Huge crowds swarm from Mekkah for Hajj climax at Arafah

Mina, Saudi Arabia (AFP):

Hundreds of thousands of Muslim pilgrims walked or rode buses Monday to Minaa — a tented city for pilgrims near Mekkah for the climax of the annual Hajj.

After performing the ritual ‘Tawaf’ (circumambulation) of the Kaaba, the giant black cube at Mecca’s Grand Mosque that Muslims pray towards each day, worshippers set off for Mina, about seven kilometres away. Pilgrims led by faith from all over the world trudged on braving the intense, searing heat.

Pilgrims dressed in ‘Ihram’ (uniform dress signifying simplicity, modesty and unity), many carrying umbrellas against the beating sun, undertook the journey on foot or crowded onto hundreds of air-conditioned buses provided by Saudi authorities. Mina every year hosts the world’s largest religious gathering.

The climax of the Hajj will take place on Tuesday: the Wuquf e Arafat — intense prayers at Mount Arafat, where the Prophet Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Him) is said to have delivered his Final Sermon. This last address to his followers has a special significance for Muslims, as it is considered to be a comprehensive treatise on the rights and duties of human beings towards God and fellow beings. It addressed the rights of women and the universal equality of all human beings among other themes.

“It is an experience that is worth it,” said Salim Ibrahim, a 39-year-old Nigerian, when asked about temperatures that have touched 46 degrees Celsius.

“Even if the heat gets stronger, I will repeat the hajj again,” he added.

Saudi officials say this year’s hajj — a supreme communal worship and demonstration of unity and solidarity — could be the biggest in history. After 2.5 million attended in 2019, numbers were capped in 2020, 2021 and 2022 because of the Covid pandemic.

As part of the safety measures, helicopters and AI-equipped drones were deployed to monitor the flow of traffic towards Mina, which sits in a narrow valley flanked by rocky mountains.

A small fleet of self-driving buses, seating up to 11 people, was in operation between the sites of the rituals, including Mecca, Mina and Muzdalifah.

‘Exhausted’ 

One of the biggest risks this year at the Hajj, which follows the lunar calendar, is heat, especially after maximum age restrictions were removed.

Habbia Abdel Nasser, a Moroccan woman who was performing the rituals with her husband, needed urgent medical treatment near the Grand Mosque because of the heat.

“The weather is very hot here compared to Morocco, and we feel exhausted,” said her husband, 62-year-old businessman Rahim Abdel Nasser, as he poured water on her head to cool her down.

The health ministry has recommended pilgrims use umbrellas during the day and has told the sick and elderly to stay indoors around midday to “avoid sunstroke”.

Four hospitals and 26 clinics were ready to deal with ailing pilgrims in Mina, and more than 190 ambulances were deployed, officials said.

On Tuesday, 9th of Dhul Hijjah, the pilgrims will make intense prayer and recite the Quran for several hours at Mount Arafat and spend the night nearby. The following day, they will gather pebbles and hurl them at three giant concrete walls for the symbolic “stoning of the devil” ritual that stands for a rejection of evil temptations, desires and influences.

The last stop is back in Mecca, where they will perform a final Tawaf or circumambulation of the Kaaba, which according to Muslim tradition was built by Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and his son, Isma’il (peace be upon him).

Many are overcome by the experience as they fulfil a lifelong dream at the sites where Islam began.

“I still can’t believe I’m performing the hajj pilgrimage,” Syrian merchant Mohammad Hajouj, 59, shared as he fought back tears.