The hajj reached its high point Sunday when Muslims from across the world converged on a stony hill in Saudi Arabia, a year after the worst tragedy in the pilgrimage’s history.
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More than 1.8 million gathered from sunrise at the hill and a vast surrounding plain known as Mount Arafat, about 15 km from Makkah.
Around sunset, the pilgrims began walking to an area called Muzdalifa, a little more than 5 miles west of Arafat, where they planned to spend the night.
Mount Arafat, or the Mountain of Mercy, near Mecca, is the site where Muslims believe the Prophet Muhammad gave his final sermon to followers.
As almost 2 million pilgrims ascended Mount Arafat in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, officials kept a watchful eye from above with the help of drones.
But that’s not enough for Iran, which opted instead to endorse an alternative pilgrimage to Karbala, an Islamic holy site in Iraq.
Authorities in Saudi Arabiado not talk about last year’s stampede, which killed hundreds around Jamarat on the first day of the ritual.
Saudi Arabia has been just as critical of Iran, accusing it of fomenting stability in the Middle East.
In recent weeks, rhetoric between the two capitals has escalated.
Earlier in the week, Iran’s supreme leader accused Saudi authorities of murdering pilgrims during the crush. A prominent Saudi cleric responded by saying Iran’s leaders are “not Muslim”.
Hajj pilgrims return to scene of deadly stampede was posted in World of TheNews International – https://www.thenews.com.pk on September 12, 2016 and was last updated on September 12, 2016.
Muslim pilgrims gather on Mount Arafat during the annual hajj pilgrimage, outside the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia September 11, 2016.
Saudi Arabia has doubled down on safety and security in a bid to avoid a repeat of last year’s disaster.
Rivers of pilgrims flowed on multiple ramps toward the Jamarat Bridge where the “stoning of the devil” took place under high security and without incident, the interior and hajj ministry spokesmen said.
Among the safety measures taken is the distribution of a bracelet that stores pilgrims’ personal data.
Health, however, is only one concern.
The stoning – expected to continue on Tuesday – coincided with Eid al-Adha, Islam’s feast of sacrifice which is celebrated by more than 1.5 billion Muslims worldwide.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif noted that “suspicious, filthy, and evil hands” can be seen not only behind the deadly stampede a year ago but in all crises across the Middle East, “from Bahrain to Yemen and from Iraq to Syria and Lebanon and even during the annual Hajj season in the territories where the Holy Qur’an was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)”.
“Part of the rituals also includes feeding the poor”, said Tawfik Hamid, a senior fellow at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies.
Muslims on the five-day pilgrimage spent a day there in deep prayer, many openly weeping as they repented and asked God for forgiveness.
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The Hajj is followed by Eid al-Adha, which is on Monday.
