MADINAH, 20 August 2005 — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and Crown Prince Sultan yesterday joined Juma prayers at the Prophet’s Mosque along with a large number of faithful including foreign pilgrims.

In his Juma sermon, Sheikh Salah Al-Bedair, imam of the mosque, emphasized the importance of security. “Security remains with religion and the religion gets stronger with security,” the imam told the faithful.

Sheikh Bedair also urged Saudis to obey their leadership as long as it does not ask them to do anything that is prohibited by God. He also quoted a Hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon) that stressed the importance of “baia” or the pledge allegiance to the leader.

Millions of Saudis across the Kingdom have already pledged their allegiance to the country’s new king and crown prince following King Fahd’s death on Aug. 1. Many tribal delegations also met them to voice their support.

“Unity is the crux of wisdom while disunity is the basis of destruction,” the imam pointed out. Sheikh Bedair also urged Muslims to adhere to their faith in this age of rapid changes and temptations.

“As long as you hold firm to the Qur’an and Sunnah you will not stray,” the imam said quoting a Saying of the Prophet.

Earlier King Abdullah, accompanied by Prince Sultan and other senior princes and officials, visited the endowment he set up in the name of his parents. On arrival at the property, the king was received by Madinah Governor Prince Muqrin and members of the endowment’s board of trustees.

The endowment, located in the north of Madinah’s central region, includes a 21-story building. It houses a large hotel with 1,127 rooms, of which 180 are overlooking the Prophet’s Mosque, and 84 furnished apartments with a total of 192 rooms.