MOUNT ARAFAT: The annual hajj pilgrimage started in earnest
Wednesday, with more than two million Muslims thronging roads
on foot and by bus for a five-day journey of faith most have
spent their entire lives waiting for.
The pilgrims, among them more than 1.75 million people who
have travelled from across the world to be in Saudi Arabia for
the rituals, left the holy city of Mecca at dawn and headed for
the sites of Mina, Muzdalifah and Arafat.
In the arid valley of Mina, a pit-stop en route to Mount Arafat,
pilgrims will spend Wednesday night in government provided
tents and buildings, passing the time in prayer and reflection.
The passage to Mina marks the official launch of the hajj on the
eighth day of the Muslim calendar month of Dhul Hijja.
The day is known as Tarwiah (Watering) as pilgrims in the past
stopped at Mina to feed their animals and stock up for the
following day’s trip to Mount Arafat.
But many pilgrims also headed directly to Arafat by late
Wednesday.
Unauthorised domestic pilgrims were seen being dropped by cars
and infiltrating tight security checkpoints on the roads leading to
the Arafat plain.
Men dressed in the white shrouds symbolising resurrection
chanted in unison as they marched to Mina: “I am responding to
your call, God.”The women, dressed from head to foot revealing
only their faces and hands, echoed the religious chant.
Sweaty and exasperated, 55-year-old Indonesian pilgrim Laila
Soharti said she was “trying to get to Mina before the roads start
getting too crowded.”
”We are thrilled to be heading towards God’s most sacred spots
on earth,” she told AFP.
In Mina, the desolate plain that only comes to life during the five
days of hajj, men and women separate for the night, sharing
tents with fellow pilgrims of the same sex.
For Akram Hussein, a 42-year-old Iraqi on his first pilgrimage with
his family described the hajj as “great days in which we must
follow in the footsteps of our Prophet Mohammed.”
‘God has chosen us’
Syrian pilgrim Mohammed Noor meanwhile said he was
“extremely glad God has chosen us from among so many people
to perform hajj this year and we hope he will also aid us in
observing the rites correctly.”
”If he chooses that we die here we will be very happy as well
since it means we’ll go to heaven,” he told AFP soon after
arriving in Mina.
The pilgrims’ stay in Mecca has so far been incident-free, with
some 25,700 members of civil defence deployed throughout the
kingdom’s holy cities.
In Mina, 100 civil defence teams are on call, ready to deal with
emergencies.
Interior ministry spokesman Mansur al-Turki said about 85 percent
of the pilgrims will head to Mina while the rest will head straight
to Mount Arafat.
The pilgrims will mostly walk or catch a bus for the journey,
though about a quarter of the faithful will travel on the Mashair
Railway.
More than 18,500 buses will also be used to carry pilgrims, while
vehicles carrying less than 25 people will not be allowed access
into the three holy sites.
On Wednesday, pilgrims were seen scrambling for a seat on the
buses, with some deciding to risk riding on roofs to ensure they
don’t get left behind.
Thursday, Arafat Day, is the climax of the hajj, when pilgrims
ascend Mount Arafat, some 10 kilometres (six miles) southeast of
Mina, to spend the day in prayer.
The hilltop and the surrounding plain is where the Prophet
Mohammed (PBUH) is believed to have delivered his final hajj
sermon before his death.
After sunset, the pilgrims head to Muzdalifah, between Mina and
Arafat, where they collect stones to throw at the devil, one of the
last rituals which takes place Friday and marks the first day of Eid
al-Adha, the feast of sacrifice.
The symbolic “stoning of the devil” is followed by the ritual
sacrifice of an animal, usually a lamb.
During the remaining three days of the hajj, the pilgrims continue
the stoning ritual before performing the circumambulation of the
Kaaba shrine in Mecca and heading home.
The hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam that every capable
Muslim must perform at least once.
Despite being marred by deadly incidents in the past, including
floods, stampedes and fires, the hajj has passed nearly incident-
free in recent years, thanks to multi-billion-dollar projects being
implemented every year.
This year alone, the kingdom spent more than 1.1 billion riyals ($
293.3 million) on development projects in Mina, Arafat, and
Muzdalifah, all outside Mecca. —