Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, Advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Governor of Makkah Region, who is also the Chairman of Hajj Central Committee, announced on Wednesday that Saudi Arabia has received 1,564 pilgrims from Qatar compared to 1,210 last year.

Commenting on the hosting of Qatari pilgrims by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, he said: “The Royal attitude is not strange as the brothers from Qatar are guests of Allah and we have to serve them.”

In a press conference at Mina in the governorate of Makkah, Prince Khalid conveyed thanks and appreciation to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud for his profound care and continuous instructions on providing the best services to the pilgrims.

He noted that the Kingdom has recruited more than 300,000 civil and military personnel to serve pilgrims during this Hajj season.

The Saudi official also said that as many as 101 illegal Hajj organizers were apprehended by the authorities, while around 490,000 violators of Hajj regulations were prevented from entering Makkah and other sacred places, 219,000 unlicensed vehicles were turned back, and 9,599 drivers were recorded as violators.

Prince Khalid announced that pilgrims’ number this year has exceeded two million, coming from Saudi Arabia and abroad. He explained that the number of those coming from outside the Kingdom has reached 1,752,014, while the number of citizens reached 126,092, and expatriates residing in the Kingdom 102,936.

The Hajj and Umrah train is now on duty, the Saudi official said, noting that it was expected to transport 365,000 pilgrims. He also said that more than 21,000 buses have the capacity to transport more than two million pilgrims.

He also revealed that the Makkah governorate has completed 14 projects worth SR300 million in preparation for the Hajj season.

As more than two million Muslims gathered to perform Hajj, Sheikh Saad bin Nasser Al Shathri, who is a member of Council of Senior Scholars and an advisor to the Saudi Royal Court, delivered Khutba-e-Hajj at Masjid-e-Nimra on the Arafat Day. The top Saudi cleric pleaded with the Muslim community around the world to: not persecute each other, rebuff divisions based on regional politics, fulfill the responsibility of uniting Muslim Ummah through sagacious use of social media, avoid plunging into sectarian chasms, and fear Allah the way it ought to be done.

He reminded the audience that the belief in the oneness of Allah was in fact the stepping stone of piety; no wonder, then, that only pious ones will enter the Jannah. He further stated that monotheism constituted the basic element of teachings of all the messengers of Allah. “All praise be to Allah, I testify that Allah has no partners. Worship Him and prostrate before Him. I instruct myself, and all of you, to fear Allah”, the scholar proclaimed.

The Hajj sermon further elaborated that Allah sent Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to guide the Ummah. The Sheikh went on to pronounce several divine principles, including: “None is worthy of worship but Allah, and Muhammad is His last messenger. There is only one road to salvation, that is, to tread the path that Allah has shown to us. Good deeds wipe off sins. Prayer is the basic pillar of the religious code. Piety is the practice Muslims need to adopt".

The sermon then touched the socio-economic dimensions of life by reiterating that Islamic teachings established brotherhood among human beings. The cleric reminded the audience that Zakat obliges Muslims to reserve certain portion of wealth for the needy. Delivering the Hajj sermon, Sheikh Saad bin Nasser said that staying firm and offering prayers were guidelines given by Allah.

Expounding Islam’s principles related to morality, the honourable speaker said that usury and embezzlement of any kind were prohibited in Islam. “The offspring are obliged to obey -- and take care of – their parents. Islam proscribed wickedness and obscenity. Allah has directed us not to predate on others’ rightful wealth”, the cleric said.

The beauty of Islamic law, the Sheikh said, is that it organised financial and economic systems along with regulations pertaining to one s life into a formal arrangement on the face of the Earth. The Quran asks us to pledge faith in Allah and His Prophet (PBUH), for, the faithful and the righteous will be conferred upon power in this world.

The top Saudi cleric rejected racism by reminiscing the verses of the Prophet Muhammad’s last sermon that: “A white man has no superiority over a black one nor a black has any superiority over any white”.

“Islam has forbidden us from humiliating Muslims and non-Muslims alike. It is binding upon us to fully observe Shariah-stated instructions; a Muslim is obliged to protect those boundaries that Allah has demarcated for him”, Sheikh said.