Sultanate marks Eid

His Highness Sayyid Fahd offering Eid
 al Adha prayers at Al Khour Mosque.

MUSCAT — His Highness Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmood al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers, performed Eid al Adha prayers at Al Khour Mosque here yesterday. HH Sayyid Fahd was accompanied during the prayers by members of the Royal Family, ministers, advisers, under-secretaries and prominent personages.

His Eminence Shaikh Ahmed bin Hamad al Khalili, the Grand Mufti of the Sultanate, led the prayers. The sermon (Khutba) started with thanks and praise to the Almighty for his blessings. He asked people to be pious and obey Allah the Almighty. Al Khalili said that Eid al Adha is a great day, as Allah had decreed Haj (Pilgrimage) on all people. Al Khalili cited a number of verses of the Holy Quran in this respect.

He said that Haj is a duty to be performed within a specific number of days as revealed by Allah the Almighty in the Holy Quran. “The Pilgrimage is (performed in) the well-known months; so whoever determines the performance of the pilgrimage therein, there shall be no obscenity nor wickedness nor wrangling amongst one another,” one of the verses reads.

The Grand Mufti, in his sermon, referred to the great stand of Abraham and his son Ismael, where the father saw in his dream that he was slaying his own son, Ismael. He was about to carry out Allah’s command under Ismail’s will. When Allah the Almighty saw the ordeal that both the father and son were passing through and their willingness and obedience He sent down a sheep as a sacrifice in place of Ismael.

Al Khalili said that Muslims who are financially capable should offer their sacrifices after Eid al Adha prayers in pursuit of Prophet Mohammed’s teachings. Al Khalili prayed to Allah the Almighty to bestow the blessings of this happy occasion on His Majesty Sultan Qaboos for many years to come, grant him good health, happiness and a long life and protect Oman and all Muslim countries.

After the prayers, HH Sayyid Fahd received well-wishers who expressed their sincere greetings and best wishes to His Majesty the Sultan, praying to Allah the Almighty to grant him good health, happiness and a long life. He wished the Sultanate’s people further progress and prosperity under the development march witnessed by the Sultanate in this prosperous reign.

HH Sayyid Fahd thanked all well-wishers, wishing them a happy Eid, wishing His Majesty Sultan Qaboos happy returns of the occasion. He prayed to the Almighty to endow His Majesty with blessings and support him with success to achieve further development for this beloved country and its faithful people in this prosperous reign.