A whole lot of 1000’s of Muslim pilgrims are braving intense warmth to carry out the symbolic stoning of the satan throughout the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia
ByRIAZAT BUTT Related Press
Muslim pilgrims stroll to wish exterior Namira Mosque in Arafat, on the second day of the annual Hajj pilgrimage, close to the holy metropolis of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, June 27, 2023. Round two million pilgrims are converging on Saudi Arabia’s holy metropolis of Mecca for the biggest Hajj because the coronavirus pandemic severely curtailed entry to one among Islam’s 5 pillars. (AP Photograph/Amr Nabil)
The Related Press
MINA, Saudi Arabia — A whole lot of 1000’s of Muslim pilgrims on Wednesday braved intense warmth to carry out the symbolic stoning of the satan throughout the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.
With morning temperatures rising previous 42 levels Celsius (107 levels Farenheit), big crowds of pilgrims walked or took buses to the huge Jamarat complicated simply exterior the holy metropolis of Mecca, the place giant pedestrian bridges lead previous three huge pillars representing the satan.
Utilizing pebbles collected the night time earlier than at a campsite generally known as Muzdalifa, the pilgrims stone the pillars. It is a reenactment of the story of the Prophet Ibrahim — generally known as Abraham in Christian and Jewish traditions — who is alleged to have hurled stones at Devil to withstand temptation.
The ceremony was marred by tragedy on various events within the Nineties and 2000s, when a whole lot died in stampedes throughout the stoning ritual. Saudi authorities have since constructed an expanded community of large pedestrian bridges and redesigned the location to make it safer for pilgrims.
This 12 months, the most important hazard is likely to be the warmth.
Temperatures soared previous 45 levels Celsius (113 F) on Tuesday, as Muslims marked the non secular excessive level of the pilgrimage by spending the day praying at Mount Arafat, the place there was no breeze and virtually no shade.
Pilgrims huddled underneath umbrellas, dousing themselves with bottled water. Cellphones had been virtually too sizzling to carry and shut down after only a few minutes of use.
Saudi authorities have deployed tens of 1000’s of well being staff for the pilgrimage and volunteers had been handing out water. The Well being Ministry stated late Tuesday that it had handled 287 instances of sunstroke and warmth exhaustion.
The annual Hajj pilgrimage is likely one of the 5 pillars of Islam, and all Muslims are required to undertake it at the very least as soon as of their lives if they’re bodily and financially ready. For the pilgrims it’s an unrivalled spiritual expertise that wipes away sins, bringing them nearer to God and face-to-face with fellow Muslims from all corners of the earth.
The Saudi royal household has invested billions of {dollars} in infrastructure to take care of Islam’s holiest websites and to carry the annual pilgrimage, which is a serious supply of its legitimacy. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the dominion’s de facto ruler, traveled to Mecca on Tuesday to supervise the pilgrimage, in keeping with state-run media.
That is the primary Hajj to be held with out COVID-19 restrictions because the onset of the pandemic in 2020. Authorities had anticipated some 2 million pilgrims, however official figures launched late Tuesday confirmed that round 1.8 million had been participating within the pilgrimage. That is significantly fewer than the almost 2.5 million who got here in 2019. Worldwide financial woes could have been an element.