Over 2m Muslims perform hajj
Muslim hajj pilgrims perform noon prayers at the Nemra mosque near Mount Arafat yesterday. More than two million Muslims began massing on Saudi Arabia's Mount Arafat and its surrounding plain, marking the peak day of the largest annual pilgrimage.Photo: AFP
More than two million Muslims began massing yesterday on Saudi Arabia's Mount Arafat and its surrounding plain, marking the peak day of the largest annual pilgrimage.
Swarms of pilgrims who had spent the night in Mina, some 10 kilometres northwest of Arafat, surged through the roads leading to the mountain after midnight.
"I am responding to your call, God," they chanted in unison.
Many went on buses, while others set off on foot from Mina, a tent-village that comes to life only during the five-day pilgrimage.
Others took the Mashair Railway, also known as the Mecca Metro, to go to Mount Arafat and its surrounding plains, where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have delivered his final sermon.
The Chinese-built railway is operating for the first time this year at its full capacity of 72,000 people per hour to ease congestion and prevent stampedes in which hundreds have been killed in past years.
The dual-track light railway connects the three holy sites of Mina, Muzdalifah and Mount Arafat -- areas that see a massive influx of pilgrims during the hajj.
By sunrise, the Jabal al-Rahma peak -- or Mount of Mercy -- was covered by the white garments of pilgrims as they climbed to the high point and took up positions on slippery rocks to spend the day in prayer and reflection.
The gathering in the plains around Mount Arafat symbolises the climax of the hajj which ends on Sunday with Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice.
The hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and must be performed at least once in a lifetime by all those who are able to make the journey, and it is a dream that can take years to come true.
"I'm so happy to have set foot on Arafat's sacred soil," Indonesian pilgrim Noor Laila told AFP.
"I want to wash away all my sins and ask God to forgive my mistakes. This is the first time I come to hajj and I hope it won't be the last," said the 36-year-old.
Another pilgrim, Malaysian Abdullah Wali al-Deen, 45, said he had been working for years for this day.
"I came here with my family after we managed to save enough money," he said.
"Everyone in here is equal. There are no differences between various nationalities. This is the religion of peace, love and brotherhood."
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