JEDDAH — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman expressed gratitude on Wednesday for the honor of serving the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims during the Hajj season, while congratulating Muslims around the world on the occasion of Eid Al-Adha.
“We thank Allah for honoring us with serving the Two Holy Mosques and caring for the pilgrims of His Sacred House,” King Salman said.
The King also prayed for the acceptance of pilgrims’ Hajj rituals and acts of worship.
“With the advent of blessed Eid Al-Adha, we congratulate our people in this blessed nation and our Islamic nation on this occasion, and we pray to Allah to make it an Eid of blessings, peace and stability for our nation and the entire world. Wishing you well every year,” he added.
Meanwhile, pilgrims began on Wednesday morning, the first day of Eid Al-Adha, performing the ritual of stoning the Jamarat at Mina by throwing seven pebbles at Jamrat Al-Aqaba amid smooth crowd movement under organized crowd-management plans.
Nearly 1.7 million pilgrims had moved Tuesday evening from Arafat to Muzdalifah after performing the most important pillar of Hajj in an atmosphere of safety and calm.
Security and service teams were deployed across the holy sites to facilitate pilgrims’ movement from Arafat to Muzdalifah, where they stayed overnight before proceeding to Mina on Wednesday morning to continue the remaining rituals, including Tawaf Al-Ifada.
Saudi Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif said the integration of security, organizational and service systems during Hajj reflects the Kingdom’s high level of care for pilgrims and strengthens the implementation of approved operational plans to ensure their safety and comfort.
The minister also inspected the Special Security Forces participating in Hajj operations on Tuesday and praised their specialized efforts in serving pilgrims.
Source: Saudi Gazette