(WASHINGTON, DC) — On Sunday, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz congratulated the people of Saudi Arabia and all Muslims around the world to mark the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan, which begins today.

In their joint statement, King Abdullah and Crown Prince Sultan expressed the true values of Islam, which urge all Muslims to coexist peacefully through unity and tolerance and to give to those in need.

“We ask Allah [God] Almighty to make the advent of this month an opportunity for the Muslim nation to draw great lessons from this holy month; to seek rejection of schism and disunity; and to embody fraternity where the able would stand by the weak, the wealthy would support the needy and the oppressed will forgive the oppressor. As a result, they will build a tolerant society where people coexist peacefully, preserve the rights and respect the limits,” stated the leaders in their joint address.

Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, is the month in which the first verses of the Qur’an were revealed as a guide to mankind. Ramadan is commemorated with fasting, prayer, and acts of blessing, mercy and forgiveness. Saudi Arabia occupies a special place in the Islamic world, for it is towards Makkah and Islam's most sacred shrine, the Ka'abah, that Muslims throughout the world turn devoutly in prayer five times a day. 

For more information on Saudi Arabia, please visit www.saudiembassy.net or follow the Embassy on Twitter @SaudiEmbassyUSA.