Over 2 million Muslims, including about 1.5 lakh Indians, thronged Mount Arafat and its surrounding plain in Saudi Arabia on Friday for the high point of the Haj pilgrimage, with a sea of people from different countries standing together, united by faith.
After spending the night in tent city of Mina, tens of thousands of pilgrims clad in white seamless cloth headed towards Mount Arafat following dawn prayers.
On reaching Arafat, they crowded onto the hill and the plain surrounding it to pray until sunset. Helicopters hovered overhead and thousands of troops stood guard to organise roads flooded with men, women and children in Arafat, about 15 km east of the holy city of Makkah.
Standing at Arafat, where Prophet Muhammad is believed to have delivered his final Haj sermon, is an accomplishment of a pilgrim’s life and fulfilment of his/her dream of performing Haj.
All the pilgrims will spend the day in prayer and supplication, marking the high point of the five-day Haj. The pilgrims would return to Mina valley on Saturday after offering morning prayer.
After sunset, the pilgrims will march toward Muzdalifah Valley and spend the night there in prayers after performing combined Maghreb (evening) and Isha (night) prayers.
Saudi Interior Minister Prince Mohammed bin Naif said a total of 1,389,053 foreign pilgrims, one-fourth of whom are from the sub continent, have arrived for Haj this year from 163 countries. Among the total foreign pilgrims, 757,981 are men and 631,072 women.
The journey of the pilgrims began on Wednesday, when the pilgrims streamed towards Mina for the first leg of Haj.
The Saudi government has kept strict vigil to prevent pilgrims from entering the sacred places.
So far, 1420 have been caught violating Haj regulations in addition to 61,558 vehicles checked trying to enter the sacred area without obtaining Haj permission.
Healthcare has been given top priority by the Saudi government with nearly 22,000 medics, paramedics, and administrators deployed to provide healthcare services at 182 healthcare facilities.
This year’s Haj is taking place against the backdrop of fear of two deadly viruses — Ebola and the MERS coronavirus — and rise of Islamic State group in the Middle East.
The Saudi government agencies have made elaborate arrangements to protect pilgrims from these viruses. It has also put in place elaborate security measures to ensure a peaceful and hassle-free Haj for pilgrims from over 160 nations.
It has deployed over 70,000 officers and Black Hawk helicopters to ensure the safety and security of pilgrims.
About 1.4 million foreign pilgrims, about one-fourth of whom are from the sub continent, are performing Haj.
A number of foreign Heads of State, including Bangladesh President Mohammed Abdul Hamid, Sudanese President Omar Bashir, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud and Maldives President Abdulla Yameen are performing Haj this year.
“Our team members are facilitating the movement of pilgrims by lending all support to muallim s (caretakers) who are responsible for their transportation,” Indian Consul-General B.S. Mubarak told PTI .
The pilgrimage will end after the Eid al-Adha festival, which will be celebrated in Saudi Arabia on Saturday.
