MAKKAH, 4 December 2002 — More than two million faithful including tens of thousands of pilgrims who came from within and outside the Kingdom, attended special prayers marking Khatm Al-Qur’an, the completion of the recitation of the Holy Qur’an, at the Grand Mosque here last night.

The mosque, which has been expanded to hold more than one million worshipers at a time, was thronged by a record crowd yesterday. The faithful started arriving at the holy city since early hours of the day to perform Umrah and attend taraweeh and qiyam allail prayers.

Nearly 1.5 million worshipers assembled at the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah yesterday to attend Khatm Al-Qur’an prayers. Saudi TV telecast live the prayers via satellite around the world.

In his long supplication, Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, the imam of the Grand Mosque, beseeched God to strengthen Muslims, sought forgiveness of their sins and victory for Muslim freedom fighters in Palestine and other parts of the world.

During the holy month of Ramadan more than two million pilgrims have come from different parts of the Islamic world to perform Umrah.

The faithful assembled at the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah last night in anticipation of the Lailat Al-Qadr (the night of power) when the first verses of the Holy Qur’an revealed to the Prophet.

The prophet has instructed the faithful to await Lailat Al-Qadr on the odd nights of the last ten days of Ramadan.

“On Lailat Al-Qadr, the Archangel Gabriel descends to earth with a company of angels and they pray to Allah to shower blessings on everyone who remembers Him,” according to a saying of the Prophet (pbuh).

A number of charitable organizations in the Kingdom, meanwhile, have stepped up their efforts to distribute Zakah and Fitr Zakah among the poor within the Kingdom and abroad.

The World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY) said it has collected SR200,000 as Fitr Zakah for distribution among the less fortunate in 10 African and Asian countries.

The Al-Birr Charitable Organization said it was collecting Fitr Zakah to distribute among one million needy people within the Kingdom.