More than two million pilgrims and worshipers attended Friday prayers at the Grand Mosque and the Prophets Mosque on Friday amidst integrated services and arrangements prepared by the two mosques General Presidency to greet pilgrims. “God has ordained Hajj for his people and made it full of purposes and benefits of which the nation of Islam is indispensable for contemplating and exploring,” Sheikh Saud al-Shuraim, imam and preacher of the Grand Mosque of Makkah said in the Friday sermon. In Medina, Sheikh Salah al-Budair, the preacher of the Prophets Mosque, spoke about the Hajj and its greatness. “Hajj is not a place of rivalries, disputes and controversies, and it is not a place for rallies, demonstrations, marches, slogans, parties and fanaticism,” he explained, stressing that it is higher than being the scene of partisan and sectarian differences. On the other hand, Deputy Governor of Makkah Region, Deputy Chairman of the Central Hajj Commission Prince Abdullah bin Bandar inspected a number of bodies to make they were ready for the current Hajj season. Prince Abdullah’s tour included the Red Crescent headquarters, Hajj follow-up committee, Ashyab water tanker fill station, King Abdullah Project for Sakia Zamzam and he concluded his tour by inspecting the facilities of the Grand Mosque to make sure they were ready for pilgrims. He also reviewed the crowd management plans prepared for the first Friday of Dhul-Hijjah. In this context, convoys of the pilgrims left Medina after Friday prayers in the Prophets Mosque and other major mosques, heading to Makkah and the ritual sites to perform Hajj this year. The movement of pilgrims from Medina to Makkah is considered the largest as 95,759 pilgrims have headed to Makkah on 2,975 buses, representing 11.2 percent of Madinah’s total visitors in the first season. Thus, the total pilgrims heading to Makkah from Medina has amounted to 805,813 pilgrims since the beginning of the season. Since the beginning of this year’s Hajj season, Madinah city has received 851,956 pilgrims through air and land ports. Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport has received 671,997 pilgrims from 2,733 international flights, up to 78.8 percent of the total arrival. Land ports also received 179,959 pilgrims on board of 4,836 buses up by 21.2 percent of the total arrival while 46,068 pilgrims have remained in Medina. In Najran, however, 1,150 pilgrims from families of the martyrs in Yemen have arrived at Wadia border crossing following an invitation by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. Pilgrims have expressed their gratitude as they arrived in the Kingdom to perform the rituals.