MAKKAH, 23 February — Hundreds of thousands of faithful yesterday stoned the Jamrah Al-Aqaba (the concrete pillar) symbolizing the stoning of the devil in the last stage of their Haj rituals. They will stone the Jamrat for two more days — today and tomorrow — before they leave for home.
Pilgrims threw seven pebbles they collected overnight from Muzdalifa at the first pillar known as the Jamrah Al-Aqaba or big Satan. Security measures had been stepped up to avoid any incident. The process was smooth and went without any incident.
The imam of the Grand Mosque, in his Eid Al-Adha sermon yesterday, reminded the faithful that Haj played a key role in strengthening Muslim unity and promoting world peace.
“Through Haj, God wants Muslims to be united and support one another,” Sheikh Saud Al-Shuraim, the imam, said while addressing the faithful who had packed the large mosque complex.
“While performing Haj, a Muslim learns to respect the right of fellow Muslims. One who has performed Haj will not attack or harm anybody or do any injustice to others,” he explained.
Shuraim blasted international human rights organizations for being indifferent to the killings of Muslims and the violation of their rights. The imam urged Muslims to follow Islamic teachings and keep away from internal wrangling and bloodshed.
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd and Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, reaffirmed the Saudi government’s commitment to provide the guests of God the best possible services. “We consider it a great honor for being given the opportunity to serve the two holy mosques and receive the guests of God, the pilgrims” they said in a joint address to the nation on the occasion of Eid Al-Adha.
Meanwhile, King Fahd received the commanders and senior officers of Haj security forces who came to greet him at his palace in Mina yesterday. Addressing the reception, Gen. Saleh ibn Taha Al-Khosaifan, head of the higher officers committee at the Interior Ministry, praised the Haj security forces’ efforts to ensure the security of pilgrims. “So far we have been successful in implementing the security plan,” the general said, adding that all security officers have been working day and night to face any emergency.
According to tradition, the “stoning of devil” takes place at the site where Satan appeared first to Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) then to his son Ismail and wife Hagar. Abraham and his family each threw seven stones at Satan. The action has been made a compulsory part of the rituals and Muslims must perform it to complete the Haj.
Security measures were stepped up and medical teams were in place at the stoning area (Jamrat) to avoid the recurrence of stampedes that claimed hundreds of lives in the past.
Thousands of security men, paramedics, guides and civil defense personnel stood guard as pilgrims came in and out of the Jamrat, a two-tier huge track with a capacity for 200,000 pilgrims an hour.
Helicopters constantly hovered overhead to monitor the huge crowds with the help of more than 1,000 hi-tech cameras, all connected to a control room run by top security authorities. Pilgrims carrying umbrellas to protect them from sweltering heat threw the stones chanting “Allahu Akbar” (God is Greatest).
Venizia Salam, a 38-year-old French woman, told Arab News that she was very happy. This was her first Haj. She was accompanied by her husband and baby. “I wish the whole world could undergo this experience,” said Salam. After the stoning, pilgrims sacrificed animals. At present, most of the sacrifices are carried out at a SR500-million ($133 million) state-of-the-art abattoir and the meat is sent to poor countries.
After sacrificing the animal and shaving or cutting the hair the pilgrims went to the Grand Mosque in Makkah to perform the Tawaf Al-Ifada. They circle the Kaaba and walk between Safa and Marwa seven times.
Haj Minister Iyad Madani has said that “well over two million pilgrims” are performing Haj this year. He gave no details, but the local press reported a sharp rise in the number of pilgrims from the Kingdom.
The Planning Ministry’s statistics department, however, put the figure at 1,834,168 with 1,354,184 arriving from abroad. It said the majority of domestic pilgrims were expatriates.
Overcrowding at the Jamrat has in recent years resulted in stampedes. “This ritual symbolizes the pilgrims’ rejection of the devil and his ways,” Muhammad Najeeb, a visibly-moved Egyptian pilgrim said. “It is very difficult to perform the stoning because of crowding. But it seems it is going fine,” he added.
Pilgrims will spend the next two nights in Mina in 44,000 fireproof and air-conditioned tents.
