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منا ومنكوم تقبل يا كريم
:flower:Selamat Hari Raya 'Eidul-Adha diucapkan kepada semua muslimat dan muslimat, tak kira di mana saja kalian berada:flower:
Human sea on Mt Arafat
 Upto three million Muslim pilgrims started the annual haj on Saturdayamid fears of attack or deadly stampedes. -- PHOTO: ASSOCIATED PRESS
Muslim pilgrims circle the Kaaba at the Grand mosque in Mecca. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
They spend the rest of their time on MountArafat praying and beseeching God for his forgiveness, as a symbol ofthe wait for judgement day. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
ARAFAT (Saudi Arabia) - A HUMAN tide washed over Mount Arafat on Sundaymorning as hundreds of thousands of devoted Muslims gathered for thekey moment of the annual haj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia
Starting just after dawn, in mild weather, the faithful made their wayslowly on foot or by bus onto the hill, also known as the Mount ofMercy, where the prophet Mohammed delivered his last sermon more than14 centuries ago. So far no major problems have developed, organisers said,although a record number of people have come from outside Saudi Arabiafor the event and media say the total number of participants may reachthree million.
For the second day of the haj, which lasts four days or more,the male pilgrims wore two pieces of unstitched cloth, serving as ashroud, while the women were entirely covered apart from face andhands.
Closely monitored by security forces, the crowd chanted thephrases: 'Here I am in answer to Thy call, Lord, here I am. There is noother God but Thee. Praise be unto Thee.' 'This is a day of great joy,'one man said before breaking down in tears on his arrival at Arafat,overwhelmed with happiness on taking part in the hajj, one of the fivepillars of Islam which the Koran says Muslims must carry out at leastonce in their lives if they are well enough and can afford it.
Just as emotional, Suad Dasuqi, a 50 year-old Egyptian woman,called for 'the victory of Islam and a tightening of the ranks ofMuslims,' praising the hajj for uniting the faithful of different racesand colours, and from all continents.
As the vast crowd edged along, sometimes delayed by theawkward movement of hundreds of buses carrying pilgrims, the faithfulwere offered meals and drinks, handed out free by volunteers.
A highlight comes in the middle of the day when pilgrims joinin collective prayers at the Namera mosque, built on the site whereMohammed prayed while making the pilgrimage.
They spend the rest of their time on Mount Arafat praying andbeseeching God for his forgiveness, as a symbol of the wait forjudgement day.
At sunset the faithful start to move towards the valley of Muzdalifah, a few kilometres away, to spend the night.
On Monday, participants return to Mina, where the pilgrimage began on Saturday with a day of prayer and contemplation.
Once back in Mina, they sacrifice an animal, usually a sheep,to recall Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son on God's order.This ritual marks the start of the Eid al-Adha feast.
They then spend another two days in Mina for the stoning ofSatan, the last and most dangerous rite, which has left many peopledead in previous years after stampedes broke out.
The authorities have built bridges at three different levelson the site in a bid to avoid the trampling that caused the death of364 people in 2006, 251 in 2004 and 1,426 in 1990.
So far this year 'no incident has been recorded,' accordingto Prince Khaled al-Faisal bin Abdel Aziz, the governor of Mecca.
The Saudi interior ministry has assembled 100,000 stewards toensure safety during the hajj and the health ministry has supplied11,000 of its medical and paramedical staff along with 140 first aidpoints and 24 field hospitals containing a total of 4,000 beds.
The ministry said on Saturday that 1,728,841 pilgrims fromabroad, the highest ever number, had entered the kingdom. They joinedthe hundreds of thousands of Saudi citizens and other residentsparticipating this year.
Stringent checks
Theflow of traffic was notably smoother than last year, as more pilgrimswere transported on buses and authorities imposed stringent checks onentry points to the Mecca area to keep out people without haj permitshoping to join the rites.
The government says it will stop Saudis and foreign residentsfrom taking part without official permits, a main cause ofovercrowding. Over 1.75 million haj visas have been granted to Muslimsabroad, and at least 500,000 locals receive authorisation.
'The objective of this work is to account for all pilgrims,whether they are Saudis or non-Saudis,' said organiser Ahmed al-Sulaimias security forces stopped cars at a checkpoint.
The government warned pilgrims not to politicise the haj.
'Saudi Arabia is above any party or political intentions behindthe haj. Pilgrims should not raise any slogans other than that ofIslam,' Islamic Affairs Minister Saleh bin Abdul-Aziz Al al-Sheikh saidin comments published in Saudi newspapers.
There have been clashes between police and Iranian pilgrimsin the past over political slogans. Sectarian tensions have arisenrecently in the Arab world after Shi'ite Muslims came to power in Iraq,emboldening Iran and its Shi'ite allies.
Disputes between Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah delayedand prevented some Palestinian pilgrims from arriving, adding anotherpotential flashpoint.
Speaking in Mecca, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas blamedHamas. 'Unfortunately, this is the first time in the history of thePalestinian people that pilgrims were prevented.
Israel never once prevented pilgrims,' he told reporters.
The Saudi government is also wary of militancy. Despite anAl-Qaeda campaign to destabilise Saudi Arabia from 2003 to 2006, Thehaj has never been targeted by Al-Qaeda militants.
Islamist militants rampaged through the Indian financial capital of Mumbai last week, killing 171 people. -- REUTERS, AFP
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[ Last edited by fatzcomel at 7-12-2008 06:26 PM ] |
Post time 6-12-2008 02:24 AM
变色卡
