Pilgrims converged on Mount Arafat in Saudi Arabia for the climax of this year’s hajj. (File)
Mount Arafat:
Muslim pilgrims converged on Saudi Arabia’s Mount Arafat on Thursday for the climax of this year’s hajj, the smallest in modern times and a stark contrast to the massive crowds of previous years.
A tight security cordon has been erected all around the foot of the rocky hill outside of Mecca, also known as Jabal al-Rahma or Mount of Mercy.
Pilgrims, wearing masks and observing social distancing, were brought on buses from nearby Mina, state TV showed, as Saudi authorities impose measures to prevent a coronavirus outbreak.
They were subjected to temperature checks and attended a sermon – which state media said had been translated into 10 languages - before embarking on the summit climb for hours of Quran recitals and prayers to atone for their sins.
The scene was remarkably different from last year’s ritual when a sea of pilgrims ascended to Mount Arafat, gathered by tens of thousands of stewards in an effort to avoid any crush.
After the sunset prayer, the pilgrims will descend Mount Arafat to Muzdalifah, another holy place where they will sleep under the stars to prepare for the last stage of the hajj, the symbolic “stoning of the devil”.
It takes place on Friday and also marks the start of Eid al-Adha, the feast of sacrifice.
The hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam and a staple for able-bodied Muslims at least once in their lifetime, is usually one of the largest religious gatherings in the world.
But only up to 10,000 people already residing in the kingdom will participate in this year’s ritual, compared to 2.5 million people from around the world gathered in 2019.
“You are not our hosts but those of God, the guardian of the two holy mosques (King Salman of Saudi Arabia) and of the nation,” Hajj Minister Mohammad Benten said in a video released by the ministry on Wednesday. medias.
Safety cord
A security cordon has been thrown around the holy sites to prevent any breach of security, a spokesperson for the Interior Ministry said.
Riyadh came under heavy criticism in 2015, when some 2,300 worshipers were killed in the deadliest stampede in the rally’s history.
But this year those risks are greatly reduced by a much smaller crowd.
The pilgrims have all been tested for the virus and foreign journalists have been excluded from this year’s hajj, usually a huge global media event.
As part of the rites performed over five days in the holy city of Mecca and its surroundings, pilgrims converged on Mount Arafat after spending the night in Mina.
A district of Mecca, Mina is located in a narrow valley surrounded by rocky mountains, and every year turns into a large camp for pilgrims.
They started the hajj on Wednesday with their first “tawaf”, the circumambulation of the Kaaba, a large structure of the Great Mosque of Mecca that Muslims around the world pray to.
The Kaaba is draped in black cloth embroidered with gold with Quranic verses and known as the kiswa, which changes every year during the pilgrimage.
Pilgrims were brought inside the mosque in small batches, walking along marked footpaths on the ground, in stark contrast to the normal sea of humanity that swirls around the Kaaba during the hajj.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
