(6 Jun 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Mount Arafat, Saudi Arabia – 5 June 2025
1. SOUNDBITE (English) Baraa Anwer, Associated Press: ++SOUNDBITE IS OVERLAID BY SHOT2++
"I’m on Mount Arafat, the site where Prophet Muhammad delivered his final sermon nearly 1,400 years ago. Arafat Day is the second day of the annual pilgrimage. It is considered the holiest day in Islam. It’s here that pilgrims gather, standing on the plain of Arafat to praise God, ask for forgiveness, and offer heartfelt prayers. Many raise their hands in worship, deeply emotional moments that marks the spiritual peak of the Hajj. Pilgrims will remain in Arafat, in prayer and reflection until sunset Thursday. Pilgrims will go to the desert plain of Muzdalifah to collect pebbles, which they will use the symbolic stoning of the devi in Mina. It’s a re-enactment of Prophet Abraham’s defiance of Satan who tried to dissuade him from obeying God. The stoning ritual spans several days and aligns with Eid al-Adha, one of Islam’s most important holidays. Pilgrims will also perform the animal sacrifice — a tradition that honors Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son in obedience to God. Finally, they will return to Mecca to circle the Kaaba once more, in what’s known (as) the farewell tawaf — marking the completion of a journey that for many is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream."
2. Various of pilgrims on from Mount Arafat ++NIGHT SHOTS++
3. Various of pilgrims gathered on Mount Arafat
4. Various of pilgrims at Mount Arafat ++NIGHT SHOTS++
STORYLINE:
They came in the dark of night, in the thousands, to clamber up the rocky hill called Mount Arafat in Saudi Arabia.
The mound southeast of Mecca is little known outside Islam. For non-Muslims, the circling of the Kaaba — the black, cube-shaped structure in the holy city — is the most arresting visual moment associated with the annual Hajj pilgrimage.
But for Muslims, it was the rite of praying at Arafat that represented the sum and substance of the Hajj.
The hill and the Day of Arafat, as the second day of the annual pilgrimage is called, hold huge significance in Islam.
Arafat is mentioned in the Quran and it is where the Prophet Muhammad is said to have given his last sermon on his final Hajj.
According to traditional sayings of the prophet, the Day of Arafat is the most sacred day of the year, when God draws near to the faithful and forgives their sins.
The moment of closeness to God makes it the most personally resonant part of the pilgrimage for many.
By 4 a.m. local time on Tuesday, the hill’s 70-meter-high (40 feet) summit was packed with faithful.
They climbed over its rough outcroppings, hauling their personal belongings with them and looking for an open spot.
They sat in groups on its stone ledges and in the crevasses between the big boulders.
AP video by Baraa Anwer
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