Agencies :
Seeking forgiveness from Allah, millions of Muslim pilgrims ascended Wednesday, September 23, Mount ‘Arafat, east of the holy city of Makkah, in the climax of hajj after spending a night of meditation and introspection in the tent city of Mina.
“We feel blessed. I got goosebumps, a feeling that cannot be explained, when reaching the top of
the mountain,” Ruhaima Emma, a 26-year-old Filipina pilgrim, who said she has been “praying for a good life for everyone,” told Agence France Presse (AFP).
Pilgrims flocked to ‘Arafat, also known as “Mount of Mercy”, from early morning, after spending a night of meditation and introspection in the tent city of Mina which marked the first leg of their five-day spiritual journey.
Chanting “Labbaik Allahumma Labbaik (Here I am answering Your call, O God),” the pilgrims took their way to ‘Arafat, where Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) delivered his last sermon 14 centuries ago.
Following the lead of the Prophet Sunnah, the pilgrims performed noon and afternoon prayer “Dhuhr and Asr” combined and shortened at the Namera Mosque.
For Akram Ghannam, 45, from war-torn Syria, being in Arafat is a “feeling that cannot be described. I pray to God for the victory of all those who are oppressed.” Pilgrims spend the day on the plains of ‘Arafat in the most essential pillar of hajj.
For the rest of the day, the pilgrims supplicate to God to forgive their sins and grant them mercy, and pray for fellow Muslims, and for unity and peace around the world.
Pilgrims then will descend by train back to Muzdalifah, halfway between Arafat and Mina, where they will take part in the symbolic stoning of the devil at Jamrat Al-Aqaba and spend the night.
At Mount Arafat, millions of Muslims prayed for Allah’s forgiveness and mercy.
This year’s gathering is about the same size as last year’s, with 1.4 million foreign pilgrims joining hundreds of thousands of Saudis and residents of the kingdom.
They are undeterred by a construction crane collapse at Makkah’s Grand Mosque earlier this month that killed 109 people, including foreign pilgrims.
About 400 people were injured by the crane which was working on an expansion of Islam’s holiest site.
Previously marred by stampedes and fires that killed hundreds, the pilgrimage had been largely incident-free for the past nine years after safety improvements.
On Saturday, all pilgrims head back to Mina, where they sacrifice animals to mark the beginning of the ‘Eid Al-Adha.
Seeking forgiveness from Allah, millions of Muslim pilgrims ascended Wednesday, September 23, Mount ‘Arafat, east of the holy city of Makkah, in the climax of hajj after spending a night of meditation and introspection in the tent city of Mina.
“We feel blessed. I got goosebumps, a feeling that cannot be explained, when reaching the top of
the mountain,” Ruhaima Emma, a 26-year-old Filipina pilgrim, who said she has been “praying for a good life for everyone,” told Agence France Presse (AFP).
Pilgrims flocked to ‘Arafat, also known as “Mount of Mercy”, from early morning, after spending a night of meditation and introspection in the tent city of Mina which marked the first leg of their five-day spiritual journey.
Chanting “Labbaik Allahumma Labbaik (Here I am answering Your call, O God),” the pilgrims took their way to ‘Arafat, where Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) delivered his last sermon 14 centuries ago.
Following the lead of the Prophet Sunnah, the pilgrims performed noon and afternoon prayer “Dhuhr and Asr” combined and shortened at the Namera Mosque.
For Akram Ghannam, 45, from war-torn Syria, being in Arafat is a “feeling that cannot be described. I pray to God for the victory of all those who are oppressed.” Pilgrims spend the day on the plains of ‘Arafat in the most essential pillar of hajj.
For the rest of the day, the pilgrims supplicate to God to forgive their sins and grant them mercy, and pray for fellow Muslims, and for unity and peace around the world.
Pilgrims then will descend by train back to Muzdalifah, halfway between Arafat and Mina, where they will take part in the symbolic stoning of the devil at Jamrat Al-Aqaba and spend the night.
At Mount Arafat, millions of Muslims prayed for Allah’s forgiveness and mercy.
This year’s gathering is about the same size as last year’s, with 1.4 million foreign pilgrims joining hundreds of thousands of Saudis and residents of the kingdom.
They are undeterred by a construction crane collapse at Makkah’s Grand Mosque earlier this month that killed 109 people, including foreign pilgrims.
About 400 people were injured by the crane which was working on an expansion of Islam’s holiest site.
Previously marred by stampedes and fires that killed hundreds, the pilgrimage had been largely incident-free for the past nine years after safety improvements.
On Saturday, all pilgrims head back to Mina, where they sacrifice animals to mark the beginning of the ‘Eid Al-Adha.
