By Abubakarr Bah, Information Attaché, Saudi Arabia
A total of 2,000 Sierra Leonean pilgrims, both from home and abroad, departed from Makkah in buses for Mina in the late hours of Tuesday. They are heading to the city of tents for a day-long Tarwiyah ritual. The pilgrims will spend Tarwiyah Day, the day before Arafat, in their tents, located about 5 kilometres from the Grand Mosque in Makkah.
During their stay, the pilgrims will perform the Dhuhr, Asr, and Isha prayers in shortened form at their designated times in Mina, while the Maghrib prayer will be performed as usual. The pilgrims will spend the day and night engaging in supplications and prayers in their tents.
After performing the Fajr prayer early on Thursday, 5 June, the pilgrims will leave Mina in buses and head to Arafat for the ‘wuqoof Arafat’ ritual, one of the four pillars of the Hajj. This ritual marks the peak of the annual pilgrimage, where pilgrims will spend the entire day in worship and supplication, seeking forgiveness from Allah.
Following sunset on the day of Arafat, the pilgrims will proceed to Muzdalifah, where they will spend the night, engage in prayers, and collect pebbles for the next ritual. On the 10th day of Dhul Hijjah (Friday), the pilgrims will return to Mina and perform the stoning of the Jamarats, throwing pebbles at three pillars symbolising the temptations of Satan.
After the stoning ritual, pilgrims will sacrifice an animal, usually a sheep or a goat, to commemorate Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to Allah. The meat will then be distributed among those in need. Following the sacrifice, pilgrims have the option to either shave their heads or trim their hair, symbolising the completion of the major rituals of Hajj and the removal of the state of ihram restrictions.
The pilgrims are expected to return to Makkah on Sunday to perform another tawaf, known as Tawaf al-Ifadah or Tawaf al-Ziyarah. Before leaving Makkah, pilgrims will perform a final tawaf called Tawaf al-Wida, or the Farewell Tawaf.
Over one million pilgrims are expected to perform this year’s Hajj in Makkah.
Photos Credit: Mohamed Jalloh, Liaison Officer, Embassy of Sierra Leone, Saudi Arabia, and Faud Faud Dumbuya, President Hajj Taskforce.
