|
Two Million Muslims Converge On Mecca For Pilgrimage Of A Lifetime
MECCA, Saudi Arabia, Feb 28 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Two million Muslims are converging on the Saudi Arabian city of Mecca for the annual pilgrimage, the hajj, to the holiest location in Islam.
Saudi hajj authorities said on Wednesday, the final day for arrivals from abroad, that 1.5 million foreigners from 100 countries were expected by the end of the day to join 500,000 residents of the kingdom for the pilgrimage.
The authorities, who have taken measures to avoid the fire and stampede tragedies of previous years, are beefing up security measures in and around Mecca.
Police controlled the main entrances Wednesday to Islam's holiest city, allowing in only those people with hajj permits. Entry to the Mecca area was restricted to ease the movement of pilgrims.
Traffic police were posted on major roads and crossings, especially in the Grand Mosque (al-Masjid al-Haram) area where the holy "Kaaba", a cube-shaped structure of marble and gray stone, is located.
Around the world, Muslims pray in the direction of the Kaaba, raised by the prophet Abraham and his son Ismael.
Masses of the faithful - men in two pieces of seamless white cloth and veiled women - thronged the Grand Mosque in large numbers to circle Kaaba seven times, the traditional greeting of worshipers to the holy shrine.
Pilgrims then made the "saiy", a walk seven-times between two hillocks where Muslims believe Abraham's wife Hagar searched for water for her baby Ismael until she found the Zamzam spring.
The faithful, while making the rotations around Kaaba, prayed passionately for God to forgive their sins, to accept their pilgrimage and to help Muslims prevail over their enemies. Scores wept as they touched its outside walls.
"Oh generous God, grant victory to Muslims in Palestine," was one of the most popular prayers said at the Kaaba to roars of "amin'' from thousands of worshippers. The pilgrims circled the Kaaba in a minor pilgrimage, or Umra, as a prelude to the larger hajj, the fifth pillar of the Muslim faith.
"Preparing for hajj is an ongoing effort, it never ceases...Our basic objective is to make sure every pilgrim has peace of mind and privacy with his Creator,'' said Pilgrimage and Endowments Minister Iyad bin Amin Madani in Mecca.
The pilgrims will recreate actions taught by Prophet Mohammad (SAW) and performed annually for 14 centuries.
"This is awesome, just awesome,'' Mohammad, a Jordanian pilgrim, said. "All these crowds here with the same aim, same hope: to satisfy the Creator and to end up in Heaven.''
Saudi Arabia grants hajj visas to countries according to strict quotas. To give outsiders more opportunities to attend, authorities two years ago barred residents of the kingdom from performing hajj more than once every five years.
In addition, Saudi King Fahd bin Abdelaziz is hosting 2,500 pilgrims as part of an annual tradition. One thousand of them are relatives of Palestinian martyrs, and others are from Europe, Africa, North America and Asia.
The hajj - which every able-bodied Muslim with the means must carry out at least once in a lifetime - starts in earnest Saturday when pilgrims move to Mina, a valley outside Mecca where they are housed in fireproof tents.
The pilgrims keep an all-night vigil in Mina, and on Sunday, the faithful scale Mount Arafat, 12 kilometers (seven miles) away to stand there until sunset. Here, they will pray for forgiveness at the site of Prophet Mohammad's (SAW) last sermon.
On Monday, the last day of the hajj, and the start of the Eid al-Adha (sacrifice) feast, the faithful sacrifice a sheep and stone three pillars that symbolize Satan. The stoning will continue for three successive days, with each pilgrim having to throw seven stones against the pillars.
According to tradition, Satan appeared three times to Abraham, Hagar and their son, Ismael, who each stoned the devil seven times to symbolize their contempt for him.
Saudi leaders last year hailed a trouble-free pilgrimage, without any major security incidents or epidemics.
Over the previous three years, Saudi Arabia spent $720 million to prevent tragedies like a blaze in Mina that cost 343 lives in 1997.
Despite their efforts however, in 1998, at least 118 pilgrims died and more than 180 were injured in a stampede during the "Stoning of Satan" ritual.
|
