Posted in: 09/07/2022 – 08:43
Since the early morning hours of Saturday, about one million pilgrims began stoning the Jamarat al-Aqaba al-Kubra in Mina, near the holy city of Mecca, on the first day of Eid al-Adha. The Hajj season is taking place this year at a time when the Corona virus has returned to spread in many regions of the world.
On Saturday morning, about a million pilgrims began throwing the Great Jamrah of Aqaba in Mina, near the holy city of Mecca, on the first day of Eid al-Adha, at the end of the most prominent stages of the Hajj rites this year. After two years in which the Covid-19 pandemic restricted the number of pilgrims, so far.
Since the early hours of the morning, groups of worshipers have made their way through the Mina Valley in western Saudi Arabia to throw seven pebbles at an object that embodies the seduction of Satan. After completion, the pilgrim slaughters the sacrificial animal and then shaves his head or cuts it.
Stoning rituals led to a deadly stampede in the past, with hundreds of thousands of pilgrims gathering in a cramped space.
Later, pilgrims head to Mecca to perform the Tawaf al-Ifadah, which is one of the pillars of the pilgrimage, and then return to Mina, where they spend the night during the days of Tashreeq, during which they throw the three Jamarat. The pilgrims can leave after the Great Jamrah of Aqaba if they have an excuse.
The Hajj is usually one of the largest annual religious gatherings in the world, and it is among the five pillars of Islam and every Muslim who is able to perform it must perform it at least once.
In 2019, about 2.5 million Muslims from all over the world participated in it. But this number decreased to a few thousand in 2020 and to 60 thousand in 2021, as the Kingdom tries to mitigate the effects of the pandemic. This year, the number of participants reached one million, including 850,000 from abroad, for the first time since 2019.
The issue of hosting the Hajj is a source of prestige and influence for Saudi rulers. The prohibition of pilgrims abroad during the past two years from performing the rituals has caused great disappointment among Muslims around the world, who usually save for years to participate.
The Hajj, which costs at least $5,000 per person, along with the Umrah, is a major driver of the kingdom’s tourism sector. In normal times, religious events generate about $12 billion annually.
Virus and hot weather
After the stoning ritual, pilgrims return to the Grand Mosque in Mecca to perform the “farewell circumambulation” around the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque.
And on Friday, the pilgrims spent their day praying and supplicating on Mount Arafat, at the height of the Hajj rituals.
Groups of worshipers carried umbrellas to shield themselves from the sun’s rays and recited verses from the Qur’an at Upper Arafat, where the Prophet Muhammad is believed to have delivered his last sermon. After sunset, they headed to Muzdalifah, where they spent their nights in the open air before the “Stoning of Satan” began.
The Hajj season is taking place this year at a time when the Corona virus has re-spread in the region, while some Gulf countries are tightening their restrictions to prevent its spread.
All pilgrims from abroad are required to have been fully vaccinated and to show a negative result for the coronavirus test. Upon their arrival in Mina on Thursday, they were handed bags containing masks and sterilizers.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Kingdom has recorded more than 795,000 cases of coronavirus, including more than a thousand deaths, and 67 million doses of vaccine have been given in the country with a population of more than 34 million people.
Pilgrimage can be physically exhausting, even in ideal circumstances. However, this year, the pilgrims faced an additional challenge with the intensifying temperatures, as they performed the rituals under the scorching sun in a temperature of 42 degrees Celsius.
Men cannot wear hats from the moment of Ihram and the intention of Hajj. Many were seen at the Grand Mosque this week protecting themselves with umbrellas, prayer mats and, in one case, even a small bucket, while women covered their heads with headscarves.
FRANCE 24/AFP