From 160 countries two million Muslims performed Hajj in Makkah

Makkah, Sep 01 (Only Kashmir): Two million Muslims from around the world have gathered to perform the annual hajj pilgrimage in an effort to beg Allah for forgiveness and guidance. The people gathered here in Mount Arafat to spend the day in supplication and contemplation. It is here, on this mountain surrounded by desert, where the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) delivered his final sermon more than 1,400 years ago.

In his sermon, the Prophet (S) said that no ethnic group or race has superiority over another except in piety and good action.
The large crowds gathered from more than 160 countries around the world, dressed in nearly identical white garments, are meant to symbolise unity among Muslims, humility and equality before God. The rich and poor among men are to dress the same while performing the rites of Hajj.

The movement of such a large and diverse crowd of people in a short period of time in limited spaces is a logistical challenge for the Saudi government. Authorities have deployed more than 100,000 security forces to secure the hajj and assist pilgrims. Additional doctors, nurses, ambulances and mobile health centres are also deployed in the areas of hajj.

Many begin their pilgrimage by travelling to Madina, the site of both the Prophet Muhammad’s first mosque and where he is buried.
The rites of the hajj, however, begin in Makkah, the site of Islam’s holiest place of worship. There, pilgrims circulate the cube-shaped Kaaba and kneel in prayer facing it. The Kaaba represents the metaphorical house of God and the oneness of God in Islam. Observant Muslims around the world face toward the Kaaba during the five daily prayers.
Around the world, Muslims will mark the end of Hajj with a celebration called Eid al-Adha.