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Muslim pilgrims from around the world gathered on Mount Arafat in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, the second official day of the annual Islamic pilgrimage that is considered the culmination of the hajj.
Pilgrims braved the oppressive heat and gathered on the rocky hill and surrounding plain for intense prayers that often mark a spiritual high point.
Typically they murmur prayers and plead with their hearts, asking God for forgiveness, grace, blessings and good health. It is common for many pilgrims to raise their hands for worship on this day and let tears stream down their faces.
Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, is required once in a lifetime for every Muslim who is able and physically able to perform it.
For pilgrims, the multi-day hajj can be a deeply moving spiritual experience and a chance to seek God’s forgiveness and the erasure of past sins. As they brave the intense heat to perform religious rituals, many pilgrims use umbrellas for shade.
A Saudi official said on Friday that more than 1.5 million pilgrims had arrived in the country from abroad.
This year, Muslims flocked to Saudi Arabia for the hajj against the backdrop of a tenuous ceasefire in the Iran war and associated insecurity in the region.
“Once in a lifetime”
For many, performing Hajj can be the realization of a lifelong dream, as they spend years hoping and praying that they will one day be able to make the pilgrimage, or saving money and waiting for approval for the trip.
“It happens once in a lifetime,” said Mohammad Asal, an Egyptian pilgrim.
