From Asia, Africa and points in between, almost 1.5 million Muslims began the annual Hajj rituals in Saudi Arabia Saturday, undeterred by last year’s deadly stampede.
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Muslims believe the Prophet Muhammad gave his last sermon at the location.
The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has confirmed the death of three Nigerian pilgrims in Saudi Arabia.
During last year’s pilgrimage, several hundred Iranians were among at least 2,000 crushed to death in a stampede in the city of Mecca.
The day of Arafat is the one time during the hajj when roughly all pilgrims are in the same place at the same time.
Saudi Arabia on Sunday said it launched a television channel to broadcast the hajj rituals in the Persian language, also known as Farsi, spoken in Iran.
Saudi Arabia stakes its reputation on its guardianship of Islam’s holiest sites and organising haj.
In recent weeks, rhetoric between the two capitals has escalated.
Saudi authorities have tightened security across the holy sites for the five-day Hajj that started on Saturday to prevent the recurrence of a stampede that caused hundreds of deaths past year.
It follows controversy sparked by his remarks that Iranians were “not Muslims”.
One of the five pillars of Islam, the hajj must be performed at least once in a lifetime by all Muslims who can afford the costly and hard trip.
Saudi Arabia has doubled down on safety and security in a bid to avoid a repeat of last year’s disaster.
Muslim pilgrim join one of the Hajj rituals on Mount Arafat near Mecca early on September 11, 2016.
Among these is the distribution of bracelets which store pilgrims’ personal data. The deceased have been buried in Saudi Arabia, after Egyptian authorities consulted with their families, MENA added. All “guests of Allah” are required to carry permits and police have set up security checkpoints to prevent illegal pilgrims from entering the holy sites.It has also vowed strict punishment for all offenders.
“It’s handsome to see the Muslims of the world pray together here”.
While following a route the Prophet Muhammad once walked, the rites of hajj are believed to ultimately trace the footsteps of the prophets Ibrahim and Ismail, or Abraham and Ishmael as they are named in the Bible.
“Part of the rituals also includes feeding the poor”, said Tawfik Hamid, a senior fellow at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies.
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They will spend the most important day of the hajj in prayer and reading from the Quran. It comes a day before Eid al-Adha (the Feast of Sacrifice).
