AP
Nov. 26: Muslim pilgrims, seen from a helicopter, climb the Mountain of Mercy, a rocky hill on the Plain of Arafat, and pray for God's forgiveness.
Nov. 26: Muslim pilgrims, seen from a helicopter, climb the Mountain of Mercy, a rocky hill on the Plain of Arafat, and pray for God's forgiveness.
Two million Muslims are headed to Muzdalifa, Saudi Arabia, to cast stones at the devil in the most dangerous part of the annual hajj pilgrimage, Reuters reported.
Once the Muslim pilgrims get there, they will collect pebbles to throw at walls of the Jamarat Bridge to symbolize the rejection of the devil's temptations.
Aisha Mennan, 63, came from Morocco with her family to take part in the hajj pilgrimage.
"Now I can die in peace," she told Reuters. "My two sons and three daughters have been saving for years to send me here and when the money was ready I had to wait another three years before I got picked by a ballot. I'm very lucky to be here."
According to Reuters, the bridge has been the scene of a number of deadly stampedes, including the incident in 2006 when 362 were crushed to death.
The hajj marks sites that Islamic tradition says Prophet Ibrahim visited in Mecca and that Prophet Mohammad established as a pilgrim route 14 centuries ago after removing pagan idols from Mecca.
Authorities have reported none of the problems that have plagued the hajj in previous years such as fires, hotel collapses and police clashes, according to Reuters.
Once the Muslim pilgrims get there, they will collect pebbles to throw at walls of the Jamarat Bridge to symbolize the rejection of the devil's temptations.
Aisha Mennan, 63, came from Morocco with her family to take part in the hajj pilgrimage.
"Now I can die in peace," she told Reuters. "My two sons and three daughters have been saving for years to send me here and when the money was ready I had to wait another three years before I got picked by a ballot. I'm very lucky to be here."
According to Reuters, the bridge has been the scene of a number of deadly stampedes, including the incident in 2006 when 362 were crushed to death.
The hajj marks sites that Islamic tradition says Prophet Ibrahim visited in Mecca and that Prophet Mohammad established as a pilgrim route 14 centuries ago after removing pagan idols from Mecca.
Authorities have reported none of the problems that have plagued the hajj in previous years such as fires, hotel collapses and police clashes, according to Reuters.
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P.S....Islam is comparable in numbers "only" to the Catholic Religion. While the Muslim Pilgrims stone the devil in Mecca, Saudi Arabia:
Saudi floods kill 77 while Muslims perform hajj
By HADEEL AL-SHALCHI (AP) – 9 hours ago
MOUNT ARAFAT, Saudi Arabia — Muslim pilgrims holding white umbrellas against the blazing sun clambered up a rocky desert hill for prayers Thursday during the annual hajj, following a day of torrential rains that killed at least 77 people.
Flooding from the unusually heavy downpours hit hardest in the Red Sea coastal city of Jiddah, about 40 miles (60 kilometers) away from the holy city of Mecca and its surrounding sacred sites where the 3 million Muslims from around the world were performing the rites of the pilgrimage.
Most of the deaths occured in Jiddah, where streets were swamped with water, some houses collapsed and mudslides took place, and in areas around the main highway to Mecca, Civil Defense officials said.
It did not immediately appear that any pilgrims were among the dead. Jiddah's civil defense chief Capt. Abdullah al-Amri said 21 of the victims were identified as Saudis and the rest were believed to be residents of Saudi Arabia.
Wednesday's downpours snarled the opening day of the hajj, drenching pilgrims and knocking out roads that caused epic traffic jams as the faithful tried to make their way to the holy sites. The rains, if they continue as meteorologists predict, could raise safety hazards — particularly the perennial danger of deadly stampedes, since a trip-up on slippery walkways could lead to people getting trampled in crowds.
But skies cleared for most of Thursday, and the heat rose. The umbrellas that protected pilgrims from the rain now were shades from the hot sun as they conducted their rituals in the desert plateau of Mount Arafat, about 12 miles (20 kilometers) east of Mecca.
The site is where Islam's Prophet Muhammad delivered his farewell sermon. The faithful climbed up the Mountain of Mercy, a rocky hill at Arafat, and prayed for God's forgiveness of their sins in what Muslims consider the spiritual high point of the pilgrimage.
Afterward, they prepared to head for the nearby plains of Muzdalifah, where they will pick stones for the next step in the hajj: Starting Friday, they will pelt stones at three walls representing the devil in a symbolic rejection of temptation. The stoning takes place for three days in the mountain valley of Mina, until the end of hajj on Sunday.
Saudi Arabia's biggest worry for months ahead of the hajj has been swine flu. The pilgrimage is one of the most crowded in the world, with the masses of Muslims from every corner of the globe packed shoulder to shoulder in prayers and rites — a perfect incubator for the virus, according to epidemiologists.
The Saudi government has been working with the United States' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to set up clinics and take precautions to stem any outbreak.
It often rains in Mecca and Jiddah during the winter months, but Wednesday's downpour was the heaviest in years during the hajj. Jiddah was swamped with 7 centimeters (2.76 inches) of rain, more than it would normally get in an entire year, according to Dale Mohler, senior meteorologist at the Web site, AccuWeather.com.
Source: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jzONYVoEPpfYIKnFrS3bg-WGHf3QD9C78UOG0
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