Pilgrims pray for pandemic’s end
ARAFAT: Thousands of masked Muslims gathered on Saudi Arabia’s Mt Arafat yesterday, praying for an end to the pandemic and faster vaccination as the annual haj pilgrimage reached its climax.
Saudi Arabia, home to Islam’s holiest sites in Mecca and Medina, has barred worshippers from abroad for a second year running and restricted entry from within the kingdom to guard against the coronavirus and new variants.
Only 60,000 Saudi citizens and residents, aged 18 to 65, who have been fully vaccinated or have recovered from the virus and who do not suffer from chronic diseases, were selected for the rite, a onceinalifetime duty for every ablebodied Muslim who can afford it.
‘‘It is an indescribable feeling that I got selected among millions of people to attend the haj.
‘‘I pray for God to put an end to these hard times the whole world has gone through under the coronavirus,’’ said Um Ahmed, a Palestinian pilgrim from the Saudi capital Riyadh, who said she lost four family members to the virus.
At the Namira mosque, pilgrims sat 2m apart on their prayer mats, some shedding tears and others raising both hands as they prayed at noon.
Karimullah alSheikh, from India, said he was praying for his country to get rid of the virus and for everyone there to get vaccinated promptly.
Pilgrims, dressed in white to signify purity, observed social distancing and wore face masks on Mt Arafat, the hill where Islam holds God tested Abraham’s faith by commanding him to sacrifice his son Ismail, and where the Prophet Mohammad gave his last sermon. — Reuters