Pilgrims perform Farewell Tawaf as Hajj draws to a close

Pilgrims have begun their last rites, including the final circling of the Kaaba in Makkah, known as the Farewell Tawaf, as their Hajj comes to a close.

After performing the stoning ritual on Sunday, the pilgrims sacrificed animals to mark Eid Al Adha, the festival of the feast that takes place at the end of Hajj.

Pilgrims also exited from their state of ihram, which requires them to follow the modest Hajj dress code, with men shaving or cutting their hair, while women trim the length of a fingertip from one strand of hair.

They then changed back into their normal clothing and proceeded to Makkah to perform the Tawaf Al Ifadah (Farewell Tawaf) and sai’ (ritual of running between Safa and Marwah).

Those pilgrims who performed sai’, along with an arrival Tawaf before the Day of Arafah, were not required to do the final rites on Sunday.

On Monday, the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance branch in Madinah said it was "ready to receive the first batches of pilgrims who have fulfilled the Hajj rituals and are departing from Madinah," and that 900,000 copies of the Quran had been prepared "for distribution at Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport and Prince Abdul Mohsin bin Abdulaziz Regional Airport," the official Saudi Press Agency reported.

The official number of pilgrims this year was about 1.83 million, Saudi Arabian authorities announced.

About 22 per cent of the pilgrims came from Arab countries, according to the official statistics.

The Saudi General Authority for Statistics put the total number of pilgrims at 1,833,164.

Last year, more than 1.8 million pilgrims performed Hajj, which was lower than pre-pandemic levels.

In 2019, more than 2.4 million people made the pilgrimage. Saudi authorities control the flow of pilgrims through quotas, allowing each country one pilgrim for every 1,000 Muslim citizens.

These included 221,854 domestic pilgrims, including citizens and residents of Saudi Arabia, and 1,611,310 pilgrims from outside the kingdom.

Pilgrims left Mount Arafat on Saturday evening to spend their night in a nearby site known as Muzdalifah, where they collected pebbles to use in the symbolic stoning of pillars representing the devil.

The pillars are in another sacred place in Makkah, called Mina, where Muslims believe Ibrahim’s faith was tested when God commanded him to sacrifice his only son Ismail. Ibrahim was prepared to submit to the command, but then God spared his son.

On Sunday morning, crowds headed on foot to the stoning areas. Some were seen pushing disabled pilgrims on wheelchairs on a multi-lane road leading to the complex housing the large pillars.

"I am so happy that I can't describe my feelings," Amal Mahrouss, a 55-year-old woman from Egypt, told AFP. "This place shows us that we are all equal, that there are no differences between Muslims around the world."

Before leaving Makkah, pilgrims, now referred to as Hajjis, shed their white or black robes and wear their finest clothes. Makkah becomes a kaleidoscope of colour as pilgrims perform the Farwell Tawaf, where they circumambulate the Kaaba a final time. This step is mandatory but pilgrims have until the end of the Islamic month of Dhu Al Hijjah to perform it.

Dr Mohammed Al Abdulali, spokesman for the Ministry of Health, said more than 112,000 pilgrims received health care from clinics, emergency departments, hospitals and intensive care units during this year's Hajj season.