Saudi Arabia Reschedules Stoning Ritual to Evening Due to Heatwave

Ibrahim Shehu Adili

6 months ago

Mina, Saudi Arabia – The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has rescheduled the stoning ritual at the Jamarat Bridge to evening hours due to extreme heat conditions that have caused severe heat strokes and exhaustion among pilgrims. This decision comes after about 3,000 pilgrims were affected by heat-related issues during their journeys to and from the Jamarat Bridge on Sunday.

The high temperatures, reaching 47-48 degrees Celsius, resulted in numerous heat strokes and exhaustion cases, particularly among elderly and young non-Arab, European, and Indian pilgrims. An unspecified number of affected pilgrims have died. Saudi hospitals in the area were overwhelmed with patients, and the 911 center in the Makkah region received a total of 78,872 emergency calls.

Dr. Abdulfattah bin Sulaiman, the head of the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, stated that the rescheduling aims to protect the well-being of pilgrims and prevent further heat stress incidents. “We recommend campaign organizers guide and educate pilgrims to adhere to the guidelines and protect them from exposure to any heat stress,” the Saudi Ministry of Health emphasized.

Pilgrims are now required to perform the stoning ritual in the evening, when temperatures are expected to be lower. Security personnel will enforce the new schedule to ensure compliance.

Despite the challenging conditions, Nigerian and African pilgrims were reported to be the least affected by the heatwave. However, the Saudi Ministry of Health urged all pilgrims to drink plenty of water and use umbrellas to mitigate the effects of the extreme heat.

The stoning ritual, or rajm al-jamarat, is a significant part of the Hajj pilgrimage, symbolizing the rejection of temptation and reaffirming faith in Allah by honoring the Prophet Ibrahim. This year, over 1.83 million pilgrims participated in the Hajj, with 1,611,310 coming from abroad and 221,854 from within Saudi Arabia.

Source: Vanguard

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