Information About Hajj 2014
Tears flowed and prayers filled the air as the annual Muslim haj by about 2+ million believers from around the world reached its zenith on a vast plain in western Saudi Arabia on Friday.
More than two million pilgrims performed the most important rite of Haj on Friday as they stood in prayer from dawn to dusk on the plains of Arafat, 15 km east of Makkah.
"I am now a newborn baby and I don't have any sin," Nigerian pilgrim Taofik Odunewu told AFP, standing at the foot of Mount Mercy on the Arafat plain, tears streaming down his face.
Odunewu raised his hands to the heavens in the seamless two-piece white "ihram" outfit that he wore.
All male pilgrims dress in ihram to symbolise a state of purity, which also emphasises their unity regardless of social status or nationality.
"I pray for prosperity, long life and... I pray for my country," Odunewu said with a broad smile.
"I feel great... I'm on top of the world," he said at the world's largest Muslim gathering.
"I'm very blessed to be part of this occasion. I don't think I will go back to the sinful way," he pledged.
The haj, which officially ends on Tuesday, is one of the five pillars of Islam that every capable Muslim must perform at least once.
Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims arrived at Arafat on Friday carrying suitcases and other luggage among thousands of white tents which stood ready to provide temporary homes for the multitude.
Many set up their own tents along the roads. Others even made rough shelters from large yellow garbage bags.
Elderly pilgrims sat in wheelchairs, little ones in prams, and others leaned on sticks as they pushed their way towards Mount Mercy, the hill where Muslim Prophet Mohammed made his final sermon 14 centuries ago.
From early morning, pilgrims crowded onto the slippery, rocky hill, which their uniform attire turned white in colour.
Some prayed and wept, some slept, while others spread their mats and sat reciting the Quran.
Security forces were deployed en masse across Arafat plain and Mount Mercy to organise the flow of pilgrims, who have come from 163 countries as well as Saudi Arabia, home to Islam's holiest sites.
"This way hajji. Don't stop here. You're blocking the way," security men shouted through loudspeakers, trying to control the crowds.
The number of faithful seemed fewer than past years following a crackdown by authorities on illegal pilgrims.
This year's haj comes with Saudi Arabia and four other Arab nations joining Washington in air strikes against Islamic State group militants who have committed a spate of atrocities in Syrian and Iraqi territory they seized.
Saudi authorities are also striving to protect pilgrims from two deadly viruses, Ebola and the MERS coronavirus.
No such cases have been recorded among the haj visitors, officials say.
Odunewu and other pilgrims from Nigeria were permitted to enter Saudi Arabia for haj, despite eight Ebola deaths in their country.
Three West African states hardest hit by Ebola have not been allowed haj visas.
More than two million pilgrims performed the most important rite of Haj on Friday as they stood in prayer from dawn to dusk on the plains of Arafat, 15 km east of Makkah.
A white sea of the faithful surged to Mount Arafat as dawn broke on the second leg of the five-day pilgrimage. Waves of men in seamless white robes and veiled women in long dresses raised their voices to a crescendo, chanting Labbaik Allahumma Labbaik (Here I am O God, answering your call).
On behalf of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, Crown Prince Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, arrived in Mina to supervise services for the pilgrims at the holy sites on Friday.
King Abdullah received a telephone call from Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani congratulating him on Eid Al-Adha. King Abdullah also received similar calls from King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa of Bahrain and Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber.
Makkah Gov. Prince Mishaal bin Abdullah, chairman of the Supreme Haj Committee, was in the front row of Masjid Al-Namira when Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh delivered the Haj sermon. The massive mosque was overflowing with pilgrims.
The grand mufti said Islam was the religion of humanity, with a perfect constitution aimed at bringing people together.
Al-Asheikh lashed out at people using Islam to further their violent and extremist agendas. He said these people cannot be considered Muslims.
260,000 Arabs performing Haj this year
A total of 260,000 Arabs from various countries are performing Haj this year, according to a local organizing official.
Mohammad bin Ibrahim, management supervisor at the holy sites, and a member of the National Tawafa Arab Establishment, said that the Arab Haj camps in Arafat and Mina have been set up over 2 million square meters.
He said 114 field service groups were providing services to Arab pilgrims. The space in Arafat was over 1.4 million square meters, and in Mina 375,314 square meters.
Meanwhile, bin Ibrahim said that the establishment has produced special guidelines that mutawiffeen, or guides, have to follow at the holy sites, especially when communicating with pilgrims. He said field service teams would only be approved based on contracts.
He said contractors must have valid commercial licenses. The establishment has set up a database of regular contractors. It also plans to blacklist those who do not meet contractual agreements, particularly regarding safety directives from the Civil Defense.
He said the government allocated camps early this year to ensure guides could prepare properly for pilgrims. Fifty-percent of Arab pilgrims' camps in Arafat have inflammable and insulated European tents.
Bin Ibrahim said 300 experienced Saudi engineers, technicians and administrators have been assigned to provide services to the guests of God.
He said the administration of the holy sites have been divided into five sections. The establishment had allocated space in Mina and Arafat based on the number of pilgrims performing the Haj this year. This was undertaken by offices in both holy sites and in coordination with the government.
About two million Muslims from around the world have gathered near Mecca in Saudi Arabia in an act of faith and repentance for the Hajj pilgrimage. One of the world's largest annual gatherings and a central pillar of the Islamic faith, the five-day spiritual journey is meant to cleanse the faithful of sin and bring them closer to God.
Following a route that the Prophet Muhammad once walked, the rites also trace the footsteps of the Biblical prophets Abraham and Ishmael. The pilgrimage is physically demanding and involves performing several acts, such as circumbulating seven times the cube-shaped Kaaba, which Muslims believe was built by Abraham 4,000 years ago.
Pilgrims flock to Arafat, also known as the Mount of Mercy, after spending a night of meditation and introspection in the tent city of Mina, which marks the first leg of the pilgrimage. It was at Arafat about 1,400 years ago that the Prophet Muhammad delivered his last sermon. The faithful believe that on this day the gates of heaven are open, prayers are answered and past sins can be forgiven.
Pilgrims then make their way to Muzdalifah, where they spend the night under the stars and gather pebbles to perform the symbolic "stoning of the devil". The ritual is an emulation of Abraham's stoning of the devil at the three spots where he is said to have appeared trying to dissuade the biblical patriarch from obeying God's order to sacrifice Ishmael.
All male pilgrims, regardless of wealth or status, wear a seamless two-piece white garment, symbolising a state of purity and emphasising equality. Women also generally wear white, exposing only their faces and hands.
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