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at a distance of 18 meters is the holy well of Zamzam.
Upon God’s orders, Prophet Abraham left his wife
Hagar, and his son, Ishmael, in the middle of the desert in
an arid valley where no crops grow. Being thirsty and her
child, she ran seven times between Al-Safa and Al-Marwa
hillsin search for water. Each time she saw a mirage until,
under the feet of the little one,there gushed a spring of
water, called zamzam. To commemorate this event,
pilgrims walk in quick steps seven times between the two
hills, between which there is now a roofed passage.
This passage is now easy to walk through. Pilgrims
are well protected from the heat of the sun, and their feet
tread on smooth marble slabs. Even the handicapped can
make the seven courses sitting on special carts driven
by special men through a specially designed path. Close
by is an abundance of zamzam water that pilgrims drink
and take with them to their relatives and friends when the
pilgrimage is over.
In any case, this is no easy excursion between the two
hills. The pilgrims pray God, thank Him and express their
devotion and love of the Noble prophet. At the same time,
they ask for God’s help as Ishmael’s mother Hagar had
done. They realize that Almighty God knows all that they
have in mind, all that they exhibit and all that they hide.
They, therefore pray for forgiveness, determined to abide
by God’s order and obey Him in all respects.
On the following day, after carrying enough Zamzam
water, the pilgrims proceed from Mecca to “Mina”, which
they should reach by mid-day. After performing the five
daily prayers, they leave “Mina” after sunrise and proceed
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towards Mount “Arafat”. At noon of the ninth day of the
month of Dhil Hijjah, having spent the night outdoors, the
pilgrims begin the essential rite, namely, standing on the
ground of “Arafat”, invoking, glorifying and remembering
God until sunset. On the tenth of Dhil Hijjah, after the
dawn prayer, the pilgrims proceed again towards “Mina”
after stopping at “Muzdalifa”, where they collect pebbles
and spend the night. On the following day, they return to
“Mina” and throw the pebbles. Then begins the sacrificing
of sheep, again in commemoration of a historical event:
When Prophet Abraham, whom God had ordered to slay
his son, prepared, in utter obedience, to sacrifice him, God
rewarded him for his obedience by sparing the life of his
son and sent him a ram to sacrifice instead of his son. Ever
since then, when Muslims, all over the world sacrifice
sheep, they turn their head towards Mecca. Thereafter,
the pilgrims return to Mecca, where they circumambulate
the Kaaba seven times. The tenth of Dhil Hijja marks the
beginning of the Adha Id (the Feast of Sacrifice), which is
celebrated by all the Islamic World.
As one of the pillars of Islam, pilgrimage is the most
important manifestation of the unity of all Muslims.
Every year, the Kingdom receives millions of pilgrims
and provides them with all necessary services to enable
them to perform the rites of pilgrimage and to facilitate their
movement and accommodation. It is not by accident that this
country has been blessed with all means and potentials for
carrying out such noble and difficult tasks, for which there
are no equivalent counterparts throughout the world, as they
involve so many people, which need a great deal of punctual
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and detailed organization in terms of accommodation in
Mecca and provision of tents at Arafat. All the while, health
services and security are provided to all pilgrims, some of
whom are old and need a great deal of care and assistance.
Such people manage, even once in their life, to make it to
Mecca to realize a long awaited dream, and on top of that
they are on the increase year after year.
Many years ago, the Saud family undertook the
responsibility of looking after the holy places and caring
for the pilgrims of today and of the future. It looks as
though they considered this their primary mission in life.
It is no accident that the present Monarch, King Fahd bin
Abdulaziz, has relinquished the title of “His Majesty”
and took another title “the Custodian of the Two Holy
Mosques” instead. These two mosques and other holy
places are constantly being expanded. The expenditures
connected with the expansion of the two Holy Mosques
amounted to 11 billion dollars, exclusive of the expenses
connected with the completion of the colossal projects
related to the construction and improvement of other
holy places. The area of the Holy Mosque has been lately
extended to accommodate, at one and the same time,
one million persons, while in the past it accommodated.
only 340 thousand. On the other hand, the Mosque of the
Prophet, peace be upon him, in Medina, now covers all the
area of the old city of the Prophet, peace be upon him.
It is difficult to imagine how it is possible to provide
water for the millions of people who are concentrated
in such a narrow expanse in a country where there are
no natural sources of water, which is badly needed on
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