Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradawi, a Qatar-based preacher and one of the first to back the revolution, said fear had been lifted from Egyptians by the 18-day revolution and he was confident the Higher Military Council would not betray the nation.
"I call on the Egyptian Army to liberate us from the government that Mubarak formed," Al-Qaradawi told the faithful during the Friday prayer in Tahrir Square, after which the huge crowd cheered and waved national flags in jubilation.
The preacher urged worshippers in the world's most populous Arab nation to be patient with the new military rulers.
The cabinet now in place is largely the same as one that Mubarak appointed shortly before he stepped down from the presidency and a reshuffle is expected in the next few days to open a new chapter in modern Egyptian history.
Life in Egypt is still far from normal a week after the popular uprising, with tanks on the streets, banks closed, workers on strike, schools shut and protests against the government.
"We do not want to see these faces linked to corruption and violence and camels, killing people," said Al-Qaradawi, referring to an assault on pro-democracy protesters in the last days of the revolt when pro-Mubarak thugs charged on horses and camels.
Egypt's official state news agency, which before Mubarak's downfall, had largely ignored or played down protests, said Friday that more than 2 million people were in Tahrir Square.
Google executive Wael Ghonim, who emerged as a leading voice in the uprising, was barred from the stage by security guards. Ghonim tried to take the stage in Tahrir but men who appeared to be guarding Al-Qaradawi barred him from doing so. Ghonim, who was angered by the episode, then left the square with his face hidden by an Egyptian flag.
Hundreds of thousands joined rallies across Egypt, which are also a memorial to the 365 people who died in the uprising, and many said they would guard the newly won prospect of democracy. The Tahrir sermon was broadcast to the nation on television.
There were tanks and armored vehicles at the entrances to the sprawling square which was packed tightly with marchers, bowing simultaneously in prayer alongside red-bereted military police and other uniformed soldiers guarding the area.
"This is a serious message to the military," said Mohamed El-Said, 28, who traveled to Cairo from Port Said, pointing to the colorful sea of people from all walks of life around him. "After today, it will be more than obvious to them that if they don't protect the revolution and respond to the people's demands, the next time people go down to Tahrir won't be to celebrate victory, but they will bring their blankets with them like before," El-Said said.
Security officials said Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq will announce ministers making up the new emergency government next week and hoped the reshuffle would help to appease protesters and workers on strike.
The Muslim Brotherhood, which says it is committed to democracy, is seen as the only truly organized bloc in Egypt and believes it could win up to 30 percent of votes in a free election. The Brotherhood also warned of the need to protect the gains from the revolution.
"We urge all noble people ... to guard the revolution and its legitimate demands, and not to leave the chance for opportunists to kidnap it and its accomplishments which, with God's permission, have begun to bear fruit," said the Brotherhood's leader Mohamed Badie, ahead of the march.
