Thursday , March 28 2024

08-07-2022

MAKKAH: Sheikh Muhammad Bin Abdul Karim on Friday delivered the Hajj sermon with the status of khateeb (speaker) of Hajj at Masjid-e-Nimrah, as Muslims from across the world gathered in Makkah to offer the pilgrimage which is one of the key obligations of Islam.

Huge crowds of Muslim pilgrims scaled Mount Arafat in Makkah early this morning (Friday), the high point of the biggest hajj pilgrimage since the pandemic forced drastic cuts in numbers for two years in a row.

In his sermon, Sheikh Karim urged the Muslims to steer clear of everything that is a cause of spreading hatred as per Islamic values.

“Islamic values require that one should avoid everything that causes hatred,” he said.

The khateeb also said that Allah has repeatedly ordered to maintain piety and only the pious get the closeness to Allah.

“Allah says there is a good omen of getting to Jannah [paradise] for the pious,” Shiekh Karim said.

He urged the Muslims to worship only Allah who made the sky and earth for them to live, saying that toheed [belief in the oneness of Allah] is the biggest blessing for Muslims.

“Fear only Allah, for that is the way to success. No one can relieve your hardships,” he said, adding that success in the hereafter will also be achieved by following the orders of Allah.

Sheikh Karim further said that all humans are the children of Prophet Adam (AS), who was created with soil.

He said that Muslims are obliged to value and respect humanity.

As many as 1 million pilgrims are performing Hajj this year. Of these 1 million Muslims, 83,433 pilgrims are from Pakistan.

He advised the Muslims to perform Hajj the way Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) did.

“Our Hajj will be accepted if we avoided things that have been advised to avoid (during the pilgrimage),” he said.

Huge crowds of Muslim pilgrims scaled the Mount Arafat in Mecca early this morning (Friday), the high point of the biggest hajj pilgrimage since the pandemic forced drastic cuts in numbers for two years in a row.

The worshippers, capped at one million including 850,000 from abroad chosen by lottery, spent the night at camps in the valley of Mina, seven kilometres (four miles) from Mecca’s Grand Mosque, Islam’s holiest site.

In the early hours of Friday, they converged on Mount Arafat, where the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) delivered his final sermon, for the most important rite of Hajj, Day of Arafat.

After this, the hajis will also listen to the Hajj sermon, to replicate the last sermon of Holy Prophet Muhmmad (PBUH) that he gave on Hajjatul Wida [the last Hajj of the prophet’s life).

The sermon will be delivered at 1:40pm according to Pakistan time. The pilgrims will stay all day at the site, praying and reciting the Quran.

After sunset they will head to Muzdalifah, half-way between Arafat and Mina, where they will sleep under the stars before performing the symbolic “stoning of the devil” ceremony on Saturday.

The hajj, usually one of the world’s largest annual religious gatherings, is among the five pillars of Islam and must be undertaken by all Muslims with the means at least once in their lives.

In 2019, some 2.5 million Muslims from around the world took part, as in previous years but the coronavirus outbreak has since forced Saudi authorities to dramatically downsize the hajj. Just 60,000 fully vaccinated citizens and residents of the kingdom participated in 2021, up from a few thousand in 2020.

Sun and tears

The pilgrimage can be physically draining even in ideal conditions, but worshippers this year have faced an added challenge: scorching sun and temperatures rising to 42 degrees Celsius (108 degrees Fahrenheit).

Islam forbids men from wearing hats once the rites start, and many have been seen shielding themselves with umbrellas, prayer mats and even, in one case, a small bucket filled with water.

Women, meanwhile, are obliged to cover their heads with scarves.

On the mountain Friday morning, many of the worshippers wept as they prayed, and carried umbrellas in preparation for the high temperatures later in the day.

Extreme conditions

“We can tolerate (the heat). We are here for the hajj. The more we tolerate, the more our pilgrimage is accepted,” Laila, a 64-year-old Iraqi pilgrim who gave only her first name, told media in Mecca before reaching the mount.

Saudi officials have touted their preparations for the extreme conditions, highlighting the hundreds of hospital beds allocated for heat stroke patients and the “large number of misting fans” they have provided.

A truck has also been allocated to distribute umbrellas, water bottles and small fans.

Nevertheless, the National Centre for Meteorology, which has set up an office in Mina, is sending warnings to pilgrims on their mobile phones, urging them to avoid outdoor rituals at certain times of the day, especially at noon.

On Saturday, Muslim pilgrims will take part in the “stoning”, the last major ritual of this year´s hajj.

This ritual has in past years led to deadly stampedes, as hundreds of thousands of participants converge on a small space.

After the stoning ritual, pilgrims return to the Grand Mosque in Mecca to perform a final “tawaf” or circling of the Kaaba, the cubic structure draped in a gold-embroidered black cloth that is the focal point of Islam. (Int’l News Desk)

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