MINA, Saudi Arabia (AFP) – - Thousands of
Muslim pilgrims massed in a valley near the Saudi holy city of Mina
on Monday for the stoning of Satan, the last and most dangerous
rite of the annual hajj.
Hundreds of people have been trampled to death in stampedes
which have blighted several previous pilgrimages to Islam’s holiest
sites when the faithful rush to hurl stones at huge pillars
symbolising the devil.
To complete the ritual, a pilgrim must throw 21 pebbles at each
of three 25-metre (82-foot) pillars and this year the faithful are
being given pebbles in pre-packed bags to spare them the effort of
searching for the stones.
So far this year, no major incidents have been reported,
although a record number of pilgrims from abroad travelled to the
holy sites, with a total of nearly two and a half million
worshippers.
A large security force monitored worshippers headed for the
stoning after slaughtering sheep in a ritual for the Feast of the
Sacrifice (Eid al-Adha) to recall Abraham’s willingness to
sacrifice his son on God’s order.
Most pilgrims did not sacrifice an animal themselves, but
instead bought vouchers from the Saudi authorities which then
forward meat in the form of aid to poor Muslims in other
countries.
Saudi King Abdullah and his brother Crown Prince Sultan sent a
joint message to the pilgrims on Monday.
“By performing hajj rituals, they fill the world, in fact, the
entire world with mercy, tolerance, compassion and peace, promoting
the values of truth, goodness and integrity while getting rid of
all their resentments and animosities,” they said.
The Saudi king and crown prince also urged the pilgrims “to
utilise these blessed moments in order… to return to your families
enriched with some of the rewards of (the) hajj, well-guided and
ready to guide.”
The official SPA news agency reported that
the most recent statistics put the total number of pilgrims at more
than 2.4 million, almost 1.73 million from abroad and 679,000 from
within the kingdom, mostly foreign residents.
The authorities have built bridges at three different levels on
the stoning site in a bid to avoid the trampling that caused the
deaths of 364 people in 2006, 251 in 2004 and 1,426 in 1990.
The interior ministry has assembled 100,000 stewards to ensure
safety during the hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam that the
Koran says Muslims must carry out at least once in their lives if
they are well enough and can afford it.
After the stoning ceremony, the pilgrims go to Mecca’s Great
Mosque for a “farewell visit” to the Kaaba, a cube-shaped structure
into which is set the Black Stone, Islam’s most sacred relic.
As is the custom, the huge ornate cloth with gold-coated silver
thread that covers the Kaaba was changed on Sunday at an estimated
cost of 5.5 million dollars, SPA said