MAKKAH — Around two million pilgrims attended the Eid Al-Adha prayers at the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah. At the Grand Mosque, Imam and Khateeb Sheikh Khaled Al-Ghamdi offered the Eid sermon and led the prayers. In his sermon, Sheikh Al-Ghamdi emphasized that one of the main purposes of Haj is to educate pilgrims and train them to lead a disciplined and orderly life anywhere they are and at all time. “These are the qualities of a true believer who is enlightened with his religion and Shariah, which are away from anarchy and indiscipline that leaves bad impact on both individuals and the society,” he said while cautioning that if the pilgrims have discipline while performing the Haj rituals, that will provide peace of mind as well as safety and security for them and others. Sheikh Al-Ghamdi urged the believers to fear God in all their words and deeds, both in their public and private life. He also highlighted the sublime message of monotheism underlined in Haj. “Haj was made obligatory to proclaim every believer his sincere faith in the oneness of God and getting rid of anything and everything that led to polytheism. All rituals of the annual pilgrimage assert this principle,” he said. The imam also drew attention to the fact that the Muslim Ummah is going through an extraordinary and painful period during which they are subjected to injustice from the enemies. At the Prophet's Mosque, Imam and Khateeb Sheikh Abdul Bari Al-Thubaiti delivered the Eid sermon and led the prayers. Both imams urged Muslims to stand united to save Al-Aqsa Mosque from the aggression of the Jewish settlers and the Israeli security forces. Nearly one million worshipers performed the blessed Eid Al-Adha prayers in the Prophet Mosque on Thursday. People from within the Kingdom and other Arab and GCC countries had flocked to Madinah to offer Eid Al-Adha prayers at the Prohpet Mosque. Eid prayers were offered in other regions of the Kingdom where the imams called for unity of the Ummah and the need to fight deviant ideology. Muslims in various parts of the world also celebrated Eid Al-Adha on Thursday. In the UAE, Supreme Council members and rulers of the Emirates performed Eid Al-Adha prayer in their respective emirates. In Sharjah, Dr. Sheikh Sultan Bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi, Member of Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, performed the prayer at Al-Badee Mosque. Eid Al-Adha prayers were also performed at the Grand Eid Mussala in Khuzam, Ras Al-Khaimah, by Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al-Qasimi, Member of Supreme Council and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah. Sheikh Hamad Bin Mohammed Al-Sharqi, Member of Supreme Council and Ruler of Fujairah, performed Eid prayer at the new Shaikh Zayed Mosque in Fujairah. In Umm Al Quwain, Sheikh Saud Bin Rashid Al-Mu'alla, Member of Supreme Council and Ruler of Umm Al Quwain, performed Eid prayer at the Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Umm Al Quwain. Sheikh Humaid Bin Rashid Al Nuaimi, Member of Supreme Council and Ruler of Ajman performed Eid prayer at the Sheikh Rashid Bin Humaid Al Nuaimi Mosque in Ajman. In the Western Region, Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler's Representative in the Western Region, performed Eid prayer at Qasr Liwa Mosque, while in Al-Ain, Sheikh Hazza Bin Tahnoun Bin Mohammed Al-Nahyan, Undersecretary of the Court of the Ruler's Representative in the Eastern region, performed the Eid prayer at Al-Noor Mosque. In Australia, thousands of people gathered at Lakemba Mosque in Sydney's west for Eid prayer. Roads were closed to accommodate about 15,000 people.
