Saudi Arabia's King Salman prays for pilgrims in traditional Eid address

Arab News
A Muslim pilgrim prays atop Mount Arafat, also known as Jabal al-Rahma (Mount of Mercy), southeast of the holy city of Makkah, during the climax of the Hajj pilgrimage, on July 8, 2022. (AFP)
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  • Pilgrims will remain at the holy sites for the next few days
  • The king praised the efforts of those facilitating the Hajj

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia's King Salman delivered his traditional greetings on Saturday as the Muslim world celebrated Eid.

In an address on Saudi state television, King Salman noted that the Kingdom had been able to increase the number of pilgrims this year to a total of a million — from inside and outside the country — due to positive efforts made in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said that precautionary measures were still being taken into account to ensure the safety of pilgrims.

The king prayed to Allah to accept the Hajj of all the pilgrims and praised the efforts of everyone involved in facilitating the annual event.

The pilgrims returned to Mina on Saturday after an emotional day on the plains of Arafat, performing prayers and supplicating to Allah. They will continue to perform the Hajj rites over the next few days, including the “stoning of the devil” ritual at the Jamrat complex.

This year's Hajj was the first time the number of pilgrims had reached a million since the pandemic. In 2020 when COVID-19 placed the entire planet into a standstill, the Kingdom allowed only 1,000 selected pilgrims to perform Hajj. In 2021, the number was raised to 60,000 fully vaccinated pilgrims.