Muslim pilgrims gather at Mount Arafat for hajj’s pinnacle

MOUNT ARAFAT, SAUDI ARABIA — Some 2 million Muslim pilgrims gathered on Monday in the valley of Mount Arafat in Saudi Arabia for a day of prayer that marks the pinnacle of the annual hajj.

Pilgrims stood shoulder to shoulder for an emotional day of repentance and supplication at the site Muslims believe the Prophet Muhammad delivered his final sermon, calling for equality and for Muslims to unite. According to the hadiths, traditional collections of the Prophet’s sayings and anecdotes about his life, Muhammad also reminded his followers of women’s rights and that every Muslim life and property is sacred.

Muslims believe prayer on this day at Mount Arafat, about 20 kilometres east of the holy city of Mecca, is their best chance to erase past sins and start anew.

“Today is the most important part of the hajj, and we are all feeling great, and we pray for all Muslims in the world,” said Abdel-Munem Ali, a Libyan pilgrim.

Syrian pilgrim Mohammad Nezar said he was praying “to Allah to restore peace for people everywhere.”

Mohammad Neem, a Pakistani pilgrim, said he couldn’t find the words to describe his feelings. “This is the day to pray, and this is the right time to do that,” he added.

Around sunset, pilgrims will head to an area called Muzdalifa. They spend the night there and pick up pebbles along the way that will be used in a symbolic stoning of the devil back in the city of Mina, where Muslims believe the devil tried to talk Ibrahim out of submitting to God’s will.