying in His Holy Qur'an: ‘For Haj are the months well known. If anyone undertakes that duty therein, let there be no obscenity, nor wickedness, nor wrangling in the Haj. [Al-Baqarah 197].'” Congratulating pilgrims on performing Haj, the King said: “From the holy shrines, the sacred place of Mina, and from the neighborhood of Arafat, from these Holy Sites, where Talabiya, Takbeer and Tahleel echo, and from the vicinity of the ancient House where pilgrims perform Haj rituals, from this land where faith has prevailed, I congratulate you and all of the Islamic nation, praying to Allah to accept Haj from all who came to this sacred House, and forgive all their sins, and to return them safely to their homelands, after Allah Almighty has honored them with the performance of the fifth pillar of Islam and the honor of standing in these sacred places, holding firmly to the guidance of the Holy Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Prophet (pbuh).” The King continued: “Contemplating Haj to the sacred House and the pilgrims' movement, makes me think deeply about the purpose of this rite and its meaning. On this blessed land where pilgrims repeated Talabiya, Tahleel and Takbeer, the meaning of monotheism is clearly manifested, as if Allah kept this sacred land to let the faithful renew their pledge toward Him, year after year, generation after generation and century after century. Whenever humanity deviates from the guidance of its Lord, we find in these sacred places, what makes humanity return to the right path. That makes the pilgrim forget everything in mundane life, and respond to the Great Qura'nic call: ‘And proclaim to mankind the Haj (pilgrimage). They will come to you on foot and on every lean camel, they will come from every deep and distant (wide) mountain highway (to perform Haj)' [Al-Haj: 27]” “When pilgrims come to this holy land and the Ka'aba, circumambulate the Ka'aba, make Sa'ei between Safa and Marwa in the Holy House, ascend to Mina, stand on Arafat, and then move from Arafat to the Holy Site, in a unique view of faith, leaving behind them their families, wealth, homes and their accustomed types of life, they pledge to Allah Almighty the unity of faith, repeating the word of the unity of the creator: ‘Say: truly my prayer, and my service of sacrifice, my life and my death, are (all) for Allah, the Cherisher of the worlds. No partner hath He: This am I commanded, and I am the first of those who submit to his will.' [Al-An'am 162-163]” “Haj has many lessons to consider, and many aims. And that provides a chance for pilgrims who came from remote areas to devote themselves to Allah – most high be He – in order for them to return home free of sins such as on the day they were born, and have been given a new chance to reform themselves and be useful members of their societies. During Haj many types of sympathy prevail on this earth. There is no difference between one language and another, nor between one race and another. The rich help the poor, and the strong help the weak. All hearts are united on one call to Allah, and the unity of the nation is achieved, so that the sublime social purpose which Islam sought will be fulfilled: “O mankind! We created you from a single (pair), of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes that ye may know each other, not that ye may despise, (each other). Verily, the most honored of you, in the sight of Allah, is (he who is) the most, righteous of you, and Allah has full knowledge, and is well acquainted, (with all things). [Al-Hujurat 13]”
