No fewer than two million pilgrims from different parts of the globe who arrived the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for this year’s Hajj, have converged on the plains of Arafat for the most important Hajj ritual.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that pilgrims, from the wee hours of Tuesday, started moving to Muna from Makkah enroute to Arafat Muzdalifah and back to Muna, which signalled the beginning of the Hajj exercise.
The pilgrims are expected to be on the plains of Arafat for Dhuhr (Noon) and ASR (Afternoon) prayers to sunset supplicating, asking for Allah’s forgiveness, mercies, favours, blessings for self, fellow Muslims and guidance, peace, tranquility, progress and stability for mankind.
Clerics would lead Nigerian pilgrims in prayers for peace, stability, progress and development of the Nigerian nation and for the country to overcome all its security, political and socio-economic challenges.
After sunset, the pilgrims will move to Muzdalifah where they will pass the night before going back to Muna after the dawn prayer, for the symbolic stoning of the devil (Jamrah).
Hospitals operated by the Saudi Ministry of Health in Arafat are ready to provide all kinds of medical care to pilgrims.
The Ministry said that more than 900 beds have been prepared in the four hospitals, fully equipped, to receive cases of sunstroke, heat exhaustion and other emergencies.
