Pilgrims ascend Mount Arafat as Ummah urged to forge unity

ARAFAT: Pilgrims crowd the Jabal al-Rahma (Mount of Mercy) during the climax of the Haj on Tuesday. In his sermon, Imam Sheikh Bin Saeed called on all Muslims to forge unity as it would lead them to salvation.—AFP

ARAFAT (Makkah): Hundreds of thousands of Muslim pilgrims crowded the rocky rise known as Mount Arafat on Tuesday to pray at the height of Haj pilgrimage, as Saudi scholar and Member of the Council of Senior Scholars Sheikh Youssef Bin Muhammad Bin Saeed made a clarion call for the Ummah to forge unity and cohesion among their ranks.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also arrived in Mina, where pilgrims slept in a city of white tents that spread out across the plain.

From the air, it looked as if the land were dusted with snow. He arrived to assess the well-being of worshippers and the quality of services provided there, according to the official Saudi Press Agency.

Tree-shaped water towers sprayed cooling showers on the visitors, who received free water bottles and snacks handed out from large trucks. Six field hospitals with more than 300 beds have been arranged in Arafat, Yasser Bair, a Saudi defence ministry official, told the state-run Al Ekhbariya TV.

“I can’t believe I’m God’s guest,” said Rahma, a 57-year-old Libyan housewife who asked to be identified only by her first name, fighting back tears as she spoke.

“I’m very happy. It’s a moment I have been waiting for my entire life,” said Fadia Abdallah, 67, from Egypt, wearing a white abaya and sitting on the ground beneath an umbrella.

Sermon

While delivering the sermon at Arafat, Imam Sheikh Bin Saeed called Muslims to forge unity, saying it would “surely lead to salvation of the Ummah in addition to averting any discords or divisions”.

The sermon highlighted the teachings of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), which emphasised unity, cooperation, and the prohibition of disputes and conflicts. It underscored the unifying role of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), who was commanded to convey the message of Allah and bring unity among his followers.

The Haj is a life goal for many Muslims, who are obligated to perform the pilgrimage at least once if they are financially and physically capable. The pilgrimage is also a big revenue-earner for Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter which is trying to diversify its economy, including with tourism.

Over 1.8m gather

According to the kingdom’s statistics authority, more than 1.8 pilgrims joined this year’s rituals, making it the largest since the Covid-19 pandemic but still short of the more than 2.5 million that authorities expected.

The figures also showed that most worshippers came from abroad to attend one of the world’s largest religious gatherings.

Stoning the devil

On Wednesday, they will gather pebbles and hurl them at three concrete walls in the symbolic “stoning of the devil” ritual. Then they will return to Makkah’s Grand Mosque — Islam’s holiest site — for a final circumambulation of the Kaaba.

This year’s Haj is the largest since Saudi authorities scrapped a requirement for women to be accompanied by a male guardian in 2021.

At this year’s Haj, which follows the lunar calendar and is not always held in summer, a maximum age limit has also been removed, allowing thousands of elderly to attend.

Heat is not the only risk at the pilgrimage, which has seen multiple crises over the years, including stampede.

In 2015, a stampede killed up to 2,300 people. There have been no major incidents since.

Published in Dawn, June 28th, 2023

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