Day: April 22, 2023

The Sultanate of Oman today celebrated the first day of Eid Al Fitr. His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik offered Eid Al Fitr prayers at Al Khor Mosque in the Governorate of Muscat this morning.

Alongside His Majesty the Sultan, the prayers were performed by members of the Royal family, ministers, the chairmen of the State Council and Shura Council, Commanders of the Sultan’s Armed Forces (SAF) and other military and security units, heads of the diplomatic missions of Islamic countries accredited to the Sultanate of Oman, members of the State Council and Shura Council from Muscat Governorate, undersecretaries, advisers and officials.

The prayers were led by Dr. Mohammad bin Said Al Ma’amari, Minister of Endowments and Religious Affairs, who delivered the Eid sermon. He started the sermon with expressions of glorification of Allah for His bounties. He wished that peace be upon the Messenger of the Almighty Allah.

The Eid sermon venerated the huge volumes of goodness experienced in the seasons of obedience and worship. It underscored the ease and moderation of the Islamic religion due to its moderation that brings about balance among the believers and guides their conduct.

The Eid sermon reads as follows:

“Allahu-Akbar…Allahu-Akbar (God is Great), He who has sent down bounties and blessings. There is no God but Allah. . Praise be to the Almighty Allah whose names and attributes have to be glorified. I bear witness that there is no God but Allah. I bear witness that Mohammed is His servant and Messenger—May Allah’s prayers and peace be upon Prophet Mohammed, his family and all those who followed their footsteps!

O believers, hearts are beautified by the volumes of goodness that they receive, and this qualifies them to accommodate the volumes of celestial rewards. When the minds wander between different conditions, they find in life a pleasure that calls for good deeds. It is indeed a generosity from Allah, the Benefactor, that He facilitated the fasting of Ramadan for us. Here we are—thanks to His everlasting grace—celebrate the happy Eid Al Fitr and rejoice. It is only a short period in the run-up to Hajj (pilgrimate) season—yet another blessed time when obedience endures. Along with that, observing human beings remain in close contact with their God and venerate His bounties, rewards and blessings.

If we contemplate the verses calling for fasting, we would read the Almighty Allah’s words (in the Holy Qur’an) asserting that //Allah desires ease for you and does not desire hardship for you//, exactly in affirmation that religion is a practice of ease and mercy…that religion is an exercise of happiness, relaxation, moderation and facilitation. With this awareness in mind, the soul of the faithful maintains balance and so he/she does not go astray or become miserable or desperate or become extreme, but he/she aspires for and observes piety and devotion.

Allahu-Akbar…Allahu-Akbar (God is Great). There is no God but Allah, and Allah is great.

O Muslims, we are not alone in this world, but we exist and interact with many nations and peoples, with whom we share differences and interests. Wisdom requires remaining fast with the principle of ‘Ihsan’, which is kindness and beneficence…that we should coexist with other nations in a spirit of dignity and peace, rather than fear. We have to share our morals and civilization with them. We should not scare them, and this is the very essence of the Holy Qur’an.

This interaction with the wide world has two dimensions and two requirements: A dimension focusing on the identity of good action, justice and ethics, and a dimension through which prove our human affiliation and contribution to knowledge, acquaintances and recognition of the Other.

Allahu-Akbar…Allahu-Akbar (God is Great). There is no God but Allah, and Allah is great.

The Almighty Allah has enabled our country, Oman, to prosper in abundance of good fortunes, including the blessings of safety, stability, development and prosperity. Oman won the honor of Prophet Mohammed’s praise and commendation, who had sent a message to Omanis conveying these good news of peace. His wishes, prayers and commendation continued to take shape, thanks be to God for the Almighty Allah’s grace and great benevolence.

Despite these favours, blessings and gratitude in mind, Omanis did not remain captivated by the attractiveness of the past, but rather they set out from that point to build the present, anticipate the future and transform wishes into reality and practices. They have utilized those utterances as ingredients for growth, prosperity and comprehensive development. The realized outcome is a stable economy, a cohesive nation, a benign land, strong relations, empowerment of youth and a recognition for the status of women. Praise be to All the Almighty, who promised further rewards for those who remain thankful and observant.

Allahu-Akbar…Allahu-Akbar (God is Great). There is no God but Allah, and Allah is great. We pray to You, Almighty Allah, to endow us with the bounties of the earth and bless us with blessings of heavens. We pray to You to bless our crops and all our livelihoods. We pray to You to protect our homelands. We pray to You to protect our Sultan and support him with the truth and support the truth by him. We pray to You to support him with the conquests of goodness and to keep this country under Your divine care and spare it all harm.

Our Lord, grant us what is good in this world and what is good in the Hereafter. Save us from the torment of Hell and forgive all those who believe in You, both the living and the dead. {Indeed, God enjoins justice, kindness and providing for one’s relatives. He forbids indecency, wrongdoing and transgression. He admonishes you all so that you may remember}.”

After the prayers, His Majesty the Sultan and other worshipers headed to Al Alam Palace as the artillery fired 21-gun salute to His Majesty the Sultan.

Upon his arrival at the Al Alam Palace Square, His Majesty the Sultan ascended the dais, the Omani Royal Anthem was played.

Then, at Al Alam Palace, His Majesty the Sultan received the well-wishers who came forward to greet him on the occasion of the blessed Eid Al Fitr. His Majesty the Sultan welcomed heartfelt wishes on this blissful occasion from Royal family members and senior officials. His Majesty reciprocated their gesture, wishing them a happy Eid and thanking them for their greetings and sincere prayers.

His Majesty the Sultan prayed to Allah the Almighty for many happy returns of this auspicious occasion and similar ones at a time the Sultanate of Oman and its loyal people are enjoying abundant welfare and blessings. He also wished the Arab and Islamic nations prosperity and progress.

Source: Oman News Agency

Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced the start of the arrangement for the evacuation of Saudi citizens and several nationals of brotherly and friendly countries from the Republic of Sudan to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The move is in line with the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to oversee the care and well-being of the citizens of the Kingdom in the Republic of Sudan, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

Source: Bahrain News Agency

The world could breach a new average temperature record in 2023 or 2024, fuelled by climate change and the anticipated return of the El Nino weather phenomenon, climate scientists say.

Climate models suggest that after three years of the La Nina weather pattern in the Pacific Ocean, which generally lowers global temperatures slightly, the world will experience a return to El Nino, the warmer counterpart, later this year.

During El Nino, winds blowing west along the equator slow down, and warm water is pushed east, creating warmer surface ocean temperatures.

“El Nino is normally associated with record breaking temperatures at the global level. Whether this will happen in 2023 or 2024 is not yet known, but it is, I think, more likely than not,” said Carlo Buontempo, director of the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.

Climate models suggest a return to El Nino conditions in the late boreal summer, and the possibility of a strong El Nino developing towards the end of the year, Buontempo said.

The world’s hottest year on record so far was 2016, coinciding with a strong El Nino – although climate change has fuelled extreme temperatures even in years without the phenomenon.

The last eight years were the world’s eight hottest on record – reflecting the longer-term warming trend driven by greenhouse gas emissions.

Friederike Otto, senior lecturer at Imperial College London’s Grantham Institute, said El Nino-fuelled temperatures could worsen the climate change impacts countries are already experiencing – including severe heatwaves, drought and wildfires.

“If El Niño does develop, there is a good chance 2023 will be even hotter than 2016 – considering the world has continued to warm as humans continue to burn fossil fuels,” Otto said.

EU Copernicus scientists published a report on Thursday assessing the climate extremes the world experienced last year, its fifth-warmest year on record.

Europe experienced its hottest summer on record in 2022, while climate change-fuelled extreme rain caused disastrous flooding in Pakistan, and in February, Antarctic sea ice levels hit a record low.

The world’s average global temperature is now 1.2C higher than in pre-industrial times, Copernicus said.

Despite most of the world’s major emitters pledging to eventually slash their net emissions to zero, global CO2 emissions last year continued to rise.

Source: Bahrain News Agency

Sébastien Loeb will be aiming to build on a brilliant winning record in Mexico as he looks to protect the lead held by Bahrain Raid Xtreme in the World Rally Raid Championship this week.

Loeb, partnered by Fabian Lurquin in the BRX Prodrive Hunter, holds a 16-point advantage over arch rival Nasser Al Attiyah heading into the Sonora Rally, which gets under way with a Prologue in Hermosillo tomorrow (Sunday).

The Frenchman has won nine of the 19 stages run so far in the first two rounds of the WRRC series, the Dakar Rally and the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, and is relishing his return to action in Mexico where he previously won six times on his way to nine World Rally Championship titles.

“Of course, I have very good memories from Rally Mexico in the WRC as I always enjoyed that rally, so hopefully it’ll be the same with this WRRC round too,” said Loeb.

“It’s always a new adventure whenever there’s a new event for anyone, and Sonora certainly has that feel to it. We’re leading the championship so the goal will be to finish the rally still in front in the standings – that’s the target.

“It’s been quite a few weeks that Fabian and I have been out of the car, so we’ll be happy to get back behind the steering wheel and have some fun on the stages.”

With the prologue and five stages adding up to more than 1200 kilometres, Bahrain Raid Xtreme are prepared for another tense examination, with 55pts at stake in temperatures approaching 40C, and warmer inside the Prodrive Hunter.

The team has planned ahead and made updates to cool down the four crews competing under the BRX umbrella in Mexico.

Guerlain Chicherit and Alex Winocq are back in action in the Prodrive Hunter which they took to two stage wins on the Dakar earlier this year. The French duo expect to be fighting again for stage wins, as they did in giving the Hunter an historic first victory in last year’s Rallye du Maroc.

Standing out in their resplendent yellow will be a further two new Prodrive Hunters for the Brazilian based X Rally crews of Cristian Baumgart and Alberto Andreotti, and Marcos Baumgart with Kleber Cincea.

Source: Bahrain News Agency