Arafat – Dhul Hijja 09, 1428/ December 18, 2007– Nearly 2.5 million pilgrims converged on Mount Arafat, marking the climax of this year's Haj pilgrimage. A white sea of faithful surged to Arafat as dawn broke on the second day of the annual event. Waves of men in seamless white robes and women in head scarves and long dresses joined voices in a crescendo chanting “Labbaik Allahumma Labbaik” (Here I am O God, answering your call). They performed Dhuhr and Asr prayers jointly in shortened form at the Namira Mosque, its surroundings and vast plains of Arafat following the example of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) more than 14 centuries ago. Saudi Arabia's Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al Asheikh has led prayers at Namira Mosque. Delivering the Arafat sermon, he called upon the mankind to hold fast to the principles underlying the basic tenet of God's oneness, saying that it is the first obligatory duty of every human being toward his God. He urged the pilgrims as well as the Muslims worldwide to obey the commands of God and follow the Tradition of the Prophet in all walks of their life. He also called on the faithful to follow the moderate teachings of Islam and shun violence and extremism.After the prayers, the pilgrims started standing at Arafat, the most important ritual of Haj. They are all deeply involved in invocations, supplications, and chants of praises to Allah and His magnanimity in making it possible for them to come to the holy land for the performance of the Haj. The pilgrims stood in prayer, seeking God’s forgiveness and blessings. They will cleanse themselves of their sins by admitting them before God in order to return to their homes and native places like newborn babies as stated by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is among the dignitaries performing Haj this year. Ahmadinejad arrived to perform Haj as a guest of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah. The king has invited 1,000 foreign dignitaries to perform Haj this year as his guests. Earlier, the movement of pilgrims has been taken place in an orderly, smooth and excellent manner as planned by the concerned authorities, and the weather is also helpful, since it is mildly cool. The security and traffic men were deployed along the roads and streets to facilitate smooth flow of pilgrims and to prevent all forms of traffic jam.Makkah Governor Prince Khalid al-Faisal, who is also chairman of the Central Haj Committee, followed up the ascendance of the pilgrims to the Mount of Arafat. He said in a statement that the ascendance of the pilgrims to Arafat was completed, adding that all pilgrims felt comfortable and stable in an atmosphere of strong faith and security. The governor noted that the Saudi government has exerted intensive efforts to enable the pilgrims perform their rituals in comfort and ease. Prince Khalid attributed the success of the ascendance of the pilgrims to Arafat to the grace of Allah Almighty and to the efforts exerted by the concerned authorities to ensure the success of the ascendance plan. "The people in this country are recruited for the service of the pilgrims since their arrival until their departure after performing Hajj rituals," he added.
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