The pilgrims had spent the night before in the valley of Mina to the north. Tracing a journey made by the Prophet Mohammed more than 1,400 years ago, the pilgrims are following a tradition they believe was laid down by Abraham before him.
Sheik Abdul-Aziz al-Sheik -- the grand mufti of Saudi Arabia -- told worshipers at a mosque on the plain of Mount Arafat that the west is waging a "war" against Islam and Islamic culture under the pretext of fighting terrorism.
After dawn prayers tomorrow, worshipers across the Muslim world will begin celebrating Eid al-Adha -- the Feast of the Sacrifice -- and the symbolic stoning of the devil.
(Reuters/AP/AFP)
The Hajj
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THE HAJJ: Every year, Islamic pilgrims converge on the Saudi holy city of Mecca for what is considered to be the world's largest single gathering of human beings -- the annual hajj pilgrimage, the fifth and final pillar of Islam. Hajj literally means "to set out for a place," and every able-bodied Muslim with the means to do so is expected to make the pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime, traditionally after first settling all their wordly affairs...(more)
