Hajj Pilgrims 'Stone The Devil'
Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2019 3:23 am
Muslim pilgrims cast stones at a pillar symbolizing the stoning of Satan, in a ritual called "Jamarat," the last rite of the annual Hajj, on the first day of Eid al-Adha, in Mina near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Aug. 11, 2019.
Pilgrims on the annual Hajj in Saudi Arabia threw stones Sunday at pillars representing the devil, a symbolic casting away of evil.
More than 2 million Muslims have gathered in Saudi Arabia for the annual, five-day-long pilgrimage.
Worshippers spent the night Saturday at a large encampment around the hill where Islam holds that God tested Abraham's faith by commanding him to sacrifice his son Ismail. It is also where Prophet Muhammad gave his last sermon.
The end of the Hajj coincides with Eid al-Adha, the Feast of Sacrifice, celebrated by Muslims around the world.
Riyadh is using tens of thousands of stewards, who help marshal the crowds to prevent stampedes that have occurred in previous years' events, such as in 2015 when about 2,300 pilgrims were killed.
The Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, is required of every Muslim at least once in their lifetime, as long as they are healthy enough and have the means to do so.