Muslim pilgrims collect across the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest shrine, on the Grand Mosque within the holy metropolis of Mecca on June 16, 2024, as they carry out the farewell circumambulation or “tawaf”, circling seven occasions across the massive black dice, which is the focus on the ultimate day of the hajj. | AFP
Pilgrims on Sunday carried out the final main ritual of the hajj, the “stoning of the satan”, in western Saudi Arabia as Muslims the world over celebrated the Eid al-Adha vacation.
As one of many world’s largest annual spiritual gatherings wound down, Amman introduced that at the very least 14 Jordanian pilgrims had succumbed to an “excessive warmth wave”, highlighting the acute bodily toll of the annual rites which in recent times have fallen through the oven-like Saudi summer season.
Starting at daybreak, the 1.8 million Muslims enterprise the pilgrimage this yr threw seven stones at every of three concrete partitions symbolising the satan within the Mina valley, positioned outdoors Islam’s holiest metropolis of Mecca.
The ritual commemorates Abraham’s stoning of the satan on the three spots the place it’s stated Devil tried to dissuade him from obeying God’s order to sacrifice his son.
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A number of stampedes have occurred in Mina through the years, most just lately in 2015 when as much as 2,300 worshippers have been killed within the worst hajj catastrophe.
The positioning has been revamped since then to streamline the motion of the big crowds.
Roads resulting in the concrete partitions have been however packed on Sunday, with some pilgrims struggling underneath the morning solar.
No less than two pilgrims have been seen mendacity on the facet of the highway, sheltered by buildings and vehicles.
“It’s very troublesome, we will’t discover transport. I can’t rise up anymore,” stated Ahmed Alsayed Omran, a 70-year-old Egyptian retiree sitting on the sidewalk.
Temperatures soared properly above 40 levels Celsius (104 levels Fahrenheit) every day and on Saturday hit 46 levels Celsius (114.8 levels Fahrenheit) on Mount Arafat, the place pilgrims carried out hours of outside prayers.
Jordan’s international ministry stated on Sunday that along with the 14 Jordanian pilgrims who died “after struggling solar stroke because of the excessive warmth wave”, 17 others have been “lacking”.
Iran reported the deaths of 5 pilgrims however didn’t specify the trigger.
Saudi Arabia has not offered any info on fatalities.
Throughout final yr’s hajj at the very least 240 individuals — many from Indonesia — died, in accordance with figures introduced by numerous nations which additionally didn’t specify causes of dying.
There have been additionally greater than 10,000 circumstances of heat-related diseases, 10 p.c of which have been warmth stroke, a well being ministry spokesman advised AFP.
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‘Very, highly regarded’
Worshippers did their finest to take the taxing circumstances in stride, seizing what for a lot of was a once-in-a-lifetime likelihood to hope at Islam’s holiest shrines.
“It’s bodily gruelling, nevertheless it’s very spiritually charged. For me, I used to be type of in awe always,” stated 49-year-old Canadian Neron Khan.
For a part of the pilgrimage, “I used to be in some type of warmth exhaustion state of affairs,” she added.
“However I needed to preserve going as a result of we have been surrounded by everyone. And also you simply needed to push by.”
One therapy centre close to Mount Arafat recorded 225 circumstances of warmth stress and fatigue to date, the official Saudi Press Company reported.
“It was very, highly regarded,” Rohy Daiseca, a 60-year-old Gambian dwelling in the USA, advised AFP on Saturday evening as pilgrims collected stones to throw.
“Alhamdulillah (reward be to God), I put lots of water on my head and it was OK.”
Amal Mahrouss, a 55-year-old lady from Egypt, stated she was blissful past phrases and the hajj confirmed “that we’re all equal, that there aren’t any variations between Muslims all over the world.”
One of many 5 pillars of Islam, the hajj have to be carried out at the very least as soon as by all Muslims with the means.
This yr’s determine of 1.8 million pilgrims is much like final yr’s, and Saudi authorities stated on Saturday that 1.6 million of them got here from overseas.
These included 17,500 Syrians, in accordance with Badreddine Mansour, director of a Saudi company specialising in pilgrimages.
For Syrians dwelling in government-controlled areas, hajj has lengthy been out of attain however the reintegration of President Bashar al-Assad’s authorities into the Arab fold final yr has enabled direct flights to the pilgrimage.
For Ghada Rifai, 60, a retired instructor from Damascus, this meant “a dream come true.”
Feast of the sacrifice
Sunday’s stoning ritual coincided with the Muslim vacation of Eid al-Adha, or the feast of the sacrifice, which honours Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son earlier than God provided a sheep as a substitute.
Worshippers sometimes slaughter a sheep and provide a part of the meat to the needy.
The festivities have been clouded by the battle between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas within the Gaza Strip.
“We don’t really feel the Eid vacation as a result of our brothers in Gaza are oppressed underneath the (Israeli) occupation,” stated Najem Nawwar, a 43-year-old Egyptian pilgrim.
King Salman invited 2,000 Palestinians to the hajj at his personal expense, together with kinfolk of Gazans who’ve sought refuge elsewhere.
However Saudi authorities warned no political slogans could be tolerated.
That didn’t cease many worshippers from voicing solidarity with Palestinians.
“We pray for them… and for the liberation of Palestine, in order that we’ve got two holidays as a substitute of 1,” stated Wadih Ali Khalifah, a 32-year-old Saudi pilgrim.
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