Saudi Arab, Gulf region commemorate Eid-ul-Adha, today.

Saudi Arabia: Eid-ul-Adha – the mega annual Islamic event is being commemorated in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region on Saturday (today) as approx. one million foreign pilgrims have gathered at the holy city of Mecca from parts of the world including the United States (US) and Pakistan to commemorate the great sacrifice by Hazrat Ibrahim (AS) of his son Hazrat Ismail (AS).

Also, Muslims in Afghanistan, Libya, Egypt, Kenya and Yemen are celebrating Eid ul-Adha on Saturday, with religious zest and fervor.

Amid strict covid-19 restrictions, following the Eid prayers, the Hajj pilgrims clad in while sacrificed animals in the path of Allah almighty and to fulfill Sunnat-e-Ibrahimi.

Improved  security arrangements were also made by the Saudi authorities, and Hujjaj performed the mandatory rituals in smooth manner.

Saudi Gazette reported that King Salman prayed for Allah’s peace, mercy, and blessings on all of them. He also prayed for the pilgrims who are performing this year’s Hajj and all those who are serving them.

The pilgrims threw seven pebbles each at the Jamarat Al-Aqaba wall in a ritual symbolizing the devil’s stoning.

Hajj pilgrims began to move to the Grand Mosque in Makkah for Tawaf Al-Ifadha. Prior to that, they had stoned the Jamarat Al-Aqaba, sacrificed animals, and had their heads shaved for the 10th day of Dul Hijjah.

“Security services are also on hand to ensure that congestion is kept to a minimum and to manage the flow of the approximately 899,353 pilgrims who are at the holy sites to perform this year’s Hajj,” according to the General Authority for Statistics.

All the pilgrims had spent the previous night resting in their tents in Mina on the first day of the stoning.

On Friday, the spokesman for Hajj and Umrah, Hisham Saeed, at a press conference highlighted the plan and arrangements for the Hajj with all relevant authorities, and schedules with specific times to ensure the smooth movement of crowds in the various stages, beginning from the day of Tarwiyah in Mina, then on to Arafat and Muzdalifah before transporting them back to Mina for the stoning process at the Jamarat Bridge and other Hajj services.

Yesterday (Firday), Chanting Labbaik Allahumma Labbaik, Hujjaj gathered in in Maidan-e-Arafat to perform the Rukn-e-Azam of Hajj Waqoof-e-Arafat since Friday sunrise.

After Azan-e-Maghrib, the pilgrims left for Muzdalifah where they offered Maghrib and Isha prayers together and spent the night under open sky.

They collected pebbles from Muzdalifah to throw at Satin this morning.  After offering Fajr Prayer at Muzdalifah, they left for Mina for remaining Hajj rituals.

Reports suggest that as many as 850,000 foreign pilgrims are performing Hajj for the first time after a hiatus of two years following the travel restrictions imposed by Saudi authorities due to the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic.

The Hajj pilgrimage is one of the most important traditions in Islam, and involves carrying out a journey to the Kaaba, a sacred building in Mecca that all prayers are directed towards by Muslims around the world.

Arab News reported that the Transport General Authority has offered electric scooters as a new transportation service for pilgrims during this year’s Hajj season.

This new service aims at improving pilgrims’ experience, facilitating their movements while performing their rituals, and reducing the duration of their trips from Mount Arafat to Muzdalifah.