Hajj Pilgrims to Ascend Arafat on Monday

Gulf

July 19th, 5:11am

Makkah - Omar al-Badwi

Hajj pilgrims at Mina. (SPA)

The Hajj pilgrims will ascend Mount Arafat on Monday, one of the holiest days of their journey. The pilgrims had arrived at Mina on Saturday where they spent the night ahead of heading to Arafat for the most important part of the Hajj. At Arafat, the pilgrims will spend sunup to sunset in supplication and silent prayer. Dr. Bandar Balila, the imam and preacher of the Grand Mosque, will deliver the noon prayer sermon, which will be simultaneously translated into ten languages. Security forces and service personnel have been deployed heavily throughout the holy sites to ensure that the pilgrims perform their rituals safely and within the necessary health regulations given the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. At the end of their day in Arafat, the pilgrims will spend the night in Muzdalifah ahead of Eid al-Adha on Tuesday. On Tuesday, they will gather stones for the symbolic stoning of the Devil at al-Aqaba. Health Ministry spokesman Dr. Mohammed Abdelali said no coronavirus cases have been reported among the pilgrims so far. He added that health authorities are closely monitoring the pilgrims and implementing the necessary measures to ensure their safety.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3087756/hajj-pilgrims-ascend-arafat-monday