MUZDALIFAH — After completing their main ritual of standing at Arafat, the core pillar of Hajj, by sunset, pilgrims moved to Muzdalifah in a calm and dignified manner, reciting talbiyah a great deal.
Upon their arrival in Muzdalifah, pilgrims performed the Maghrib prayer with three raka’a and Isha prayer shortened in two raka’a at the time of Isha following the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). They are spending the night in Muzdalifah in supplication. The departure from Arafat to Muzdalifah marks the third stage of the pilgrims’ journey through the holy sites.
They collect pebbles from Muzdalifah for next day’s stoning ritual. After performing Fajr prayer on Wednesday, they will proceed to Mina to perform the ritual of stoning at Jamrat Al-Aqaba. On Wednesday, the Day of Sacrifice, pilgrims will perform five main rituals of Hajj — stoning at Jamrat Al-Aqba, shaving their head, animal sacrifice and performing Tawaf Al-Ifada and Sai.
Meanwhile, agencies responsible for serving pilgrims have completed preparations at Muzdalifah to receive pilgrims following their departure from Arafat, as part of an integrated operational ecosystem aimed at ensuring the highest levels of comfort and safety for pilgrims during the performance of their rituals.
The holy site has been prepared with extensive spaces to accommodate crowds, alongside readying overnight stay areas, upgrading lighting networks, restrooms, and public service facilities, as well as intensifying around-the-clock cleaning and environmental sanitation efforts to provide a safe and well-prepared environment for pilgrims.
Security and traffic authorities have also reinforced their plans to organize pilgrim movement and manage crowds by deploying field teams along roads and routes leading to the site, ensuring smooth movement between Arafat and Muzdalifah and reducing dispatching times through precise scheduling plans that account for crowd density and flow.
The healthcare ecosystem has raised its readiness by operating health centers, emergency and ambulance points, and deploying medical personnel and field teams to handle emergencies, while also intensifying awareness messages on heat stress and health guidance during movement and overnight stays.
Service agencies have mobilized all technical and field capabilities to support pilgrims’ dispatching and real-time monitoring through digital systems, surveillance cameras, and control centers operating around the clock, aimed at enhancing operational efficiency and ensuring rapid response to any field observations.
Source: Saudi Gazette