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WORLD NEWSThursday 24 September

Muslim pilgrims gather for pinnacle of hajj in Saudi Arabia

AYA BATRAWY It was on this day some their best chance to erase equality while women give religious sects, with Sunnis
Associated Press 1,400 years ago that Is- past sins and start anew. up makeup and perfume, and Shiites praying side by
MOUNT ARAFAT, Saudi Ara- lam’s Prophet Muhammad Islam requires that all able- covering their heads and side.
bia (AP) — Muslim pilgrims delivered his final sermon bodied Muslims perform wearing loose-fitting cloth- The day spent in Mount
Arafat is one of the few
Muslim pilgrims pray on a rocky hill called the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, times during the hajj that
Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2015 during the hajj pilgrimage. Mount Arafat, marked by a white pillar, is where Islam’s Prophet Muhammad all pilgrims are in the same
is believed to have delivered his last sermon to tens of thousands of followers some 1,400 years ago, calling on Muslims to unite. location at the same time
— and is often described
(AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy) as the most moving experi-
ence of the hajj.
from around the world from Mount Arafat during the hajj once in their lives. ing. “This is the place where the
gathered before dawn the hajj, calling for equality While following a route the As every year, for many pil- prophet ... had his last hajj
Wednesday in the valley of and for Muslims to unite. Prophet Muhammad once grims it is their first time to all the way form Mecca to
Mount Arafat in Saudi Ara- Throughout the day, hun- walked, travel outside their country, here.
bia for a day of prayer that dreds of thousands of pil- the rites are believed to having spent years saving We are following his foot-
marks the pinnacle of the grims scaled the hill and ultimately trace the foot- for what for most is an ex- steps,” said Abdul Halim Yu-
annual hajj pilgrimage. prayed facing the Kaaba, steps of the prophets Ibra- pensive pilgrimage. suf-Ali, a 21 year-old Islamic
Some 2 million pilgrims the cube-shaped structure him and Ismail, or Abraham Once back home, they will studies student from Kenya.
packed should-to-shoulder in Mecca that observant and Ishmael as they are be referred to in their com- Yusuf-Ali was among thou-
for an emotional day of Muslims around the world named in the Bible. munities with the respect- sands praying at Mount
repentance and supplica- face in prayer five times a The five-day hajj began ful title of “hajji” for having Arafat before sunrise
tion. Many wept as they day. Tuesday with the shedding completed the pilgrimage. Wednesday.
raised their hands toward Muslims believe prayer on of symbols of materialism The hajj is the largest gath- He said it was more impor-
the sky, asking for forgive- this day at Mount Arafat, — men donned white ter- ering of Muslims worldwide, tant than ever for Muslims
ness and praying for loved about 20 kilometers (12 ry cloth garments meant drawing to it people from to heed the words from the
ones. miles) east of Mecca, is to symbolize humility and different social classes and prophet’s last sermon, call-
ing for unity and equality.
“It is very important be-
cause now Muslims’ politi-
cal situation is very chaotic
and many Muslims are be-
ing killed every day,
and it is just the other way
around from what the
Prophet emphasized,” Yu-
suf-Ali added.
Among the most volatile
corners of the Muslim world
is Yemen,
where a Saudi-led coali-
tion is fighting Shiite reb-
els known as Houthis, who
overtook major cities last
year and ousted the interim
president from the capital.
For Yemeni pilgrim Essam
Ahmed, whose country is
embroiled in a bitter civil
war pitting pro-government
forces backed by Saudi
Arabia against Shiite rebels
known as Houthis and their
allies,
it was important to pray for
the defeat of the rebels.q