JEDDAH, 24 November 2003 — More than two million faithful took part in special prayers marking the completion of the recitation of the Holy Qur’an during taraweeh at the two holy mosques in Makkah and Madinah last night.
At the Grand Mosque in Makkah, Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais led the prayers and called for Muslim unity in the traditional supplications at the end of the Qur’an recitation. He also prayed for forgiveness for all Muslims and an improvement of their condition.
In the past, Khatm Al-Quran prayers were held on the 27th night of Ramadan, believed to be the most likely date for the Lailat Al-Qadr or the night of power, but they were postponed to the 29th night to reduce overcrowding.
Hundreds of thousands of worshippers had been pouring into the Grand Mosque since early hours of the day to perform Umrah and attend taraweeh, Khatm Al-Qur’an and qiyamullail prayers, and the huge mosque complex was filled to bursting with the faithful.
The authorities had deployed additional security forces including traffic police and civil defense officers to handle the mammoth crowd of faithful, many of whom stood in streets and pathways around the mosque to take part in the prayers.
Ramadan is the month of the Qur’an as the first verses of the holy book were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in Ramadan. The month is known as “the springtime of the Qur’an,” and believers spend time reading and learning it and reflecting on its verses.
Several sayings of the Prophet encourage recitation of the Qur’an during Ramadan.
“Whoever recites an ayat (verse) from the Qur’an (in this month) will receive a reward equal to the one received by a person who recites the entire Qur’an in other months,” the Prophet says.
