Million of Hajj Pilgrims Perform Wukuf at Arafah on Saturday
Arafah, MINA – Marking the peak of the annual Hajj pilgrimage, more than 1.8 million pilgrims carried out the peak of the Wukuf at Arafah Desert on Saturday.
“Labbaik Allahumma Labbaik (O Lord, here I am answering Your call),” chanted the talbiyah sentences from the congregation accompanying wukuf at Arafah.
Before entering Arafah Desert, pilgrims first listen to the Arafah Sermon in the Namira Mosque area in Arafah, about 20 km southeast of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Gazette reported.
Shaykh Maher Al-Muaiqly, imam and preacher of the Grand Mosque, delivers the Arafah Sermon at the Namira Mosque.
In his sermon, Shaykh Al-Muaiqly appealed to all Muslims to obey what Allah commands and stay away from His prohibitions in order to achieve victory, safety, and happiness in both this world and the hereafter.
“Hajj is a form of sincere worship of Allah,” he said.
Shaikh Al-Muaiqly emphasized the need to adhere to the five basic things that are the objectives of the Shari’a, namely protecting religion, soul, reason, property and descendants.
He also prayed for Palestinians who are suffering from war, and hampered access to basic needs such as food, medicine and clothing.
Arafah’s sermon was translated into 20 languages to reach one billion listeners worldwide.
After performing the combined and shortened midday and Asr prayers (plural qashar), with one adhan and two iqama, the Hajj pilgrims then begin to perform wukuf at Arafah.
According to the General Statistics Agency report, as many as 1,833,164 pilgrims performed the Hajj this year. They include 1,611,310 foreign pilgrims and 221,854 domestic Saudi pilgrims.
The pilgrims included 3,322 guests of King Salman, and 2,000 Palestinian pilgrims among them.
They came from the families of martyrs, prisoners and injured Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and other occupied territories, as well as 1,300 invited guests from around 88 countries. (T/RE1/P2)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
