Features

Hajj: Pilgrims Pray on Mount Arafat

On Saturday, the most significant and arduous day of the annual Hajj pilgrimage.

Over 1.5 million devout Muslims will gather on Mount Arafat to offer their prayers, braving the scorching heat.

 

People from all corners of the globe will ascend the 70-meter (230-foot) steep hill, located approximately 12 miles (20 km) from Makkah.

The hill, believed to be the site of the Prophet Mohammed's final sermon, is a testament to the physical endurance required for the Hajj pilgrimage.

It will boil in the desert this summer—43 degrees Celsius (109.4 degrees Fahrenheit).

It will complicate things for older people praying and reading the Quran.

Abraman Hawa expressed: "The sun is out, but it's not as scorching," she mentioned, "Nevertheless, I will supplicate to Allah at Arafat as I require His assistance."

A Saudi study found that regional temperatures rose by 0.4C each decade, significantly affecting the Hajj, one of the world's most significant holy gathering.

A Saudi source told this week that more than 10,000 illnesses were linked to the heat last year, with 10% of those being heat stroke.

Muhammad a Pakistani traveller who is 60 years old, was not turned off by the hot summer sun in the Gulf country.

He said, as a Muslim, the Hajj is immensely significant to me.

 

Financial windfall

The huge groups of worshippers spent the night in a vast tent city in Mina, a valley a few kilometres outside Makkah, Islam's holy city.

Many of them were squished together in the booths with air conditioning, lying on thin beds next to each other.

They were put into groups based on their country and how much they had paid for their Hajj packages, usually a few thousand dollars.

On Sunday, they will go to Muzdalifah after Arafat to get rocks for the "stoning of the devil" tradition in Mina.

Last year, more than 1.8 million people came to the kingdom for the Hajj.

About 90% of them were from outside the kingdom.

Also, 13.5 million Muslims came to do Umrah, a short journey that can be done anytime.

The goal is to have 30 million Muslims do Umrah by 2030.

The Hajj this year is happening while the Gaza war is still going on.

Eight months of killings have left many Muslims hurt and angry.