the ranks of Ummah.
The Imam also called upon the media to discharge its professional responsibilities in an honest manner, putting across what was right and inculcating a sense of unity among the Ummah.
He said there was a dire need for Muslims to create unity in their ranks, as their enemies were getting united.
He especially referred to plans to divide Masjid-e-Aqsa and said, “Our efforts to liberate the Qibla-e-Awwal have weakened.”
Sheikh Abdul Aziz asked Muslims in distress all over the world to demonstrate patience and perseverance and time is not far off when their difficulties would be over.
On this occasion, prayers were offered for the well-being and unity of the Ummah.
Around two million white-clad Muslims on Wednesday poured into the vast Saudi plain where Holy Prophet Mohammed (SAW) had given his last sermon.
Many of the faithful from around the globe camped at the foot of Mount Arafat where they slept, exhausted from their journey, and prayed despite the scorching sun.
Carrying colourful umbrellas, they walked from dawn in massive crowds towards the slippery, rocky hill which is also known as Mount Mercy.
To organise the flow of pilgrims, security forces formed human chains along the roads of the vast Arafat plain.
Along the way, volunteers handed out boxes of food and cold water bottles.
For many pilgrims, Haj is the spiritual highlight of their lives.
“We feel blessed. I got goosebumps, a feeling that cannot be explained, when reaching the top of the mountain,” said Ruhaima Emma, a 26-year-old Filipina pilgrim, who said she had been “praying for a good life for everyone”.
For Akram Ghannam, 45, from war-torn Syria, being in Arafat is a “feeling that cannot be described. I pray to God for the victory of all those who are oppressed.”
Many reached Arafat by bus while some walked from the holy city of Makkah about 15 kilometers (nine miles) away.
Other pilgrims arrived from the nearby Mina using the elevated Mashair Railway linking the holy sites of Arafat, Muzdalifah and Mina, a tent city where many pilgrims spent Tuesday night.
After sunset on Wednesday they were to move to Muzdalifah where they will gather pebbles for a symbolic stoning of the devil ritual on Thursday (today), which is also the Eidul Azha feast of sacrifice marked by the world’s more than 1.5 billion Muslims.
This year’s gathering is about the same size as last year’s, with 1.4 million foreign pilgrims joining hundreds of thousands of residents of the kingdom.
They are undeterred by a construction crane collapse at the Grand Mosque earlier this month that killed 109 people, including foreign pilgrims. About 400 people were injured by the crane which was working on an expansion of Islam’s holiest site. About 100,000 police have been deployed to secure the pilgrimage sites and manage the crowds.
Authorities say they are on alert for possible attacks by extremists after IS jihadists bombed security forces and Shia mosques in the kingdom in recent months.