في يوم عرفة.. توحدت القلوب

The necks of the pilgrims stretched and their hearts united in a magnificent scene, responding to Allah Almighty on the Mount of Mercy at the sacred site of Arafat. Their hands were raised in supplication, seeking forgiveness and mercy before their combined noon and afternoon prayers, with two calls to prayer and two establishments. They prayed as they could, following the tradition of the best of mankind, Muhammad, peace be upon him.

With the dawn of the morning, the caravans of pilgrims to the Sacred House of Allah arrived at the pure plains of Arafat, filled with a spiritual atmosphere enveloped in humility and tranquility, surrounded by divine care, responding and supplicating, asking Allah Almighty to bestow upon them forgiveness, mercy, and salvation from the fire.


A large crowd of pilgrims to the Sacred House of Allah gathered early at the Namira Mosque in the sacred site of Arafat to perform the noon and afternoon prayers and listen to the Arafat sermon delivered by the Imam and preacher of the Grand Mosque, Sheikh Dr. Saleh bin Hamid. He called for adherence to the regulations, instructions, and guidelines governing the pilgrimage, explaining that compliance is part of achieving the objectives of Sharia; it is a religious, moral, and civil behavior that reflects the spirit of cooperation and discipline, leading to the ease of performing the rituals without hardship or difficulty.

Sheikh bin Hamid added that the care and attention given by the leadership to the development of the Two Holy Mosques and the sacred sites, and the care provided to the pilgrims and visitors of the Sacred House, have enabled the performance of the pilgrimage rituals with security, tranquility, and ease.

He called upon the pilgrims and all Muslims to fear Allah Almighty, leading to a good outcome and success in this world and the Hereafter. He also urged the pilgrims to seize the great virtue during their standing at the sacred site of Arafat, to increase their praise of Allah, to remember Him, to thank Him, and to strive in supplication, as the Day of Arafat is one of the times when supplications are answered.

He encouraged Muslims to cooperate in righteousness and to fear Allah by obeying His commands and avoiding His prohibitions, for Allah loves the righteous and has made the outcome for the righteous.

He pointed out that maintaining family ties, honoring parents, speaking the truth, using kind words, fulfilling contracts and promises, and having good morals are all part of faith. Likewise, patience in adversity, gratitude in times of blessing, seeking forgiveness, and repentance to Allah are also part of faith.

He continued that belief in Allah includes believing in Him as the Lord, Creator, and Sustainer, as well as belief in the angels. Islam, however, is the testimony that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establishing prayer, giving zakat, fasting Ramadan, and performing pilgrimage to the House for those who are able to do so.

The mosque, which covers an area of 110,000 square meters, and the surrounding courtyards, which cover an area of 8,000 square meters, were filled with the guests of Allah.

The mosque witnessed the implementation of qualitative development projects, the most notable of which is the project to reduce thermal stress in the rear courtyard by installing 19 canopies that lower the temperature by an average of 10 degrees Celsius. Additionally, the floors were painted with a reflective material for sunlight, and a project was carried out to prepare and cool the surrounding courtyards by installing and operating 117 mist fans connected to high-pressure water pumps and distribution networks, which work to reduce temperatures by an average of 9 degrees Celsius.

A ventilation and air conditioning project was implemented by updating the control system, which allows monitoring of carbon dioxide levels, operating air conditioning units, and air purification units that renew the air inside the mosque twice an hour at a rate of 100%, along with controlling water pumps, contributing to increased operational efficiency and providing clean air that gives pilgrims a healthy environment to perform their rituals with ease and tranquility.

As part of the health services, 70 water cooling units were installed, each with a capacity of 1,000 liters per hour, serving about 2,000 pilgrims per hour, bringing the total number of pilgrims served by the coolers to 140,000 per hour. The work also includes a comprehensive renovation project for the Namira Mosque, which involved addressing 5,800 linear meters of expansion joints, replacing thermal and water insulation, updating floors and paints, installing LED lighting units, and updating electrical panels and rainwater drainage systems, in addition to enhancing operational and maintenance efficiency.

The development works were completed with the installation of an advanced sound system and security surveillance cameras, as part of an integrated system to enhance security and safety within the mosque, in addition to organizing gates and entrances to ensure smooth movement. The total number of doors is 72, and these tasks were carried out by supervisory and service teams working to provide the highest quality services to the guests of Allah.

Security aviation monitors the movement of the pilgrims.

The caravans of the guests of Allah to the pure site of Arafat were accompanied by direct security monitoring from individuals from various security sectors, who surrounded the vehicle routes and pedestrian paths to organize them according to plans for the ascent and flow of the pilgrims, in addition to guiding them and ensuring the necessary safety to secure smooth and flexible movement.

With complete readiness from various government sectors working to serve the pilgrims, medical, emergency, and supply services were available throughout the sacred site, providing what the guests of Allah needed.

Security forces also began organizing traffic and assisting the guests of Allah, while security aviation patrolled the skies of the sacred site to monitor the movement of the pilgrims.