Two million throng Mecca for Haj

Two million throng Mecca for Haj
Reuters

MAR 2: An estimated two million pilgrims attended Friday prayers at Islam's holiest shrine in Mecca on the eve of the Haj, the annual pilgrimage in the footsteps of the Prophet Mohammad.

Men and women of all ages, races and backgrounds thronged to the Grand Mosque at noon to listen to an emotional sermon by Sheikh Abdel Rahman al-Sudais appealing for support to the Palestinian Intifada, or uprising, against Israeli occupation.

"In the name of all pilgrims, we appeal to decision-makers of the world to end the bloodletting in Muslim Palestine and support the blessed Intifada," he said.

Holding back tears, he said he hoped the day would come soon when Islam's third holiest shrine, the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, would be freed from "the hands of the Zionist gang".

Sudais urged pilgrims to refrain from any political demonstration during the Haj, and called on Muslims to unite.

"The Muslim nation witnessing these blessed days should work earnestly towards salvation from the crises which have afflicted it. Isn't it time that we learned the lessons of Haj in unity?"

Worshippers crowded the mosque, its vicinity and the roads leading to it, and lined up in rows around the stone cube of the Kaaba, the shrine at the centre of the massive mosque towards which all Muslims turn when they pray.

"It is great to be among so many brothers and sisters from all over the world," said Jamal, a Nigerian, as he placed his prayer mat on a road 200 metres (yards) from the mosque.

"It is so crowded that I couldn't make it to the mosque, which is rather disappointing. But all these crowds are a proof that Islam is alive and well."

Saudi authorities, who have the daunting task of ensuring the safety of the crowds, will be hoping for a trouble-free Haj for the third year in a row. A blaze in 1997 killed 343 pilgrims, and in 1998 up to 119 people died in a stampede.

Saudi Arabia has spent nearly $200 million over the past year alone as part of a long-term plan to improve safety. It has installed more fire-proof tents and firefighting equipment as well as completing a new road network.

More than 10,000 medical personnel were deployed in hospitals and clinics in and around Mecca to deal with health problems. Authorities were running ads and distributing leaflets explaining how to avoid fires and diminish health risks.

The Haj, which officially starts on Saturday, is one of the five pillars of Islam. Every able-bodied adult Muslim who can afford the trip must perform the pilgrimage at least once.

Muslims from all over the world flock to Mecca -- the birthplace of Mohammad in 570 AD and the place where the holy book of the Koran was revealed to him 40 years later. The Koran describes the pilgrims as "guests of God".

The prophet performed the Haj only once, shortly before his death. He taught his followers the ritual to mark the story of Abraham and his family.

The first ritual the pilgrim performs is Tawaf, circling the Kaaba seven Times upon arrival in Mecca. But the five-day Haj officially starts when pilgrims move to Mena, 12 km (eight miles) from Mecca, and camp there for the night. They spend the next day on Mount Arafat, where Mohammad delivered his parting sermon.