Having spent the previous night camped out in the open in Muzdalifah, pilgrims will proceed back to the Mina and Makkah to perform several duties, one of which is the symbolic stoning of the devil ritual.
On Thursday, Muslims around the world are also marking one of two Islamic holidays, known in Arabic as Eid al-Adha, commemorating what Muslims believe was Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son Ismael as a test of his faith from God.
For the stoning ritual, pilgrims will be filing in to crowds through a multi-level structure housing three pillars symbolizing the devil.
The ritual is an emulation of Ibrahim’s stoning of the devil at the three spots where he is said to have appeared trying to dissuade him from obeying God’s order to sacrifice his son, Ismael.
Muslims from around the world pour to Makkah every year to perform Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam.
Every able-bodied adult Muslim who can financially afford the trip must perform Hajj at least once in a lifetime.
alarabiya.net
24/9/15
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Related:
- Around 2 mln Muslims begin Hajj pilgrimage
- Saudi Arabia’s civil defense says that at least 310 pilgrims have died while 450 others were injured when a stampede broke out in the tent city of Mina, reported Al Arabiya News.
Rescue operations are currently under way, the service said on Twitter, after the stampede in Mina near Mecca, where hundreds of thousands of pilgrims were taking part in the 'stoning of the devil', last major rite of the Hajj pilgrimage.
Al Arabiya News Channel’s correspondent Abdulrahman Al-Osaimi reporting from Mina emergency hospital said the stampede happened at the entrance of the Jamarat bridge near Street 204, not inside of the area where the stoning pillars are.
“The injured have been distributed to four other hospitals in the Mina area. Some of the injured have been evacuated by helicopters to hospitals in Makkah city,” our reporter said.
The civil defense team also said that their teams on the ground are leading pilgrims to safer routes away from the stampede through alternate routes and that rescue operations are still underway.
Footage from the scene show people lying on the floor while emergency crews tend to the injured. Images shared on Twitter also show neighboring hospitals in the area getting ready.- alarabiya.net
24/9/15
At least 150 people taking part in the Hajj pilgrimage have been killed in a stampede near the Islamic holy city of Mecca, officials in Saudi Arabia say...
ReplyDeleteThe civil defence authority said on Twitter that another 400 people were injured in the incident at Mina, about 5km (3 miles) from Mecca.
Rescue operations were under way, it added.
The stampede occurred on the first day of Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of the Sacrifice.
BBC
Hajj stampede: At least 717 killed in Saudi Arabia...
ReplyDeleteAt least 717 people taking part in the Hajj pilgrimage have been killed in a stampede near the Islamic holy city of Mecca, officials in Saudi Arabia say.
Another 863 people were injured in the incident at Mina, which occurred as two million pilgrims were taking part in the Hajj's last major rite.
They converge on Mina to throw stones at pillars representing the devil.
Preparations for the Hajj were marred when a crane collapsed at Mecca's Grand Mosque this month, killing 109 people.
It is the deadliest incident to occur during the Hajj in 25 years.
Pilgrims travel to Mina, a large valley about 5km (3 miles) from Mecca, during the Hajj to throw seven stones at pillars called Jamarat, which represent the devil.
The pillars stand at three spots where Satan is believed to have tempted the Prophet Abraham......BBC