FULL OF FAITH: Nearly three million Muslims attended the Eid Al-Fitr congregation in the Grand Mosque in Makkah on Sunday. The picture shows worshippers performing the prayer on the roof of the huge mosque complex. (AN photo by Ahmad Hashad)

MAKKAH: Nearly three million Muslims, including a large number of foreign pilgrims, attended Eid Al-Fitr prayers at the Grand Mosque in Makkah.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior Prince Naif, Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal and other senior princes and ministers joined the prayers.

Sheikh Saleh Bin-Humaid, the imam and khateeb of the Grand Mosque, led the prayers. In his Eid sermon, the imam urged Muslims to spread love and affection among them and improve their relations with others.

He highlighted the importance of volunteerism, saying it would help lessen the suffering of other people and that it purifies minds, prevents people from becoming stingy, gets rid of disappointment.

“Such volunteer work should not be limited to the times of natural calamities,” the imam said.

He said spreading happiness among members of society was essential to strengthening social bonds. Such cohesiveness, he said, is essential to safeguard internal security, prevent crimes and reduce poverty and corruption.

“We should compete with one another in charitable and voluntary work,” he added. “It promotes popular partnership. Being a strong means of reforms, it also strengthens states and governments and bridges the gap in extending services.”

At the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah nearly two million faithful attended Eid prayers, which were led by Sheikh Salah Al-Bedair. In his Eid sermon, Al-Bedair called upon Muslims to abide by the teachings of the Qur’an and Sunnah in all walks of their life.

He reminded the faithful that promoting virtue and preventing vice is one of the fundamentals of Shariah.

He advised Muslims to perform the compulsory five daily prayers, give the obligatory alms of Zakat and perform the once-in-a-life-time duty of Haj. They should also avoid interest-bearing finances and the usury trap, pay the salaries of workers and not ask of workers what they cannot do.

Meanwhile, King Abdullah received at Al-Safa Palace in Makkah on Sunday morning a large number of princes, Islamic scholars and top officials who came to greet him on the occasion of Eid Al-Fitr. The king, accompanied by senior princes, later arrived in Jeddah.