HOLY SITES: King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, has urged Muslims to use the Haj as a standard for their behavior in future. In his message to the Ummah Wednesday, King Abdullah said Muslims should not lose the lessons they have learnt during the holy pilgrimage. This includes their unity during the pilgrimage, whatever gender, race, ethnic group or nationality. He also called on Muslims to reject terrorism, which has nothing to do with Islam. The only way to counter terrorism is for Muslims to continue to have dialogue with each other and with those of other faiths, said the King. King Abdullah thanked Almighty Allah for allowing pilgrims to perform their Haj rituals “in ease and comfort and prayed to Allah to accept their good deeds, purify their souls and realize their hopes,” according to a report carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). He said Muslims should use the Haj to “revive and renew their relations and strengthen the bonds of fraternity, love and cohesion”. The Monarch said he is always filled with “great delight and pleasure” to see Muslims from all over the world come together for Haj. He said Haj is “a clear sign of the Divine Will to unite the Ummah and reaffirm the oneness of the Creator”. Haj also embodies “equality and justice”. “Almighty Allah ordained this annual obligation to serve as a gathering place for the believers, the sons of one religion.” The King said Almighty Allah has honored the Kingdom with the chance to serve the Two Holy Mosques. He said this is a great responsibility which the country is willing to bear because it only seeks Allah's reward for being of service to the Guests of Allah. “Almighty Allah has made matters easy for us to fulfill our obligations toward the worshippers,” the King said. He said the government will not “tolerate anyone who may try to tamper with the security of the pilgrims or contaminate the spiritual atmosphere”. “We will secure the safety of the pilgrims until they return to their countries safely,” the King added. Safe and secure Haj Prince Naif, Second Deputy Premier, Interior Minister and Chairman of the Supreme Haj Committee, hosted at the Royal Court in Mina Wednesday a number of world leaders, ministers and heads of Haj missions, where everyone declared this year's Haj a resounding success. The Haj took place this year without any major incident. However, the Central Operations Room of the Saudi Red Crescent Authority has recorded 1,636 cases of illnesses and 290 other health-related incidents. A total of 943 cases were transferred to hospitals in Makkah and 1,018 were treated on the scene. Red Crescent's Air Ambulances transferred five emergency cases to hospitals in the Holy Sites. A record of over 2.7 million pilgrims performed Haj this year, according to official statistics. This comes after last year's reduced attendance because of swine flu fears. Rituals continue Many pilgrims could be seen Wednesday streaming to and from Al-Jamarat in Mina to perform the stoning of the devil ritual, the second of the three days of Tashreeq. But many others have completed their once-in-a-lifetime journey and were praying to Almighty Allah to accept their Haj. They would be heading to Makkah, having packed up their belongings, to perform their farewell Tawaf – the circumambulation of the Holy Ka'ba. They would be experiencing a mixture of intense joy at having completed their journey, but also immense sadness at leaving Makkah, not knowing whether they would ever return again. Each pilgrim is expected to receive a copy of the Holy Qur'an when leaving the Kingdom at any of its land, sea or airports. On Wednesday, SPA reported that the King Fahd Complex for Printing the Holy Qur'an in Madina has printed 1.9 million copies of the Holy Qur'an and translations of its meanings to be distributed to pilgrims returning home. This is a gift from King Abdullah. More than 30 million copies of the Holy Qur'an have so far been distributed to pilgrims. At the holy sites, the ritual of slaughtering of animals continued. In one of the largest operations of its kind, thousands of animals are being slaughtered and the meat sent as a form of charity to many countries across the world. Pilgrims shop for gifts Having completed their religious obligations, many pilgrims were seen heading toward shops to buy gifts for their families and friends in their home countries at stalls and open-air markets. The goods most in demand are watches, perfumes, prayer rugs and children's toys. Most pilgrims could be seen in their national dress taking photographs of each other as a record of their time on Haj.
