After a spiritually intense day on the plains of Arafat, Hajj pilgrims returned to Mina on Friday, the first day of Eid. Making their way from Muzdalifa where they spent most of the night, 2 million pilgrims will undertake a number of rituals to complete their Hajj pilgrimage.
Walking on Mina’s winding streets, pilgrims headed to the Jamarat with the help of volunteers and security officials who provided directions to those who got lost in their way and cooling them with water to make their journey more comfortable to the vast multi-storied complex north of the tented city.
Inside the cooled and spacious Jamarat building, pilgrims took part in the ‘stoning of Satan’ ritual, where they threw pebbles at the largest of three pillars called Aqaba, symbolizing the devil.
Pilgrims spread across the length of the elliptical-shaped pillar and hurled stones in an orderly manner.
Male pilgrims clad in Ihram, a two-piece seamless white garment, were also seen having their heads shaved, another important rite of the pilgrimage.
For the next three days pilgrims will be sleeping in Mina to complete their pilgrimage. Saudi Arabia’s King Salman reviewed security arrangements from Mina on Thursday evening, while Makkah Governor Khalid Al-Faisal said the Arafat phase of the Hajj was a success.
On the other hand, King Salman will cover the cost of sacrificial animals for 5,000 pilgrims hosted by the Hajj guest program, an official said.
The offer includes all pilgrims from more than 80 countries hosted by the Guests of King Salman for Hajj and Umrah, said secretary-general of the program, Abdullah bin Mudlaj Al-Mudlaj.
These include relatives of slain soldiers from Palestine, the Egyptian army and police, as well as relatives of Sudanese army personnel who were killed in the Decisive Storm and Restoring Hope operations.
Al-Mudlaj said the number of beneficiaries this Hajj season stands at 5,000, compared to 2,400 last year.
The executive committee of the program has begun work to implement the offer in coordination with the concerned agencies, while all the beneficiaries have been informed of the offer, he added.
The Hajj guest program is coordinated with Islamic figures in different countries around the world. It helps bolster relations between the Kingdom and peoples of Arab and Islamic countries, including Qatari nationals recently hosted by the king.