Islamabad: Imam of Masjid al-Haram (Islam's most sacred mosque in Mecca) Sheikh Khalid al-Ghamdi who arrived on a weeklong visit to Pakistan on Thursday, led Friday prayers at the Jamia Masjid Bahria Town.
During his sermon, he hailed the Pakistani people saying the people of Saudi Arabia had great love for Pakistan and the Pakistani people, and they were proud of Pakistan and their Pakistani brethren.
Al-Ghamdi urged the people of Saudi Arabia and Iran to unite over the Holy Quran and Sunnah. He said Daesh (IS, ISIS, ISIL), Taliban have no link with Islam.
Speaking exclusively to a private news channel, the Imam urged Saudi Arabia and Iran to shun their differences.
The Imam said that enemies want to hurt Muslims by creating divisions within their ranks, and that the unity of the Muslim Ummah is the need of the hour.
"As the Imam of holy mosque, I call upon all Muslims, whether it is our Saudi or Iranian brothers, to unite over the Holy Quran and Sunnah. Today, our enemy does not want to see us united. They want to see us divided like this," he said. "A Muslim is the flag-bearer of Quran and Sunnah. It is critical that we unite while shunning sectarian differences," he said.
Speaking about Taliban and the self-proclaimed Islamic State or Daesh militant groups, the Imam said that those who misinterpret the Quran and apply Quranic verses about infidels on other Muslims are “Khwarij”.
He said that Pakistani people and Parliament are on the same page regarding defending the Harmain Sharifain (two holy mosques of Mecca and Medina), but they are not on the same page regarding Yemen issue. He said that during his trip he had a chance to meet people and the way they are ready to tender any sacrifice for defending the Harmain Sharifain, is unprecedented.
Sheikh Khalid al-Ghamdi also mentioned Saudi invasion of Yemen claiming that the Saudi government had initiated action against Yemen’s “rebels” not civilians.
On April 10, the Pakistani parliament passed a resolution that urged Islamabad to remain neutral in relation to the conflict in Yemen, dismissing Saudi Arabia’s request to join deadly air raids against the Arabian Peninsula state. The resolution, which was ratified unanimously, also called on all warring factions in Yemen to put an end to deadly clashes and resolve the conflict through dialogue.
Saudi Arabia’s military aggression against Yemen started on March 26, without a UN mandate, in a bid to restore power to the fugitive former president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a close ally of Riyadh.
Hundreds of civilians, including women and children, have been killed and thousands more wounded in the Saudi airborne attacks.