Pilgrims throng Mount Arafat for peak of Hajj

MOUNT ARAFAT: Their palms facing the sky, around two million Muslims gathered Thursday on Saudi Arabia´s Mount Arafat for the highlight of the Hajj pilgrimage, one of the world´s largest annual gatherings.

With temperatures pushing 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) under the desert sun, the faithful climbed the hill east of Mecca where Muslims believe the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) gave his last sermon some 14 centuries ago.

"I came up here last night and prayed, took pictures and called my family and friends," said Maolana Yahia, 32, who made the trip from Indonesia.

This year´s Hajj has seen the return of pilgrims from Saudi Arabia´s arch-rival Iran following a diplomatic row and a deadly stampede in 2015.

But thousands who would normally make the journey from neighbouring Qatar are absent apart from a few dozen because of the diplomatic crisis shaking the Gulf.

Helicopters flew around the area as the pilgrims converged from dawn on the Mount Arafat plain and the hill known as Jabal al-Rahma, or Mount of Mercy.

Forming a sea of white, the pilgrims ascended the hill and took up positions to pray on rocks already heated by the morning sun.

On the concrete pathways linking the plain to the hill, hundreds of thousands of devout Muslims invoked God, as others rested in makeshift tents or on sheets along the side of the road amid empty bottles and waste.

Hajj sermon

More than two million pilgrims performed Waqoof-e-Arafat and listened to the sermon delivered from Masjid-e-Nimra by Imam Dr Shaykh Sa'd bin Nasir al-Shithri

Dr Shaykh Sa'd bin Nasir al-Shithri said that it is wrong to deviate from the path after accepting faith. “If you follow the law then God will forgive”.

God has promised that believers that they will be rewarded for the good deeds in this world as well as Hereafter. In Islam even interest is considered haraam [illegal], he pointed out.

God will punish those who are cruel to others, he said. “Pious people will enter Paradise.”

He also remarked that oneness of God is central to the teachings of all the prophets. “Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was sent to give guidance to ummah,” he added.

“It is necessary for Muslims to follow the guidelines laid down by God,” he remarked. “Muslim parents should ensure that their children are well-versed with Quran.”

Beating the heat

Tunisian mother-of-three Fatima Arfawi said she was moved beyond words.

"This is the first time I see anything like this, ever," she said. "This day is dedicated to prayer for my three children and my family."

In a hospital opposite the mountain, an area was set aside for people suffering dehydration or heat exhaustion.

Saudi Arabia´s Red Crescent said it had deployed 326 ambulances along the pilgrimage route to handle health emergencies.

"Some pilgrims, for example, forget to protect their heads with an umbrella when they pray," said Bandar Al-Harthi, a nurse at a hospital facing Mount Arafat.

In the evening, the pilgrims will travel to Muzdalifa where they will spend the night before taking part in a symbolic stoning of the devil.

The Jamarat Bridge, where the ritual is held, was the scene of a stampede in 2015 that claimed the lives of nearly 2,300 pilgrims -- the worst disaster in the history of the hajj.

Tehran reported the largest number of stampede victims, with 464 Iranians among the dead.