Hajj: Over 2 Mln Pilgrims at Mount Arafat for Most Important Rite
Hajj: Over 2 Mln Pilgrims at Mount Arafat for Most Important Rite
Mount Arafat - More than two million pilgrims gathered at Mount Arafat on Saturday to perform the most important rite of the Hajj in an atmosphere of piety and meditation.
The pilgrims will perform the Dhuhur and Asr prayers, shortened and grouped together with a single call (adhan) but two iqama, in the Namira Mosque after listening to the Arafat Khutba (sermon), which will be translated into some twenty languages. At sunset, they will make their way to Muzdalifah, where they will perform the Al Maghrib and Isha prayers.
About 20 km from Mecca, Mount Arafat, also known as Jabal al-Rahma, is the most important stage of the pilgrimage.
On Sunday, the first day of Eid al-Adha in Saudi Arabia, pilgrims will begin at dawn to perform the ritual of stoning the stelae at the Mina site, by throwing the seven stones of “Jamrat al-Aqaba”.
Pilgrims will then shave and cut their hair, followed by the sacrifice of the “Hady” of Eid al-Adha. They then perform the “Tawaf al-Ifadha”, after which they return to Mina to spend the night for the remainder of the “Tashriq” days.
This year, the number of Moroccan pilgrims amounts to 34,000, of which 22,500 are supervised by the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs, while travel agencies supervise 11,500 pilgrims.
Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).