ARAFAT, 19 December 2007 — In scenes suggestive of the Day of Judgment, millions of Muslim faithful, wearing white robes, assembled on the Plains of Arafat yesterday at the peak of this year’s Haj. The pilgrims spent the day in prayer and meditation here before leaving for the valley of Muzdalifah on their way back to Mina.

The standing in prayer at Arafat is one of the compulsory rituals of Haj, a major pillar or tenet of Islam. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said that “Haj is Arafat,” indicating that a pilgrim should be in Arafat in order for his Haj to be complete. On the Day of Arafat, God forgives the sins of those who seek His pardon.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah arrived in Mina last night to supervise this year’s Haj operation. The king will receive foreign dignitaries as well as heads of foreign Haj missions. Crown Prince Sultan and other top Cabinet members are also present in Mina.

The pilgrims came on foot, by bus and in pickup trucks from Mina and other locations. Interior Minister Prince Naif, who is chairman of the Supreme Haj Committee, said that a record number of 1.7 million pilgrims came from 181 countries for Haj this year. Security forces, especially traffic police, worked hard to control the massive movement of pilgrims.

Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh lashed out in his Arafat sermon at enemies of the Islamic world for targeting the faith and livelihood of Muslims.

Delivering the annual Haj sermon, he called upon Muslims to hold fast to their faith. “If the Ummah (Islamic nation) returns to its religion, no force in the world will be able to defeat it,” he said.

The enemies have been targeting the Ummah in its faith. They are aiming at its economy and are attempting to annex it to their economic system, he said.

“The Ummah is being targeted ... on its values, morals and culture,” said the mufti, the Kingdom’s top Islamic scholar. However, he said that Muslims had contributed to this by abandoning the fundamentals of their faith.

The mufti warned against the dangers surrounding the Ummah and the efforts of its enemies to pounce on Muslim nations, exploit their wealth and create divisions among them.

Al-Asheikh blasted the enemies of the Ummah for recruiting young Muslims to carry out terrorist attacks. “Every Muslim rejects these acts of terrorism,” the mufti said and urged Muslims all over the world not to allow people having evil and sick minds to create chaos and confusion in their countries. “We have to tackle this problem by joining hands. This is a dangerous virus that targets truth and creates division and destruction,” he added.

Despite the hardships, pilgrims told how reaching the Arafat was a dream come true. “If two million Muslims from all over the world can come together on the plains of Arafat at the call of our dear faith, what stops them from joining hands for the better good of the Muslim world?” asked Abu Ammar, a Palestinian pilgrim based in Saudi Arabia. “The biggest problem we face today is our lack of unity,” he added.

For Jehangir Asmat, a Pakistani national, the standing at Arafat was a renewal of his faith. “I feel like I’ve been born again and I’ve taken a vow to put my past behind me and start afresh and live life according to the strict tenets of Islam,” he said. Before sunset yesterday, all pilgrims left the plains of Arafat for Muzdalifah, where they camped out under the stars. The pilgrimage proceeded without incident under the watchful eyes of thousands of security forces camped out there. Surveillance cameras and helicopters monitored crowd movement.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is performing Haj this year as the guest of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, among other foreign dignitaries including Mauritanian President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdellahi and Pakistan’s Caretaker Prime Minister Mohammadmian Soomro.

Health Minister Dr. Hamad Al-Manie yesterday met with heads of Haj health committees and emphasized his ministry’s plan to deploy more medical and first-aid teams in Makkah, Mina and other holy sites in order to face any emergencies.

Dr. Rasheed Al-Eid, commander of Saudi Red Crescent Society, said his officers carry about 50 percent of emergency cases by foot during Haj as the squatting of pilgrims prevents entry of vehicles. “We have taken more than 5,000 pilgrims to hospitals and health centers by the end of Arafat day,” he told Arab News.

Some of the most enthusiastic pilgrims spent Monday night on Mount Arafat, also known as Jabal Al-Rahma or the Mount of Mercy, nestling in cracks between the boulders. The night air was pleasantly cool, with a breeze from the desert.

Husain Abdullah, a Somali who has been living in the Kingdom for the past 10 years, said that he is now ready to walk the entire distance with his wife. “The reward that we get depends on the difficulties we face. We will walk from Arafat to Muzdalifah and then to Mina,” said Abdullah, adding that though there are different vehicles that could take them, they would do the entire journey on foot and avoid the traffic jam.

The majority of the walkers come from the Kingdom. The area for those who want to walk is far from the vehicular traffic and has toilets as well as water for the pilgrims.

Pilgrims perched on the hillside said they had prayed for the welfare and success of Muslims across the world. Zaki Ali Ibrahim, an Egyptian driver working in Saudi Arabia, said he had spent the whole night in prayer with friends. “I prayed that all Muslims may prosper, and that I may prosper with them,” he said.

Shazli Atallah Mohamed, a plumber from the southern Egyptian province of Qena, said that on the hilltop, he felt he was closer to God than anywhere else on earth. “I prayed that God might accept us all for entry into Paradise,” he said.

A large group chanted prayers in unison, asking God to help fellow Muslims in areas of conflict including the Palestinian territories, Chechnya, Kashmir and Sudan.

A sea of people wrapped in white cloths streamed along six-lane roads to fill the plain, carrying mats, food, screens against the sun, Qur’an copies and prayer books.

During the day, local food and drinks companies distributed their products free to the crowds. Peddlers sold fruit and tea on the plain and African women spread their wares on the ground, offering prayer beads, incense and prayer mats. One man offered rides in the howdahs of camels, richly decorated with brocade and colored pompoms.

Dr. Yahya Al-Kinani, director of the Charitable Warehouse in Makkah, said his charity had distributed 350,000 packets of meals to pilgrims yesterday with the help of cold storage container trucks. “We have also distributed cold water, juice and umbrellas to the pilgrims,” he added.

For the first time, the warehouse distributed 10,000 blankets among the guests of God in Muzdalifah in order to protect them from cold weather. “We will distribute 100,000 packets of hot meals to pilgrims in Muzdalifah,” Kinani told Arab News. The charity has appointed 100 workers to distribute food and other supplies to pilgrims at the holy sites.

According to one report, more than five million meals, donated by individuals and companies were distributed to pilgrims in Arafat yesterday. Cold storage trucks were distributing meals, cold water and beverages throughout the day. The charitable kitchen of Muhammad Aboud Al-Amoudi, located near Jabal Al-Rahma, supplied more than four million meals to pilgrims.

The pilgrims will begin stoning at the Jamrat in Mina today as part of the Haj rituals. Col. Salim Mudheb, commander of the civil defense force at Jamrat, said his forces were ready to receive pilgrims. “We have readied additional forces to get into action wherever necessary,” he added.

Meanwhile, summary courts in Arafat issued sentences against 30 people including pickpockets and drug dealers. Brig. Khidr Al-Zahrani, director of crime branch in the holy sites, said the judges passed their verdicts against the criminals soon after completing investigations into their crimes.

Also yesterday, the Holy Kaaba wore a new kiswa or cover. The kiswa, made of pure silk, will cost SR20 million.

— Additional input by Samir Al-Saadi, Galal Fakkar & Ali Hawash