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A tide of worshipers flocked Saturday to Mount Arafat, where more than a million and a half Muslims on pilgrimage in western Saudi Arabia will spend the day reciting the Koran and praying, especially for Palestinians in Gaza , under extreme heat.
Dressed all in white, some pilgrims arrived at dawn to climb the 70 meter high hill, near Mecca, where the Prophet Muhammad is said to have delivered his last sermon, while the surrounding plain filled with faithful who came to perform one of the main rites of the hajj.
The great Muslim pilgrimage takes place in the shadow of the war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Hajj Minister Tawfiq al-Rabiah warned last week that no political slogans would be tolerated, but that did not stop one of the pilgrims from chanting his support for the Palestinians. “Pray for our brothers in Palestine, in Gaza (…) May God give victory to the Muslims,” he said.
After spending the night in tents in Mina, pilgrims in Arafat face the scorching summer sun in the Gulf kingdom, one of the hottest regions in the world, and temperatures expected to reach 43°C. , according to official forecasts.
The great Muslim pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of Islam. All Muslims are expected to perform it at least once in their life if they have the means.
At sunset, the faithful will go to Muzdalifah, still near Mecca, where they will sleep under the stars and collect stones which will allow them to carry out the symbolic “stoning of the devil” on Sunday.
They will also celebrate Eid al-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice) on Sunday, also observed by Muslims across the world.
Afp
