Saudi Arabia : Pilgrims begin the Ifadha Tawaf

On Sunday, pilgrims began performing the Tawaf al-Ifadah around the Holy House of God in Mecca, western Saudi Arabia, according to the Saudi News Agency (SPA), chanting loudly during this basic pillar of the religious obligation.

The Ifadah Tawaf is the third pillar of the four pillars of Hajj in Islam, the first of which is Ihram, which is the intention to perform the rituals, the second of which is standing at Arafat, the third of which is the Ifadah Tawaf, and the last pillar is the Sa’i between Safa and Marwa.

At dawn on Sunday, pilgrims flocked to Mina (west) to throw stones and begin slaughtering sacrifices and shaving heads, while the ritual of this day concludes with circumambulation of the Ancient House and sa’i between Safa and Marwah.

Throwing stones at Jamarat, according to the rituals of Hajj, is “a reminder of the enmity of Satan who opposed the Prophet of God, Abraham, peace be upon him, in these places, so they become aware of his enmity and warn against him.”

On Saturday, the Saudi Minister of Hajj, Tawfiq Al-Rabiah, announced in a press conference that “the total number of pilgrims for this year, 1445 AH, reached one million and 833 thousand and 164 male and female pilgrims from more than 200 countries, including 221 thousand and 854 from within the Kingdom.”

The Hajj season began on Friday, on the Day of Tarwiyah, and yesterday, Saturday, witnessed stopping at Arafat and spending the night in Muzdalifah, and the rituals continue for 6 days.