MINA: Pilgrims rushed to complete the final rituals of the Haj yesterday as they thronged the devil-stoning site here on the penultimate day of the pilgrimage.
Most pilgrims hurled stones at three pillars representing Satan as they must leave the Holy city of Mina before sunset. Others, however, will stay until today when they will perform the ritual one last time.
Mina valley looked as if it had been hit by an earthquake, with sheets, sleeping mats and tents scattered on roads where pilgrims had been camping for days. An overwhelming stench filled the air as rubbish bags were piled high along the roadsides.
“As you can see, we have suffered from the dirt,” said Syrian pilgrim Ruba Mohammed, who sat squeezed with her relatives in a shady spot between two trucks. “But it was sweet suffering.”
Worshippers outside Makkah will have to return there to perform the farewell circumambulation of the Holy Kaaba. The Haj officially ends today.
“I hope I will be able to perform the Haj again in the future,” said Um Hassan from Iraq. “It was a great experience.” Able-bodied Muslims must perform the Haj at least once in their lifetime.
“We will never experience anything better,” said Rajab Ibrahim, a 42-year-old Egyptian who sat with fellow pilgrims under a colourful sheet stretched between two cars to shield them from the scorching sun. “You feel internal peace here. You forget about everything else.”
The Haj has become nearly incident-free in recent years because of multi-billion dollar projects. This year alone, the kingdom spent more than SR1.1bn on development projects in the holy sites of Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah, all outside Makkah.
The devil-stoning at Mina passed without incident this year. Most tents are now fire-proof and gas canisters and cooking are banned. The stoning area has also been expanded to avoid overcrowding. Saudi authorities have built a five-level structure similar to a huge car park around the stoning site, allowing for the smooth flow of pilgrims.
Makkah Governor Prince Khaled Al Faisal told reporters that attendance this year was nearly four million people because of a large increase in the number of pilgrims without permits, mostly foreign residents of Saudi Arabia. AFP
