Joint address by King, Crown Prince JEDDAH – The holy month of Ramadan is yet another chance for all Muslims to seek Allah's mercy and forgiveness, King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, have said. In their joint address to the nation on the advent of the holy month, the King and the Crown Prince cited verses of the Noble Qur'an and sayings of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) on the divine percept of fasting that is binding on all able adult Muslims. Abdul Aziz Khoja, Minister of Culture and Information, read the address on behalf of the King and the Crown Prince. “The holy month inspires Muslims with the noble meanings of compassion, mercy and kindness,” the joint speech said. “It also renews the higher values which our religion advocates and calls for. It is the month when the doors of the heaven open for the good deeds and worshipping Allah,” it said. “We have learned great lessons from this great month, which inspire us, and we ponder over them and see how a person cares for his brother, how the rich feel the sufferings of the poor and how Muslims compete among themselves to win Allah' s contentment,” they said. “Islam is a religion of love, compassion and tolerance, and that its message has been revealed as a mercy for the entire mankind. It is a way of guidance and welfare and it is a method that advocates dialogue and coherence. It also calls for effective participation to build mankind's civilization,” the address said. “From this standpoint, the Kingdom, on which Almighty Allah bestowed the honor of the service of the Two Holy Mosques, has a duty and responsibility to defend and protect this religion, serve Muslims' interests and renew and revive their dialogue with the world's cultures, societies and others' religions with the objective of building a civilized and coherent world that finds its roots in the principles of peace and justice,” the address concluded.
