Tens of thousands congregate at Mount Arafat

Muslim pilgrims from around the world on Wednesday began massing at Saudi Arabia’s Mount Arafat and its surrounding plains, to mark the peak day of Holy Hajj. According to Saudi media, over two million Muslims from around 150 countries are performing the annual pilgrimage this year, which includes more than 100,000 from Bangladesh. The final rituals of the Hajj started on Tuesday, when pilgrims gathered at Mina where they spent the day and night in prayers before heading to Arafat on Wednesday morning. Pilgrims will spend the day at the Arafat plains— the most important ritual without which the pilgrimage is not valid.
 
The day at Arafat will be spent in prayers, reciting from the holy book of Quran and calling out the chant: “Labbaika Allahumma, Labbaik, Labbaika laa shareeka laka labbaik. Innal-Hamda wanni'mata laka wal mulk. La shareeka lak" (Here I come in response to Thy call, Allah, here I am. There is no other God but Allah. Praise be unto Thee).
 
After sunset, the pilgrims will leave Arafat and head to nearby Muzdalifah to stay overnight, where they will collect pebbles for the next phase of the pilgrimage - the symbolic stoning of the devil represented by three pillars in Mina.
 
They will move back to Mina after dawn on Thursday for the stoning, a ritual that lasts three to four days, and for sacrificing animals to celebrate the beginning of the Eid-ul-Azha.
 
Though the rituals for the five-day annual gathering began on Tuesday, the rituals will peak on Wednesday when pilgrims will assembled at the Arafat plains where Prophet Mohammed (SM) is believed to have delivered his final sermon more than 1,400 years ago, according to bdnews24.com.
- biplab