Pilgrims performed the last major ritual of Hajj – the “stoning of the devil” – on Friday, as Muslims around the globe celebrated the beginning of the Eidul Azha holiday.
Starting at dawn, the more than 1.6 million Muslims taking part in the pilgrimage threw seven stones at each of three concrete walls symbolising the devil in the Mina valley, on the outskirts of the holy city of Makkah.
This ritual commemorates Prophet Ibrahim’s act of stoning Satan at the very spots where, according to tradition, the devil attempted to dissuade him from obeying Allah’s command to sacrifice his son.
A day earlier, pilgrims converged on Mount Arafat, praying and reciting Quranic verses at the 70-metre (230-foot) rocky rise near Makkah, where the Holy Prophet Mohammad is believed to have given his last sermon.
Many climbed the mount despite the searing heat, though numbers had thinned by midday following official warnings for pilgrims to stay inside between 10:00am and 4:00pm.
This year’s Hajj saw authorities implementing a range of heat mitigation efforts alongside a wide-ranging crackdown on illicit pilgrims, resulting in noticeably thinner crowds and a heavy security presence at holy sites in Makkah and surrounding areas.
The measures were aimed at preventing a fatal repeat of last year’s Hajj that saw 1,301 people die in temperatures that hit 51.8 degrees Celsius (125 degrees Fahrenheit).