News
Sunday, November 06, 2011
Muslims gather on Arafat for peak Hajj dayMOUNT ARAFAT: More than two million Muslims began massing on Saturday 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 Makkah Metro, to go to Mount Arafat and its surrounding plains, where Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) is believed to have delivered his final sermon. The gathering in the plains around Mount Arafat symbolises the climax of the Hajj which ends on Sunday with Eidul Azha, or the Feast of Sacrifice.
“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.”
More than 1.83 million pilgrims have arrived in the kingdom from abroad, marking a 1.5 percent increase compared with last year, said Makkah governor Prince Khaled al-Faisal. To help prevent chaos, the authorities have numbered buses and tents in Mina and Arafat according to the countries from which the pilgrims have come. Oil-rich Saudi Arabia has invested billions of dollars over the years to avoid deadly stampedes that have marred the Hajj in the past. No incidents were reported this year.
The Ghilaf-e-Kaaba was replaced on Saturday and the new one has been decorated with pure silk, gold, and calligraphy of verses of the holy Quran.
The ceremony of replacing Ghilaf-e-Kaaba was attended by the management of Haram Sharif, representing the kings of Saudi Arabia, and the representatives of the factory that manufactured the Ghilaf-e-Kaaba, a private news channel reported.
The old Ghilaf will be torn into pieces and will be gifted to the heads of different Islamic countries. agencies
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk