On Saturday, August 10, about 2 million Muslims gathered on Mount Arafat in Saudi Arabia for the annual pilgrimage. They spent the night in a large camp, Radio Svoboda reported.
The pilgrims will spend the whole day on Mount Arafat. Before sunset, they will move to Muzdalifah to gather pebbles, which on August 11 they will throw at the stone pillars in Jamarat that symbolize the devil.
The Hajj is a pilgrimage in Islam that involves visiting Mecca and its surroundings, and Medina, to the tomb of Muhammad. It is believed that every Muslim who is able to must perform the Hajj at least once in their life.
The Hajj is followed by Eid al-Adha, the Feast of the Sacrifice, one of the two main Muslim holidays. It begins 70 days after the end of the fast, on the day the Hajj ends, and lasts three to four days.
- According to Islam, it was at Arafat that God tested Abraham’s faith by ordering him to sacrifice his son Ishmael. The Prophet Muhammad also delivered his last sermon there.
- In 2018, more than 2 million Muslims also gathered on Mount Arafat for an all-night vigil to atone for their sins and ask God for forgiveness.
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