JEDDAH, 14 December — More than two million faithful attended Taraweeh prayers yesterday night at the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah on the occasion of "khatm Al-Qura’n" (the completion of the recitation of the Holy Qur’an throughout the holy month during Taraweeh prayers).
Since the early morning yesterday, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims thronged the Grand Mosque trying to inch as close as possible to the imam. The Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah also witnessed similar huge crowds.
Just the night before, the holy capital was jammed with thousands of cars coming from Jeddah, as Muslims from within and outside of the Kingdom on Tuesday sought the blessings of "The Night of Power", believed to be one of the nights preceding the odd days in the final ten days of Ramadan. The night is the most blessed in the month of Ramadan equal to the blessings of more than a thousand months, as mentioned in the Qura’n.
Hundreds of thousands of worshippers had to offer prayers outside the Grand Mosque in adjacent streets because the Grand Mosque’s capacity was at its maximum, even hours ahead of Taraweeh prayer times. About two million people performed Umrah on that day.
Hotels and furnished apartments in both holy cities were charging prices 200 to 300 percent higher than usual during the last days of Ramadan due to unprecedented demand. Charges for an ordinary furnished apartment ranged from SR8,000 to SR18,000 for 10 days depending on its proximity to the mosque.
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd, who has been spending the last days of the holy month in the vicinity of the Grand Mosque, and Crown Prince Abdullah, second deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, overlooked the services offered to visitors of the holy city. The Crown Prince returned to Riyadh on Wednesday. Makkah Governor Prince Abdul Majeed supervised the field plan for crowd control and traffic movement at the entrance to the Makkah.
King Fahd and Crown Prince Abdullah wished a happy Eid Al-Fitr for the royal family of Saudi Arabia, the Saudi people, and the entire Muslim world.
Muhammad Al-Harthy, director of Makkah police, said more than 2,000 police officers were deployed on the squares, streets, and roads of the holy city. Over 100 patrol cars and 85 civil defense trucks with 1,000 soldiers were on alert to handle potential fires or accidents that could occur, said Col. Saud Al-Kabkabi, director of civil defense in Makkah. (SPA)
