Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman congratulated everyone on the blessed Eid Al-Adha as Muslims offered Eid prayers on Friday morning in the Grand Mosque, the Prophet’s Mosque and throughout the Kingdom amid coronavirus precautionary measures.

"I congratulate everyone on the blessed Eid Al Adha. May Allah (grant us another Eid where we will be in) good, blessings, health, and wellness," King Salman said.

"We also ask Him (God) to accept the pilgrimage of those who completed Haj, and (to accept) Muslims' prayers, and to remove the coronavirus pandemic in our countries," he added.

Meanwhile, in the Grand Mosque, the worshipers performed the prayers, led by Sheikh Dr. Abdullah Bin Awad Al-Juhani, the imam and preacher of the Grand Mosque, who called upon the Hajj pilgrims to fear God.

Sheikh Al-Juhani said: "This is the day of the blessed Eid Al-Adha, the day of the greatest pilgrimage, the day of the completion of the revelation and the completion of the grace of Islam."

"One of the best acts of worship and the greatest acts of worship is the obligation of Hajj, which is the fifth pillar of Islam. It is obligatory for every Muslim man and Muslim woman with the ability — physical and material — to carry it out as it merits tremendous rewards. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: ‘The reward for the accepted Hajj is nothing less than Jannah.' This was collected by Al-Bukhari and Muslim.”

Sheikh Al-Juhani praised Saudi Arabia’s government led by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman for organizing the Hajj with a limited number of pilgrims in order to preserve their security and safety in the House of God amid the outbreak of the global coronavirus pandemic.

The basic principles of Islam direct us to avert harms before they occur and to also strive to remove them if they have set in. This can be understood from the hadith that states, "Harm is neither to be extended nor reciprocated." This was collected by Ibn Maajah.

Among the beautiful elements of this religion is that when a Muslim intends to perform a righteous deed but is then unable to follow through for a legitimate reason, the reward for what he intended is still recorded for him. When a person's intentions are sincere, they can enable him to reach what his deeds alone do not reach, Sheikh Al-Juhani said.

Addressing the pilgrims, the imam said that the current pandemic has awakened people and their minds. It has driven souls to return to Allah, take recourse to Him, be humble toward Him, comply with His directives, sincerely devote all worship to Him, and be consistent in obeying Him as well as His Messenger (peace be upon him).

My dear brothers, you should make much mention of Allah, supplicate Him, and humble yourselves to Him. Allah, the Most Exalted, said: "Sincerely call upon your Lord with full humility and do so in private. He does not love those who transgress the bounds He has set. Furthermore, you must not cause corruption upon the Earth after Allah has put it in order. You must sincerely call upon Allah while fearing His punishment and hoping for His mercy. Allah's mercy is surely near those who strive to worship Him in the best way".

Sheikh Al-Juhani also said: “My dear brothers in Islam, you must realize that there people who are your opponents and your religion, those who strongly dislike you and your brothers having the blessing of Islam and those who detest you for having safety, prosperity, tranquility, and stability.”

“They endeavor to strip you of your blessings so that you would be the same as them. They look for any way to break you apart, leave you dispersed, rip brothers apart, and sever the bond between the people of Islam and their leaders.”

Therefore, my dear Muslim brothers, be alert and cautious. Do not leave any room to accommodate misinformation or rumors. Beware of phrases like such and such "is what the people are saying." Remember your obligation to obey the leader in authority regarding all that does not amount to disobeying Allah. Realize that doing so is necessary for every person who submits to Allah in Islam, and it amounts to being sincere to the leader and assisting Him in fulfilling Allah's commands and avoiding Allah's prohibitions. Also, realize that contending with the leader in authority is impermissible,” he added.

Every set of people has days which it commemorates repeatedly at specific times. As for us, the people of Islam, we have two such days: Eid Al-Adha and Eid Al-Fitr. Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that when Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) came to Madinah, there were two designated days the people had for enjoyment. He asked, "What are these two days?" The people replied, "We use to enjoy ourselves on them during jahiliyyah (the era of ignorance prior to Islam)." Allaah's Messenger (peace be upon him) then told them, "Allah has indeed given you a substitute for them that is even better than them: Eid Al-Adha and Eid Al-Fitr." This was collected by Abu Daawood.

Among the important acts of worship on Eid Al-Adha is offering a sacrifice after the Eid prayer. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said during a sermon he delivered, "The first thing with which we begin this day of ours is that we pray, then return, and then sacrifice. Anyone who does that has complied with our Sunnah." This was collected by Al-Bukhari.

On this day, it is encouraged to show happiness, uphold ties of kinship, do away with differences and grudges, pardon others, and to be generous and accommodating towards one's dependents and also make them happy. There is nothing wrong with permissible forms of playing and recreation since the teachings of our religion allow for that, Sheikh Al-Juhani said.

In Madinah, scores of worshipers performed the blessed Eid Al-Adha prayers at the Prophet’s Mosque attended by Prince Faisal Bin Salman, the Governor of Madinah region, and his deputy Prince Saud Bin Khaled Al Faisal, and led by Sheikh Ahmed Bin Talib Bin Humaid, the imam and preacher of the Prophet’s Mosque.