Annisa Essack | kzn@radioislam.org.za
26 June 2023 | 22:30 CAT
2 min read

Photo Credit: Anadolu Agency

The Hajj authorities have completed all preparations to receive pilgrims who will gather on Mount Arafat’s plains to perform the pilgrimage’s pinnacle on Tuesday, the ninth day of Dul-Hijjah.

In the early hours of Tuesday, pilgrims will start marching towards Arafat Mount after spending a day at Mina. At Mount Arafat, pilgrims will perform the shortened from-four-to-two-bows Dhuhr (noon) and Asr (afternoon) prayers together at noon. They then march towards Muzdalifah to spend one night there before moving to Mina for the final Hajj ritual, the symbolic stoning of the devil.

The Arafat Site covers an area of about 33 square kilometres, where more than 2 million pilgrims gather, with previous decades proving the capabilities of the government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to accommodate such large numbers, facilitate their movement, and provide them with high-quality services and ensure them a smooth and comfortable pilgrimage.

The Arafat Site’s topography is a flat plain surrounded by mountains, including the Jabal Al-Rarhmah, (Mountain of Mercy), which consists of a small mount with a flat surface and a wide area made of hard stones of a large black colour. The mount is on Mount Arafat’s eastern side, 300 meters high and 640 meters wide.

The mount has many names, including Jabal Al-Tawbah (mount of repentance), Jabal Al-Duaa (Mount of Supplication), Al-Nabet and Jabal Al-Qarin.

SOURCE: SAUDI PRESS AGENCY