Hajj in final phase as Eid ul Adha celebrations commence in Saudi Arabia, UAE, several other countries

MECCA: Eid ul Adha celebrations have started in Middle East countries including Saudi Arabia as Hajj pilgrims in the kingdom embarked on a symbolic stoning of the devil in the finals days of pilgrimage.

Large congregations held at several places across the world to offer Eid prayers.

Two large congregations of millions were held at Masjid ul Haram and Masjid e Nabvi in holy cities of Makkah and Madina in Saudi Arabia today to offer Eid ul Adha prayers.

After Eid prayer, Muslims will do sacrifice to commemorate Sunnat e Ibrahim.

The start of eid celebration and final days of Hajj rituals came a day after more than 1.8 million pilgrims congregated on a sacred hill in Mount Ararat outside the holy city of Makkah, which Muslim pilgrims visit to perform the annual five-day rituals of Hajj.

The pilgrims left Mount Arafat on Saturday evening to spend their night in a nearby site known as Muzdalifa, where they collected pebbles they have used in the symbolic stoning of pillars representing the devil in another sacred place in Makkah, called Mina.

Pilgrims will spend the next three days in Mina, where they walk long distances on pedestrian-only streets toward a multi-story complex housing large pillars.

There, they cast seven pebbles each at three pillars in a ritual meant to symbolize the casting away of evil and sin.

These hajj rites coincide with the four-day Eid ul Adha, when Muslims with the financial means commentate Ibrahim’s test of faith through slaughtering livestock and animals and distributing the meat to the poor.

According to the Saudi Hajj and Umrah Minister Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah, more than 1.83 million Muslims performed Hajj in 2024, slightly less than last year’s figures when 1.84 million made the rituals.

The heat soared to 47 degrees Celsius (116.6 F) at Mount Arafat during Hajj on Saturday.This year’s Hajj came against the backdrop of the devastating Israeli invasion on Gaza, which has pushed the Middle East to the brink of a regional conflict.