PHOTO GALLERY: Pilgrims pray at Mount Arafat for Hajj 2025<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\nRehman, a pilgrim from Indonesia, stood in awe as he reflected on his experience: \u201cI am Rehman from Indonesia, this year I am very happy.\u201d His joy was infectious, a reminder of the blessings that came with this journey. \u201cNo Hajj without permission \u2014 this is very good for everyone this year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Standing nearby was Marwa Al-Said from Egypt, her eyes glistening with emotion. \u201cThe feeling that you\u2019re standing in the very place where the Prophet, peace be upon him, once stood, and the feeling that you\u2019re entering a place where God is telling you, \u2018your sins are forgiven,\u2019 it\u2019s truly overwhelming. We genuinely believe in Allah, and we are confident that, God willing, we will return with our sins forgiven. It\u2019s a majestic scene. These crowds give you goosebumps.\u201d<\/p>\n
She expressed her gratitude for the safety and organization this year: \u201cI sincerely thank everyone involved in maintaining security. We feel completely safe. Honestly, it\u2019s just safety, safety, safety. I swear by God, it really is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nazim Khalifa, an Indian pilgrim based in the US, shared his heartfelt anticipation: \u201cThis is a very important day for me. I was looking forward to this day as our Prophet, peace be upon him, says, \u2018Hajj is Arafat.\u2019 I never did Umrah before. Never did Hajj. I always wanted to be here. You know, there are a lot of struggles in my life, and I want to ask for forgiveness, everything that I can to enter Heaven and have an easy life here and in the Hereafter.\u201d<\/p>\n
He continued: \u201cDefinitely, financially there were a lot of struggles. The Nusuk process was overwhelming. But thank God, I said, \u2018Here I am, O Allah, Allah accepted, and here we are today.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cI definitely want to be closer to Allah, glorified and exalted is He, and that\u2019s one of the reasons why I\u2019m here today. I hope it changes my life forever. This is a test for us today. For all the pilgrims that are here. We\u2019re going to be standing here, the sun\u2019s going to be over our heads; it\u2019s going to be a test for what the Day of Judgment will be like. I hope this changes everyone\u2019s view and everyone changes. And I pray for everyone that everyone\u2019s Hajj is accepted.\u201d<\/p>\n
In light of past challenges, Saudi authorities took significant measures to ensure the safety of pilgrims. Increased shaded zones and more than 400 cooling units were deployed to help keep pilgrims cool. Thousands of additional medics stood ready for any heat-related illnesses.<\/p>\n
New pathways to Arafat featured cooled walkways, while misting stations provided welcome relief. AI and drones assisted in managing the large crowds effectively, and health trackers monitored pilgrims\u2019 well-being.<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Health had issued warnings against direct sun exposure, urging pilgrims to use umbrellas while traveling between the holy sites. These efforts were in place to protect the health and safety of those seeking to perform their rituals in peace. The health system intensified its focus on enhancing healthcare services, deploying specialized medical teams for immediate care and amplifying awareness messages to ensure a safe and healthy Hajj season.<\/p>\n
ARAB NEWS<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MOUNT ARAFAT: As the sun reached its zenith over Mount Arafat, pilgrims from all corners of the world were joined and immersed in prayer and reflection on the most sacred day of Hajj. The weather was sweltering, with temperatures soaring to 41 Celsius, yet the spirit of the day was palpable. Authorities had prepared for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":13899,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[177],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13896","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13896","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13896"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13896\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13898,"href":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13896\/revisions\/13898"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13899"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13896"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13896"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13896"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}