Muslim pilgrims ascend Mount Arafat for peak of Hajj
Muslims across the world have started preparing for the pinnacle of Hajj pilgrimage on Monday (today).
Muslims will stand on Mount Arafat and pray on the spot where the Prophet Mohammed gave his final sermon almost 1,400 years ago.
More than 2 million people will converge on a hill no larger than a football field and pray. That is the first event of Hajj that will require every pilgrim to be in the same place at a specific time, between noon and sunset.
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Hajj, the world’s largest annual pilgrimage, requires the faithful to repeat a set of rituals first performed by the Prophet Mohammed centuries ago.
The event is a deeply spiritual experience for Muslims, and one that every believer aspires to take part in at some point in their life, if they are able.
Those who are unable to perform the pilgrimage for financial or health reasons are exempt. If they can afford it, Muslims can have someone perform the Hajj on their behalf, with Sharia advising they fund someone who would otherwise be unable to attend.
Muslims will, on Tuesday, observe the first day of Eid al-Adha, or Feast of Sacrifice, which marks the end of the hajj.
They 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.
