Meanwhile, the Governor of Mecca, Prince Khalid Al Faisal announced to the press on Sunday the success of the first day of Hajj as all pilgrims preformed that day rituals easily.
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The pilgrimage entails a five day ritual, where those on Hajj spend the days in the environs of the desert city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
More than 1.8 million gathered from sunrise at the hill and a vast surrounding plain known as Mount Arafat, about 15 kilometres from Mecca, where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have given his final sermon.
Pilgrims pelt pillars symbolizing the devil with pebbles to show their defiance on the third day of the hajj as Muslims worldwide mark the Eid al-Adha or the Feast of the Sacrifice, marking the end of the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca and commemorating Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail on God’s command in the holy city of Mecca.
Many Muslims who are not performing the hajj fast from dawn to dusk on this day, for similar reasons.
Senior cleric Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami said on Monday that the criminal House of Saud should go on trial in an Islamic court and be punished for what they did during past year Hajj tragedy.
Earlier on September 5, Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the Muslim world should challenge Saudi management of Islam’s two holiest sites in Makkah and Madina.
Women forgo makeup and perfume and wear loose-fitting clothing and a head covering, while men dress in seamless, white terry cloth garments.
The day of Arafat is the one time during the hajj when roughly all pilgrims are in the same place at the same time. “Thanks to Allah for enabling me to be here”, he said.
For the first time in years, Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh did not give his traditional Arafat sermon.
Those include 1,325,372 pilgrims from outside the Kingdom, while the total number of pilgrims from inside Saudi Arabia reached 537,537.
“The numbers here are in dispute, but as many as 2,600 pilgrims died when they were trapped in the crush of a crowd on a very narrow street”, as Morning Edition reported.
Riyadh severed diplomatic relations with Tehran in January after protesters attacked its embassy and a consulate in Iran after the execution of a prominent Shia cleric in Saudi Arabia.
All pilgrims are being outfitted with wearable water-resistant e-bracelets equipped with barcodes that link to personal information including medical records in an effort to facilitate treatment in case of illness or injury.
During the Hajj, devoted Muslims perform a series of religious rituals, including walking counterclockwise around the Kaaba, the cube-shaped structure at the center of the Grand Mosque of Mecca, which Muslims believe is the spot where the Prophet Abraham built his first temple to God. It took place as pilgrims were going to the Jamarat Bridge for a stoning ritual which this this year will start on Monday, officials say. “It’s marvelous”, Egyptian pilgrim Louza told the BBC.
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Saudi Arabia said on Sunday that it had launched a new television channel to broadcast the hajj rituals in the Farsi language of Iran.
