Arafat: Under the blistering Saudi sun, more than 1.67 million pilgrims made their way to the plains of Arafat on Thursday, seeking the spiritual high point of Hajj 2025. With temperatures soaring past 40 degrees Celsius, they came to perform wuqoof—the standing at Arafat—an essential rite considered the heart of the pilgrimage.
Earlier that morning, Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman—standing in for King Salman—arrived in Mina to oversee the entire operation. It’s no small task, keeping this many people safe and organised, but the Saudi authorities had pulled out all the stops—logistics, security, medical teams—everything needed to make the journey as smooth as possible.
At dawn, a steady stream of pilgrims, draped in simple white ihram garments, poured toward Namira Mosque. Their voices rose together, carrying the ancient cry: “Labbaik Allahumma Labbaik”—“O Allah, here I am at Your service.” It was a sea of faith stretching across the vast 10.4-square-kilometre plain, a sight that never fails to move even the most seasoned observer.
Inside the mosque, Sheikh Saleh Bin Humaid, the imam of the Grand Mosque in Makkah, delivered the Arafat sermon. He urged the faithful to hold tight to family, to walk the path of morality, and to cherish unity and prayer. His words reached far beyond Arafat, broadcast and translated into 35 languages, bringing millions around the world into the moment.
When the sermon ended, Sheikh Bin Humaid led the combined Dhuhr and Asr prayers, reviving the Prophet’s tradition from his Farewell Hajj. One call to prayer, two iqamas, and then thousands of pilgrims bowed together, united in a single moment of faith. Every one of them is equal, every one of them here for the same reason.
The heat was unrelenting. Umbrellas sprouted up everywhere, small patches of shade in a sea of white. Misting stations, manned by volunteers, sprayed water into the air—anything to help take the edge off the heat. Some pilgrims climbed Jabal Al-Rahma—the Mount of Mercy—where the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) gave his final sermon. It’s a place every pilgrim dreams of visiting, a spot that connects them to the roots of their faith.
All day, the air buzzed with prayer. You could hear people reciting Qur’an, whispering personal prayers, asking for forgiveness, and hoping for unity. Faces were streaked with sweat and dust—tears falling as they thought of the Prophet’s last message: stand together.
As the sun started to set, people gathered their things and began the slow walk toward Muzdalifah. They’d spend the night under the stars, collect pebbles for the symbolic stoning at Mina, and pray Maghrib and Isha. Then they’d rest—another long day behind them, another step closer to completing their pilgrimage. Another step on the long road of faith.
Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Statistics put the total number of pilgrims at 1,673,230—1,506,576 of them from abroad. Among them were 877,841 men and 795,389 women. Most came by air, but thousands more arrived by land or sea—a reminder that faith knows no borders.
Namira Mosque—dating back to the Abbasid era and expanded under Saudi rule—stood as the day’s centrepiece. With its six minarets, three domes, and wide courtyards, it can hold more than 350,000 worshippers. New cooling systems, misting fans, and reflective coatings brought the temperature down by up to 10 degrees, giving pilgrims at least some relief from the desert heat.
As the sun disappeared behind the hills, pilgrims moved on to the next stage of their journey. The Standing at Arafat—the heart of Hajj 2025—left behind a powerful reminder of faith, unity, and resilience. It’s a day that sticks with you long after you leave, a reminder that, at its core, Hajj is about standing together.
