Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques sends cable of thanks to Crown Prince Sultan

Crown Prince in speech to Muslims on Eid al-Fitr: God Has blessed us with countless graces, greatest of them is Islam

Prince Sultan receives Abu Dhabi Crown Prince in Agadir

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has sent a cable of thanks to Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, for his noble feelings towards the monarch personally and towards the service he has rendered to his religion and nation reflected in the opening of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST).

In his reply cable, the monarch thanked the Crown Prince for his feelings towards him and the work done in the benefit of the religion and nation embodied in the establishment of an international scientific edifice that he hopes to become a minaret of knowledge benefiting the Saudi citizens, the Islamic religion, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the world at large.

He also expressed happiness that KAUST's opening coincided with the 79th anniversary of the National Day of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, an occasion for the Saudis to always recall the determination and steadfast of the founder of the country late King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al Saud.

Earlier, Crown Prince Sultan sent a cable of congratulations to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on both the opening of KAUST and the 79th anniversary of the National Day of the Kingdom.

In his cable, the Crown Prince cited the statements of those who graced the opening ceremony as testimonies confirming the monarch's high profile in the world and the new university's academic high rating in the world's classification.

Crown Prince Sultan had delivered a speech on the occasion of Eid Al-Fitr 1430 H.

Following is text of the speech which was read out by Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Abdulaziz bin Mohieddin Khoja:

In the name of Allah the most Merciful the most Gracious. Praise be to Allah, prayers and peace be upon the Seal of Prophets and Messengers, Mohammed and his family and companions.

Dear brothers and sisters,

Peace and mercy of Allah be upon you. Eid Mubarak (Blessed be the Eid to you).

We are overwhelmed by feelings of happiness, joy and pleasure that Allah has blessed us to have fasted the month of Ramadan which is the month of Qur'an and the month of virtue and charity. We thank Allah for enabling us to fast Ramadan and blessing us with this happy Eid. We ask of You Allah to make our lives committed to You and our tongues and hearts to thanking You.

Dear brothers and sisters,

Allah the Almighty blessed us with innumerable blessings. The greatest blessing is Islam to which Allah has guided us. A manifestation of Islam is Eid Al-Fitr which comes after the holy month of Ramadan so that Muslims express their happiness with having fasted Ramadan.

Dear brothers and sisters,

Let joy and happiness spread as permitted by Allah the Almighty. Let hope spread everywhere and wherever we are. Let us make the Eid a great occasion for reviving the spirit of kindness and mutual assistance between the old and young, the rich and poor. Muslims, your Eid is a day of mercy, love and blessing. It is our duty to surpass sadness and show sympathy to the needy. By doing so, we are reviving Islamic virtues in terms of sympathy and solidarity in our society that follows Sharia.

We thank You Allah for these blessed days. Oh Allah, forgive us and accept our deeds. We ask of You Allah that we experience Ramadan again and see our country, Arab and Islamic nations and the whole world living in peace, justice and prosperity.

Happy returns.

May peace and Allah's mercy and blessings be upon you.

Crown Prince Sultan received at his palace in Agadir Sheikh General Mohammed bin Zaid Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the United Arab Emirates, and Sheikh Fahd bin Saad Alabdullah Al-Sabah, Advisor at the Emiri Court of the State of Kuwait, who came to greet Crown Prince Sultan and congratulate him on blessed Eid Al-Fitr.

For his part, Crown Prince Sultan exchanged with them felicitations on the occasion, wishing them all the best. Then they had lunch with the Crown Prince.

The audience and the banquet were also attended by Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz, Governor of Riyadh Region; Prince Khalid bin Abdullah bin Abdulrahman; Prince Khalid bin Fahd bin Khalid; Prince Khalid bin Saad bin Fahd; Prince Fahd bin Abdullah bin Musaed; Prince Sattam bin Saud bin Abdulaziz; Prince Faisl bin Saud bin Mohammed; Prince Faisal bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, Secretary General of Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Charity Foundation; Prince Bandar bin Salman bin Abdulaziz; Dr. Musaed Al-Eiban, Minister of State and Member of the Cabinet, and senior protocol officials.

Sheikh General Mohammed bin Zaid had arrived in Agadir where he was received by Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz, Governor of Riyadh Region, other princes and a number of civil and military officials.

Meanwhile, Prince Khalid bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, Assistant Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General for Military Affairs, graced in Riyadh the congratulation party held by the Ministry of Defense on the occasion of Eid Alfitr.

In a speech on the occasion, Prince Khalid congratulated Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz on the national day and opening of King Abdullah University for Science and Technology and reassured people on the health of Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General.

On terrorism, Prince Khalid warned against extremism in the name of religion and called for moderation. He stressed the importance of discipline, training and readiness.