Unite in prayer for our ‘brothers and sisters’ in Palestine: Hajj preacher

AFP | | Mount Arafat, Saudi Arabia 

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Sheikh Maher bin Hamad Al-Muaiqly, the imam of the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the preacher of the Day of Arafah, yesterday urged Hajj pilgrims to pray for the ‘brothers and sisters of Palestine’ suffering at the hands of Israeli brutality since October 7, 2023.

His call came during an Arafat Day sermon at the Namirah Mosque in the plains of Arafat, Makkah, delivered yesterday.

Al-Muaiqli said, “Pray for our brothers and sisters in Palestine who have been touched by harm and have suffered from harm.

“Their enemy is shedding blood, causing corruption in the country, and preventing them from receiving what they need of food, medicine, nourishment, and clothing.” He emphasised that Hajj represents a profound expression of ritual devotion and sincerity, highlighting the Day of Arafat as a great moment for multiplying good deeds and seeking forgiveness for wrongdoings.

Scorching heat

Yesterday, vast crowds of Muslims gathered for hours under the hot sun atop Mount Arafat yesterday for the high point of the annual hajj pilgrimage, offering prayers including for Palestinians in war-ravaged Gaza.

Clad in white, worshippers began arriving at dawn for the most gruelling day of the annual rites, climbing the rocky, 70-metre (230-foot) hill where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have given his last sermon.

The temperature on Mount Arafat hit 46 degrees Celsius (114.8 degrees Fahrenheit), the spokesman for the national meteorology centre said on X, creating taxing conditions for pilgrims who had spent the night in a giant tented city in Mina, a valley outside Mecca, Islam’s holiest city.

“This is the most important day,” said 46-year-old Egyptian Mohammed Asser, who came prepared with a list of prayers. “I pray also for the Palestinians. May God help them.”

Some 1.8 million pilgrims have participated in this year’s hajj, the state-affiliated Al-Ekhbariya channel reported yesterday, roughly the same as last year’s total.

War

This year the pilgrimage has unfolded in the shadow of the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, which was triggered by the Palestinian fighters’ unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7.

Saudi Arabia’s minister in charge of pilgrimages, Tawfiq al-Rabiah, warned last week that “no political activity” would be tolerated during the hajj.

But that did not stop at least one pilgrim from chanting in support of the Palestinians who have endured more than eight months of incessant bombardment.ictory “Pray for our brothers in Palestine, in Gaza... may God give victory to the Muslims,” he shouted.

The fighting in Gaza resulted in the deaths of 1,194 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

Israel’s retaliatory military offensive has killed at least 37,266 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-ruled territory’s health ministry