From Hafizah Kamaruddin
ARAFAH, Oct 3 (Bernama) — All the haj pilgrims, except for those who are still in hospitals in Saudi Arabia, have now assembled at the Arafah plains for the ‘wukuf’, which is the peak of the haj rituals.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom said efforts were being made to take them to Arafah even if it was for a brief period.
The wukuf begins from ‘zohor’ on Friday and will end when the sun rises before dawn on Saturday.
Jamil Khir said all Malaysian pilgrims, including those being treated at two Tabung Haji treatment centres, namely the Syisyah Treatment Centre and Azizah Treatment Centre, had been brought to Arafah, which is located about 22 kilometres from Makkah, in stages since 10.15am until 10.30pm on Thursday.
This year, 22,320 Malaysian pilgrims are performing the haj and so far, five pilgrims had died in the Holy Land.
He disclosed this to the Malaysian media after making an hour’s visit to the haj tents here on Friday morning.
Jamil Khir said all the haj pilgrims were in fine condition and were making preparation for the wukuf which was only a few hours away. In fact, the bright weather helped the pilgrims to make preparation.
— BERNAMA
