Hundreds of thousands of Muslim pilgrims hurled pebbles in the “stoning of the devil” ritual on Wednesday as the biggest Hajj pilgrimage since the start of the pandemic draws to a close in intense Saudi Arabian heat.
From dawn in Mina, pilgrims began pelting three concrete monoliths representing Satan, and heading to Makkah for a final tawaf.
More than 1.8 million people are taking part in the first unrestricted Hajj since Covid struck in 2020. About 2.5 million, the most on record, joined the pilgrimage in pre-pandemic 2019.
Temperatures peaked at 48 degrees Celsius (118 Fahrenheit) on Tuesday, when the pilgrims prayed for hours at Mount Arafat, and were expected to hit 47 degrees on Wednesday in Mina.
“I will not think of doing Haj again until it takes place in winter,” Farah, a 26-year-old Tunisian, said of the annual ritual which follows the lunar calendar and doesn’t always coincide with summer.
“My body is melting,” she said.
The devil-stoning marks the start of the three-day Eidul Azha holiday, celebrated by Muslims by buying and slaughtering livestock to commemorate Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son.
As helicopters buzzed overhead, pilgrims flooded the streets around Mina. In Makkah, the Grand Mosque was packed from the early morning with circling pilgrims, who loudly congratulated each other on completing the Hajj.—APP
