In the early hours of this morning, about one million pilgrims headed from the area of Mina, in which they spent their first day, “Al Tarwiyah” to Upper Arafat, praying to God to grant them pardon, forgiveness, mercy and freedom from Hell.
the greatest ritual
The pilgrims perform the greatest ritual day of Hajj by ascending Mount Arafat, after they flocked, yesterday morning, Thursday, to Mina, to spend the day of Tarwiyah in the largest gathering of pilgrims since the outbreak of the Corona pandemic in 2020.
This comes amid intense and continuous preparations for all government and service agencies in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to implement a plan to escalate the pilgrims to Al-Mashaar.
Mina is the first station of the Hajj rituals in the holy sites, and the pilgrims spent the day of Tarwiyah and the nights of the ninth, eleventh and twelfth of Dhu al-Hijjah for those who hurry, and the night of the thirteenth for those who were late.
The site of sacrifice and throwing stones
The site of Mina is located between Mecca and Muzdalifah, seven kilometers north-east of the Grand Mosque.
Mina is not inhabited except for the period of the Hajj, and it is bordered by Jamrah Al-Aqaba on the side of Mecca, and on the side of Muzdalifah and Wadi Muhassar.
It is also considered to have a historical and religious status, because the Prophet of God Ibrahim, peace be upon him, threw the Jamarat, and Ismail, peace be upon him, was slaughtered as a ransom.
In it, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) confirmed this act in his farewell pilgrimage, shaving his hair, and the Muslims followed his Sunnah, where they throw stones, slaughter their sheep, and shave their hair.
Prayers and supplications in Arafat
The place is famous for its historical landmarks, including the three pillars that are thrown, and the mosque of Al-Khayf, whose name was derived from what descended from the mountain’s thickness and rose from the watershed, located on the southern slope of Mount Mina, and close to the Lesser Jamrah.
Today, Friday, worshipers head to Mount Arafat, to spend the day in prayer and supplication under the sun, before moving to the site of stoning the Jamarat, and then to the Grand Mosque to perform the farewell circumambulation.
A large number of pilgrims settled in their places of residence in Mina, and the sides of the roads and the camps buzzed with the sounds of the takbeer, chanting “You, God, for you,” to cover Mina with white.
An atmosphere filled with tranquility and reverence prevailed in light of the availability of all services, amid preparations to stand at the level of Arafat tomorrow, on the ninth of Dhul-Hijjah.
Warning against politicizing rituals
In a related context, the Saudi Public Prosecutor, Saud Al-Mojeb, confirmed that Hajj is a religious duty and it is prohibited to raise sectarian and partisan slogans.
This came in a speech he delivered on the occasion of the inauguration of the Hajj Works Prosecution, which is followed by 20 specialized public prosecutions that carry out their penal duties.
The Saudi official stressed that “pilgrimage is a religious obligation for Muslims in general, and it is forbidden to raise sectarian slogans and political parties.”
The Saudi authorities allowed one million Muslims who received anti-vaccines, including 850,000 who came from abroad, to perform the Hajj this year, after two years of reducing the numbers due to the epidemic.
The number of pilgrims this year is much higher than the previous two seasons in 2020 and 2021.
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