Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd bin Abdulaziz arrived in Mina today, and observed the success of the movement of pilgrims towards the plains of Arafat. The Standing at Arafat has been completed smoothly. Meanwhile, the old covering (Kiswah) of the Holy Ma’abah in the Grand Mosque in Makkah was ceremoniously replaced with a splendid new one.

The Kingdom’s Grand Mufti Shaikh Abdulaziz Al AsShaikh led the prayers and delivered a sermon, in which he urged Muslims to adhere to the Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah (teachings of the Prophet). He reiterated that those who try to destabilize the country’s security are not serving religion, but doing evil; and strongly denounced those who shed blood, whether that of Muslims or non-Muslims, and claim that such actions are holy war (jihad ). Islam, he said, is a religion of mercy, tolerance and justice, and absolutely forbids shedding blood and wreaking havoc. After spending the day at Arafat, the pilgrims will proceed after sunset to Muzdalifah, and then on to Mina again. The weather in the area of the holy sites is cloudy, with temperatures between 17 and 30 degrees Celsius (63-86 degrees Fahrenheit), with winds up to 35 kilometers per hour (22 miles per hour).

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