MAKKAH — Millions of worshipers thronged the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah as well as mosques and prayer grounds across Saudi Arabia to perform Eid Al-Adha and Juma prayers on Friday. In Makkah, the faithful performed Eid Al-Adha prayer at the Grand Mosque in a spiritual atmosphere. Sheikh Maher Al-Muaiqly, imam and preacher of the Grand Mosque, led the prayers and delivered the sermon. In his sermon, Sheikh Al-Muaiqly urged the faithful to fear Allah and draw closer through worship and supplication. "Eid is a time of joy, happiness, compassion, love, tolerance, and connecting family bonds. So, celebrate your Eid, maintain kinship ties, and show gratitude to your Lord for bringing you to these days through increasing your remembrance and glorification of God," he said while emphasizing the need to show kindness and mercy, especially during these crowded seasons. A large number of Hajj pilgrims joined other worshipers in performing Juma prayer at the Grand Mosque. Sheikh Abdullah Al-Juhani, imam and preacher of the Grand Mosque, led the Juma prayer. In his Friday sermon, Sheikh Al-Juhani called on pilgrims to remain calm and peaceful. He called them on to be gentle, kind, and generous with the people, and to avoid noise and causing harm. He highlighted the sanctity of the Day of Sacrifice on Dhul Hijjah 10, and the sanctity of Makkah over all other places around the world. He urged the faithful to have respectful behavior in the holy city and treat politely with fellow Muslims, especially Hajj pilgrims. "Do not disturb the pilgrims with excessive noise, nor disrupt them with overcrowding in the streets, raising false chants and fake propaganda as these things are considered as harm, and God has forbidden harming believers," he said. In Madinah, Imam Sheikh Salah Al-Budair, imam and preacher of the Prophet's Mosque, led the Eid Al-Adha prayer and delivered the Eid sermon, in which he advised Muslims to fear Allah, perform their duties, avoid forbidden acts, and remain steadfast in pure monotheism. Those who attended the Eid Al-Adha prayer include Emir of Madinah Prince Salman bin Sultan. Sheikh Abdul Bari Al-Thubaiti led the Juma prayer and delivered the Friday sermon at the Prophet's Mosque. Sheikh Al-Thubaiti, in his sermon, urged people to adhere to doing good deeds, including acts of obedience, worship, and kindness to people. He called on people not to underestimate the importance of doing virtue, no matter how small or insignificant it is, as God calls for doing good, and He does not fail to reward those who do good. Worshippers across Saudi Arabia performed the Eid Al-Adha prayer early this morning. In Jeddah Prince Saud bin Abdullah, governor of Jeddah, performed the Eid Al-Adha prayer along with worshipers at the King Fahd Mosque in Al-Marjan neighborhood. The prayer was led by Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Zahrani. In an air of festivity, celebration of Eid Al-Adha began across Saudi Arabia. Hundreds of thousands of the faithful attended Eid prayers at mosques and prayer grounds across the Kingdom. They exchanged greetings, hugged each other and presented gifts to those gathered for prayer.
