Muslim worshipers enter final days of this year’s Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca

By Rédaction Africanews and AP

Thousands of Muslim pilgrims continued Thursday to perform the annual Hajj pilgrimage rituals in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

On the second day of Eid al-Adha, pilgrims prayed at dawn and circled the cube-shaped structure of the holiest site in Islam, the Kaaba, which lies at the center of Mecca’s grand mosque.

Pilgrims also visited the sprawling Jamarat complex in Mina. Chanting “Allahu akbar,” or “God is the greatest,” they throw pebbles at a pillar in the ritual seen as a symbolic stoning of the devil.

The act is also seen as rejecting evil and a commemoration of the Prophet Ibrahim’s rejection of temptation when the devil tried to dissuade him from submitting to God’s will.

The final days of the Hajj coincide with Eid al-Adha, the feast of sacrifice, marking the willingness of Ibrahim – known as Abraham to Christians and Jews – to sacrifice his son.

During the holiday, Muslims typically slaughter sheep or cattle and distribute part of the meat to the poor.

One of the Five Pillars of Islam, the Hajj is performed over several days. A chance to seek God’s forgiveness, it’s required once in a lifetime of every Muslim who can afford it and is physically able.

According to Saudi authorities, some 1.7 million people participated in this year’s pilgrimage.