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Following in the footsteps of prophets under the sweltering sun, Muslims from around the world gathered on a sacred hill in Saudi Arabia on Saturday for an intense, day-long period of worship and reflection. The ritual on Mount Arafat, known as the Hill of Mercy, is considered the culmination of the hajj pilgrimage. It is often the most memorable for pilgrims, who stand shoulder to shoulder, foot to foot and pray to God for mercy, blessings, prosperity and good health. The mountain is about 20 kilometers (12 miles) southeast of Mecca.
The Prophet Muhammad is believed to have given his final speech, known as the Farewell Sermon, on the holy mountain 1,435 years ago. In the sermon, the prophet called for equality and unity among Muslims. “It’s indescribable,” Ahmed Tukeya, an Egyptian pilgrim, said upon arriving at a tented camp at the foot of Mount Arafat on Friday evening. The hajj is one of the largest religious gatherings on earth. The rituals officially began on Friday when pilgrims headed from Mecca’s Grand Mosque to Mina, a desert plain just outside the city. (Also read: Hajj 2024: Key differences between Arafat vs Arafat that pilgrims and other Muslims should know before 9 Zul Hijjah ,
Saudi authorities expect the number of pilgrims this year to exceed 2 million, close to the levels seen before the coronavirus pandemic. The pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of Islam. All Muslims are required to perform the five-day Hajj at least once in their lives, if they are physically and financially able to make the arduous pilgrimage. The ritual mainly commemorates the accounts in the Quran about the Prophet Ibrahim, his son the Prophet Ishmael and Ishmael’s mother Hajar – or Abraham and Ishmael, as they are named in the Bible.
This year’s hajj took place against the backdrop of an ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which has pushed the Middle East to the brink of a regional war between Israel and its allies on one side and Iran-backed militant groups on the other. Palestinians living in Gaza’s coastal region were unable to travel to Mecca for the hajj this year due to the closure of the Rafah crossing in May, when Israel expanded its ground offensive to the Strip’s southern city of Rafah on the Egyptian border.
To prevent possible protests or slogans about war during the Hajj, Saudi authorities said they would not tolerate the politicization of the pilgrimage. The Hajj takes place at different times of the year, as it is scheduled for five days in the second week of Dhu al-Hijjah, the last month of the Islamic lunar calendar.
Most of the hajj rituals are performed in the open, where there is a lack of shade. When it falls in the summer months, temperatures can exceed 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). The Health Ministry has warned that temperatures at the holy sites could reach 48 degrees Celsius (118 Fahrenheit). It urged pilgrims to use umbrellas and drink more water to stay hydrated. After Saturday’s prayers in Arafat, pilgrims will travel a few kilometers (miles) to a place called Muzdalifah to collect pebbles, which they will use in a ritual of symbolic stoning of pillars representing the devil in Mina.
The pilgrims then return to Mina for three days, which coincide with the festival of Eid al-Adha, when financially able Muslims around the world slaughter cattle and distribute the meat among the poor. After this, they return to Mecca for the final circumambulation, known as the farewell tawaf.
After the hajj is over, men are expected to shave their heads and women to cut off a lock of hair as a sign of renewal. Most pilgrims then leave Mecca for the city of Medina, about 340 kilometers (210 miles) away, where they pray at the Sacred Chamber, the tomb of the Prophet Muhammad. The tomb is part of the Prophet’s Mosque, one of the three holiest sites in Islam along with the Grand Mosque in Mecca and the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
The overcrowding during the Hajj pilgrimage has led to traffic jams. In 2015, thousands of pilgrims were crushed to death by the rush of crowds. Saudi authorities have never released a final death toll.
In recent years, Saudi authorities have made significant efforts to improve access and prevent deadly accidents. Thousands of security personnel were deployed throughout the city, especially around the holy sites, to control crowds, and the government built a high-speed rail link to ferry people between the holy sites in the city, which becomes jammed with traffic during the hajj season. Pilgrims enter through special electronic gates.
Saudi authorities have also expanded and renovated the Grand Mosque, where cranes can be seen around its seven minarets as construction work continues at the holy site.
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