Muslims flock to Mount Arafat for Day of Judgment

A pilgrimage to this gentle hill 12 miles south-west of Mecca is believed to represent the Day of Judgment, when Islam says every person will stand before Allah and answer for his deeds.

Mount Arafat is where the Prophet Muhammad preached his last sermon in AD 632, three months before his death.

"I could not wait to reach here; this is primarily what we came for," said Abdel Aziz al-Jezairi, an Egyptian. "This is the worst day for the devil. When he sees thousands of Muslims gathered in such a show of force and piety."

After Friday prayers at Mecca’s Grand Mosque, thousands of pilgrims walked and took buses to the tent city of Mina for a night of rest before going to Mount Arafat.

In Mina, chants of "At Thy service, my God, at Thy service" mixed with sirens and motors from passing vehicles. Some pilgrims cooked and slept on the streets; others prayed. Police used microphones to warn pedestrians to keep out of the path of buses, and rescue teams roamed the area.

The men wore seamless white robes and women were covered from head to foot, except for their hands and faces.

Abdul Rashid Gbenga, a Nigerian, said he could not wait to leave for Arafat "as it is the closest place to God on earth ... This is the closest thing to Judgment Day, and I have no fear because I’m very happy to experience this."

Fatima Farouk, another Nigerian who was performing the hajj for the first time, said that despite the demanding journey, she was thrilled "because after Mount Arafat, you’re almost promised heaven".

During Friday’s service at Mecca’s Grand Mosque, a cleric, Sheik Saleh al-Taleb, called on Allah to grant victory to Muslims fighting around the world.

"Oh God, give victory to the Mujahedin [holy warriors] everywhere," al-Taleb said as 500,000 people filled the mosque and nearby streets. "Give them victory in Palestine. Oh God, make the Muslims triumphant and destroy their enemies, and make this country and other Muslim countries safe. Oh God, inflict your wrath on the criminal Zionists."

Rajab al-Arabi, a Belgian pilgrim of Tunisian origin, said hearing a Grand Mosque sermon is "something one wishes all one’s life. It’s a dream come true".

But he added that he had expected a stronger message.

"In Belgium, we have Egyptian and Moroccan clerics who freely criticise the hardships of Muslims, which includes the injustice that has befallen Iraq and the occupation it is under," he said.

Police forces were on high alert after six Saudi security agents and a civilian were killed in a shoot out with suspected terrorists in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Thursday.

But the gun battle did not mean much to the pilgrims, 500 miles to the west, who said they were too overwhelmed by the hajj experience to worry about terrorism.

"These holy lands fill your heart with such genuine emotions," said Egyptian computer scientist Professor Do’oa Labib.

"I feel that with every step I take, my heart is gradually purified from any blemishes and becomes totally dedicated to God."