Pilgrims performed on Sunday the last major ritual of the hajj, the “stoning of the devil”, in western Saudi Arabia, as Muslims the world over celebrated the Eid al-Adha holiday. Beginning at dawn, the 1.8 million Muslims undertaking the pilgrimage this year threw seven stones at each of three concrete walls symbolising the devil in the Mina valley, located outside Mecca, the holiest city in Islam. On Saturday, temperatures reached 46 degrees Celsius (114.8 degrees Fahrenheit) in Arafat, where pilgrims performed hours of outdoor prayers. This year’s hajj and Eid al-Adha holiday have been clouded by the war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip. In a message to hajj pilgrims on Saturday, Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said “The ironclad resistance of Palestine and the patient, oppressed people of Gaza… must be fully supported in every way”.

Source: Punch June 16, 2024 21:36 UTC