Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Monday 20 august 2018

Over 2 million Muslims begin annual hajj pilgrimage

casting away of sins that
takes place in the Mina val-
ley for three days.
At the hajj’s end, male pil-
grims will shave their hair
and women will cut a lock
of hair in a sign of renewal
for completing the pilgrim-
age. Around the world,
Muslims will mark the end
of hajj with a celebration
called Eid al-Adha. The
holiday, remembering Ibra-
him’s willingness to sacri-
fice his son, sees Muslims
slaughter sheep and cattle,
distributing the meat to the
poor.
Maj. Gen. Mansour al-Turki,
the spokesman of the Sau-
di Interior Ministry, told jour-
nalists Saturday that over 2
million Muslims from abroad
and inside the kingdom
would be taking part in this
year’s hajj.
Saudi Arabia’s ruling Al
Saud family stakes its le-
gitimacy in part on its man-
agement of the holiest sites
in Islam. King Salman’s offi-
Muslim pilgrims walks towards the Grand Mosque, to offer prayers ahead of the annual Hajj pilgrimage, in the Muslim holy city of cial title is the “Custodian of
Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, Aug. 18, 2018. the Two Holy Mosques,” at
Associated Press Mecca and Medina. Other
By OMAR AKOUR, Associ- opportunity to feel closer traces the footsteps of the times while reciting sup- Saudi kings, and the Otto-
ated Press to God amid the Muslim Prophet Muhammad, as plications to God, then man rulers of the Hijaz re-
MECCA, Saudi Arabia (AP) world’s many challenges, well as those of the proph- walk between the two hills gion before them, all have
— More than 2 million Mus- including the threat of vio- ets Ibrahim and Ismail — traveled by Hagar, Ibra- adopted the honorary title
lims began the annual hajj lence and extremists in the Abraham and Ishmael in him’s wife. Mecca’s Grand The kingdom has spent bil-
pilgrimage at first light on Mideast and the plight of the Bible. Muslims believe Mosque, the world’s larg- lions of dollars of its vast oil
Sunday in Saudi Arabia, Myanmar’s Muslim Rohing- God stayed the hand of est, encompasses the Kaa- revenues on security and
circling the cube-shaped ya minority. Ibrahim after command- ba and the two hills. safety measures, particu-
Kaaba in Mecca that Is- “We are very blessed by Al- ing him to sacrifice his son, After prayers in Mecca, larly in Mina, where some
lam’s faithful face five lah to be in this place, and Ismail. In the Christian and pilgrims will head to an of the hajj’s deadliest inci-
times each day during their we pray to Allah to make Jewish version of the story, area called Mount Ara- dents have occurred.
prayers. the Islamic nations from the Abraham is ordered to kill fat on Monday, where the The worst in recorded his-
The five-day hajj pilgrim- West to the East in a better his other son, Isaac. Prophet Muhammad deliv- tory took place only three
age represents one of the situation,” said Essam-Eddin The Kaaba represents the ered his final sermon. From years ago. On Sept. 24,
world’s biggest gatherings Afifi, a pilgrim from Egypt. metaphorical house of there, pilgrims will head to 2015, a stampede and
every year, and is required “We pray for the Islamic God and the oneness of an area called Muzdalifa, crush of pilgrims in Mina
of all able-bodied Muslims nations to overcome their God. picking up pebbles along killed at least 2,426 people,
once in their life. enemies.” Muslims circle the Kaaba the way for a symbolic according to an Associat-
The hajj offers pilgrims an Muslims believe the hajj re- counter-clockwise seven stoning of the devil and a ed Press count.q