Wednesday poured into the vast Saudi plain where Prophet
Muhammad had given his final sermon, for the peak of the
Haj pilgrimage.
Many of the faithful from around the globe camped at the
foot of Mount Arafat where they slept, exhausted from their
journey, and prayed despite the scorching sun.
Carrying colorful umbrellas, they walked from dawn in
massive crowds toward the slippery, rocky hill which is also
known as Mount Mercy.
It was here that the Prophet gave his final sermon 14
centuries ago after leading his followers on Haj.
To organize the flow of pilgrims, security forces formed
human chains along the roads of the vast Arafat plain.
Along the way, volunteers handed out boxes of food and
cold water bottles.
For many pilgrims, Haj is the spiritual highlight of their lives.
“We feel blessed. I got goosebumps, a feeling that cannot
be explained, when reaching the top of the mountain,” said
Ruhaima Emma, a 26-year-old Filipino pilgrim, who said she
has been “praying for a good life for everyone.”
For Akram Ghannam, 45, from war-torn Syria, being in
Arafat is a “feeling that cannot be described. I pray to God
for the victory of all those who are oppressed.”
Many reached Arafat by bus while some walked from the
holy city of Makkah about 15 kilometers (nine miles) away.
Other pilgrims arrived from nearby Mina using the elevated
Mashair Railway linking the holy sites of Arafat, Muzdalifah
and Mina, a tent city where many pilgrims spent Tuesday
night.
After sunset on Wednesday they will move to Muzdalifah.
There they will gather pebbles for a symbolic stoning of the
devil ritual on Thursday, which is also the Eid Al-Adha feast
of sacrifice marked by the world’s more than 1.5 billion
Muslims.
Undeterred by crane accident:
This year’s gathering is about the same size as last year’s,
with 1.4 million foreign pilgrims joining hundreds of
thousands of Saudis and residents of the kingdom.
They are undeterred by a construction crane collapse at the
Grand Mosque earlier this month that killed 111 people,
including foreign pilgrims.
About 400 people were injured by the crane which was
working on an expansion of Islam’s holiest site.
Previously marred by stampedes and fires that killed
hundreds, the pilgrimage had been largely incident-free for
the past nine years after safety improvements.
The Haj is among the five pillars of Islam and every capable
Muslim must perform it at least once in a lifetime.
This year’s gathering takes place against a backdrop of
increased extremist violence in some Muslim countries, a
surge of the potentially deadly MERS virus and the war in
Yemen.
About 100,000 police have been deployed to secure
pilgrimage sites and manage the crowds.
Authorities say they are on alert for possible attacks by
extremists, after Daesh terrorists bombed security forces
and Shiite mosques in the kingdom in recent months.
Among other challenges facing Saudi authorities is potential
transmission of the deadly Middle East Respiratory
Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV).
Riyadh saw a jump in infections last month, but health
officials say there has never been a case of MERS infection
among pilgrims.
The health ministry has mobilized thousands of medical
workers to help ensure a virus-free pilgrimage and to care
for routine ailments.
Pilgrims began the Haj on Tuesday by entering ihram, a
state of purity in which they must not quarrel, wear
perfume, or cut their nails or hair.
During ihram, men wear a seamless two-piece shroud-like
white garment, while women must wear loose dresses,
generally also white, exposing only their faces and hands.
The clothing emphasizes their unity, regardless of whether
they spend the Haj in Makkah’s five-star hotels or in shabby
highrise hostels.
“I’m hoping for mercy and that Allah accepts our prayers,”
said Pakistani pilgrim Abdeghafour Abu Bakr, 38, who came
with friends.
Arabnews
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