Hajj begins, slaughtering tomorrow in Saudi Arabia

Risingbd Desk: More than two million Muslims from around the globe on Monday will climb Mount Arafat for the climax of the hajj, praying and reading the Koran.

Tomorrow, the hajj will end with the Eid-ul-Azha feast, which is marked by the slaughter of sheep, a tribute to Abraham’s sacrifice of a lamb after God spared Ishmael, his son.

The prophet Mohammed delivered his final sermon from the rocky hill to Muslims who had accompanied him on his final hajj, according to Islam.

After sunset, pilgrims head to Muzdalifah, halfway between Arafat and Mina, where they stay at least until midnight.

They gather pebbles to perform the symbolic stoning of the devil on the eve of the Eid-ul-Azha feast.

More than two million Muslims from around 164 countries yesterday started the hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, one of the world’s largest annual gatherings in a country undergoing unprecedented change.

In Mecca, pilgrims performed a ritual walk seven times around the Kaaba, a black masonry cube wrapped in a silk cloth embroidered in gold with Koranic verses at the centre of the Grand Mosque.

The shrine is the point towards which Muslims around the world pray.

Tens of thousands of security personnel have been deployed for the pilgrimage, which was struck by its worst ever disaster three years ago when around 2,300 worshippers were crushed to death in a stampede.

This year, the Saudis have launched a “smart hajj” initiative, with apps to help pilgrims with everything from travel plans to medical care.


risingbd/Dhaka/Aug 20, 2018/Saif/AI