Muslim pilgrims pray on Mount Arafat in haj climax
Published: 05:06 PM,Jun 15,2024 | EDITED : 09:06 PM,Jun 15,2024
Muslim pilgrims pray at dawn on Mount Arafat, also known as Jabal al-Rahma or Mount of Mercy, during the climax of the Haj pilgrimage. — AFP
MOUNT ARAFAT: More than 1.5 million Muslims braved extreme heat to reach Mount Arafat on Saturday for the high point of the annual haj pilgrimage, praying for hours.
Clad in white, worshippers began arriving at dawn for the most gruelling day of the annual rites, ascending the rocky, 70-metre hill where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have given his last sermon.
'This is the most important day,' said 46-year-old Egyptian Mohammed Asser, who came prepared with a list of prayers. 'I pray also for the Palestinians. May God help them.'
The haj, one of the world's biggest religious gatherings, is increasingly affected by climate change, according to a Saudi study published last month that said regional temperatures were rising 0.4 degrees Celsius each decade. The rituals, which take at least five days to complete and are mostly outdoors, are 'not easy because it is very hot', said Abraman Hawa, 26, from Ghana.
'We have sun... but it is not as hot. But I will pray to Allah at Arafat, because I need his support,' she added.
The temperature was expected to hit 43 degrees Celsius on Saturday, creating challenges for pilgrims who arrived at Mount Arafat after spending the night in a giant tented city in Mina, a valley outside Mecca, Islam's holiest city.
Saudi authorities have urged pilgrims to drink plenty of water and protect themselves from the sun. Since men are prohibited from wearing hats, many carry umbrellas.
Mustafa, an Algerian pilgrim who gave only his first name, clung to his umbrella which was handed out by haj organisers, saying, 'it's what saves you here'.
Another man, an Egyptian who preferred to remain anonymous, said he was drinking 'a lot of juice and water' and had twice stopped to rest on the roadside.
More than 10,000 heat-related illnesses were recorded last year, 10 percent of them heat stroke, a Saudi official told AFP this week.
Ahmad Karim Abdelsalam, a 33-year-old pilgrim from India, admitted that he found the prospect of passing hours on Mount Arafat 'a little scary'.
But with the help of an umbrella and water sprays, 'God willing, everything will go well', he said.
The haj is one of the five pillars of Islam and all Muslims with the means must perform it at least once.
'It's a chance that only comes once in a lifetime, I couldn't not come,' said Abdulrahman Siyam, a 55-year-old Iraqi pilgrim who was performing the rituals on a prosthetic leg.
After Mount Arafat, the pilgrims will head to Muzdalifah, where they will collect pebbles to carry out the symbolic 'stoning of the devil' ritual in Mina on Sunday.
The haj is said to follow the path of the Prophet Mohammed's final pilgrimage, about 1,400 years ago.
It is an important source of legitimacy in Saudi, which monarch has the title 'Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques', in Mecca and Medina.
The kingdom received more than 1.8 million pilgrims last year for the haj, around 90 percent of whom came from abroad.
It also welcomed 13.5 million Muslims who came to perform umrah, the pilgrimage which can be done year-round, and aims to reach 30 million pilgrims in total by 2030. — AFP
Clad in white, worshippers began arriving at dawn for the most gruelling day of the annual rites, ascending the rocky, 70-metre hill where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have given his last sermon.
'This is the most important day,' said 46-year-old Egyptian Mohammed Asser, who came prepared with a list of prayers. 'I pray also for the Palestinians. May God help them.'
The haj, one of the world's biggest religious gatherings, is increasingly affected by climate change, according to a Saudi study published last month that said regional temperatures were rising 0.4 degrees Celsius each decade. The rituals, which take at least five days to complete and are mostly outdoors, are 'not easy because it is very hot', said Abraman Hawa, 26, from Ghana.
'We have sun... but it is not as hot. But I will pray to Allah at Arafat, because I need his support,' she added.
The temperature was expected to hit 43 degrees Celsius on Saturday, creating challenges for pilgrims who arrived at Mount Arafat after spending the night in a giant tented city in Mina, a valley outside Mecca, Islam's holiest city.
Saudi authorities have urged pilgrims to drink plenty of water and protect themselves from the sun. Since men are prohibited from wearing hats, many carry umbrellas.
Mustafa, an Algerian pilgrim who gave only his first name, clung to his umbrella which was handed out by haj organisers, saying, 'it's what saves you here'.
Another man, an Egyptian who preferred to remain anonymous, said he was drinking 'a lot of juice and water' and had twice stopped to rest on the roadside.
More than 10,000 heat-related illnesses were recorded last year, 10 percent of them heat stroke, a Saudi official told AFP this week.
Ahmad Karim Abdelsalam, a 33-year-old pilgrim from India, admitted that he found the prospect of passing hours on Mount Arafat 'a little scary'.
But with the help of an umbrella and water sprays, 'God willing, everything will go well', he said.
The haj is one of the five pillars of Islam and all Muslims with the means must perform it at least once.
'It's a chance that only comes once in a lifetime, I couldn't not come,' said Abdulrahman Siyam, a 55-year-old Iraqi pilgrim who was performing the rituals on a prosthetic leg.
After Mount Arafat, the pilgrims will head to Muzdalifah, where they will collect pebbles to carry out the symbolic 'stoning of the devil' ritual in Mina on Sunday.
The haj is said to follow the path of the Prophet Mohammed's final pilgrimage, about 1,400 years ago.
It is an important source of legitimacy in Saudi, which monarch has the title 'Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques', in Mecca and Medina.
The kingdom received more than 1.8 million pilgrims last year for the haj, around 90 percent of whom came from abroad.
It also welcomed 13.5 million Muslims who came to perform umrah, the pilgrimage which can be done year-round, and aims to reach 30 million pilgrims in total by 2030. — AFP