Muslim pilgrims face the Kaaba as they pray at the Grand Mosque during the annual Hajj in the Muslim holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia on Friday. Hundreds of thousands of Muslims have arrived in the kingdom to participate in the annual pilgrimage, a mandatory religious duty that must be carried out at least once by every adult Muslim who is physically and financially capable of making the journey.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
MECCA - More than 2 million Muslims begin the annual hajj on Friday as the Saudi hosts seek to deter politicization of the pilgrimage against a backdrop of simmering Gulf tensions.
The hajj, one of the world's largest religious gatherings, is one of Islam's five pillars and must be undertaken by all Muslims with the means at least once in their lives.
It consists of a series of religious rites which are completed over five days in Islam's holiest city and its surroundings in western Saudi Arabia.
"All of the arms of state have been deployed (and) we are proud to serve as 'God's hosts'," said security forces spokesman Bassam Attia.
In total some 2.5 million faithful, the majority from abroad, will undertake the pilgrimage this year, according to local media.
"More than 1.8 million visas were delivered online without the need for middlemen. It's a success," said hajj ministry official Hatim bin Hassan Qadi.
"We feel cleansed by achieving this pillar of Islam and meeting people from across the world. It's marvellous," said Mohamed Jaafar, a 40-year-old Egyptian pilgrim.
'AN INDESCRIBABLE FEELING'
"It's an indescribable feeling. You have to live it to understand it," said an Algerian in his fifties completing the pilgrimage for the first time.
"It's a golden opportunity and moment," said his female companion.
Mecca, built in a desert valley, is home to the Kaaba, a cube structure that is the focal point of Islam and draped in a gold-embroidered black cloth.
Muslims around the world pray towards the Kaaba, which is located in the Grand Mosque, and pilgrims walk around it seven times.
Worshipers will participate in weekly prayers late on Friday morning.
During the pilgrimage separate streams of men and women, grouped by nationality, will travel to Mina on foot or in buses provided by the authorities.
A district of Mecca, Mina sits in a narrow valley surrounded by rocky mountains and is transformed each year into a vast encampment for pilgrims.
A total of "350,000 air-conditioned tents have been pitched," said a Saudi official.
Worshipers will climb Mount Arafat, also known as the "Mount of Mercy", for hours of prayers and Koran recitals.
After descending, they will gather pebbles and perform the symbolic "stoning of the devil".
That marks the beginning of Eid al-Adha, the festival of sacrifice, marked on Sunday.
Pilgrims then return to the Grand Mosque to perform a final "tawaf" or walk around the Kaaba.
'POLITICIZING THE HAJJ'
This year's hajj takes place to a backdrop of Gulf tensions following a series of attacks on tankers, the downing of drones and maritime traffic being intercepted.
Riyadh blames regional foe Tehran for the attacks on commercial shipping, accusations Iran vehemently denies.
Despite the absence of diplomatic ties between the two countries, some 88,550 Iranian pilgrims are due to take part in the hajj this year according to the Tasnim news agency.
As in previous years, Saudi authorities have been at pains to stress that the hajj is a religious event and have sought to prevent its politicization.
Riyadh claimed its two-year embargo on Doha -- which includes restrictions on Qataris travelling to the kingdom -- would not affect the pilgrimage.
But hajj official Hassan Qadi acknowledged "very few Qataris have come to Mecca for the pilgrimage".
Saudi's hajj ministry accused Qatar of "politicizing the hajj and creating obstacles for Qatari pilgrims," the SPA state news agency reported.
The scale of the pilgrimage presents vast security and logistical challenges, with tens of thousands of safety officers deployed.
Riyadh faced strong criticism in 2015 when some 2,300 worshipers were killed in the worst stampede in the gathering's history.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
MINA, Saudi Arabia- More than 2 million Muslims took part in the symbolic stoning of the devil Tuesday in Saudi Arabia, the last major ritual of the hajj pilgrimage that heralds the start of the Eid al-Adha feast.
Muslims on the annual hajj pilgrimage, one of the five pillars of Islam, made their way across the Mina valley of the western Saudi Arabian Mecca province, many carrying pebbles in plastic bottles.
Pilgrims clad in white threw seven stones each at a pillar symbolizing Satan, shouting "Allahu akbar" ("God is greatest") under the watchful eyes of security forces.
Large fans sprayed water over the crowd as temperatures climbed to 44 degrees Celsius (111 Fahrenheit).
"Thank God it hasn't been too crowded this year. There hasn't been a big rush," said Mohammed Osman, 27, who regularly attends hajj.
Mina was the site of a 2015 stampede which saw more than 2,300 pilgrims crushed or suffocated to death. Authorities have since reinforced safety and security measures.
"We are under God's protection," said May Khalifa, a 37-year-old Egyptian Muslim living in Riyadh.
"Despite the exhaustion, I'm enjoying my first hajj," she said, lifting her small bag of stones.
The hajj is one of the world's largest Muslim gatherings and drew this year nearly 2.4 million pilgrims to Saudi holy sites.
SECURITY, PUBLIC HEALTH MEASURES
Roads from Muzdalifah -- another holy site where pilgrims spent Monday night -- to Mina were littered with plastic water bottles as sanitation workers scrambled to remove them.
Bangladeshi Moueeneddine Ahmed, 35, complained of the scorching heat but said he was "very excited" to take part in the stoning of the devil ritual.
In keeping with customs, he said he would then "shave his head" and trade the white seamless robe he wore for the hajj for his "normal clothes."
Ahmed also praised the Saudi government for keeping the peace throughout the hajj. "There's a lot of security. Very disciplined," he said.
Tens of thousands of security forces, including police and civil defense, have been deployed for hajj, according to Saudi authorities.
Saudi Arabia's King Salman made the trip to Mina on Tuesday and was seen on state-run television observing worshippers from the window of a high-rise.
And in a rare move, he took to Twitter to say it was a "great honor" to welcome the pilgrims to Saudi Arabia.
The hajj retraces the steps of the Prophet Mohammed on his last pilgrimage to Mecca.
It is one of the five pillars of Islam which every Muslim is required to complete at least once in their lifetime if they are healthy enough and have the means to do so.
Muslim tradition holds that pilgrims must throw seven stones at a pillar representing Satan on the first day of Eid al-Adha, which comes after two days of prayer and meditation.
The stoning ritual is not without risk, as millions of pilgrims converge on a tight space.
Since 2004, authorities have expanded the site and replaced the pillar by walls to accommodate the growing number of pilgrims, who can now reach Mina via multiple bridges.
Muslims traditionally slaughter sheep for the three-day Eid al-Adha, a tribute to the prophet Abraham's sacrifice of a lamb after God spared Ishmael, his son.
They will consume some of the meat and give the rest to poor people unable to buy food.
Pilgrims can purchase coupons from the Saudi government, which organizes the slaughter and freezing of the meat to avoid public health problems.
Revenues from the coupons are considered "zakat", or a charity donation, another pillar of Islam.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
