The City of Tents in Mina Valley reverberated with chants of Labbaik, Allahumma Labbaik.... (Here I am O Allah! Here I am...) as millions of pilgrims converged here ahead of Attendance on the Plain of Arafat, the pinnacle of Haj, on Sunday. The pilgrims will return to the valley Monday after spending the whole of Sunday in Arafat praying and supplicating for expiation of their sins. They will halt for the night in Muzadalifa to pick up pebbles for the ritual of stoning Satan (Jamrat) back in Mina. Also on Monday, pilgrims will sacrifice an animal, usually a sheep, to commemorate the readiness of Prophet Abraham to sacrifice his son on God's orders. The ceremony marks the start of Eid Al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice). The Haj is one of the five pillars of Islam which the Qur'an says all Muslims must perform at least once in their lives, if they are capable physically and financially. The Kingdom's authorities have put in place all security and other arrangements to ensure that pilgrims perform their rituals in ease and comfort. Strict security measures at checkpoints have prevented thousands of pilgrims without Haj permits from sneaking into Makkah. At Taif expressway checkpoint about 180 buses carrying illegal pilgrims were turned back. Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, Minister of Interior and Chairman of the Supreme Haj Committee, has pledged that authorities will act tough with pilgrims squatting on pathways in the holy sites. An integrated security team of 100,000 personnel drawn from all the branches of the Ministry of Interior have deployed across the holy sites to ensure security. The Civil Defense has also warned pilgrims against squatting in tunnels meant for pedestrians. The practice, it said, endangers the lives of pilgrims which has resulted in stampedes on earlier occasions. Civil Defense safety teams are making inspection tours of tents to ensure that there are no gas cylinders inside the tents and are arresting violators. The Ministry of Water and Electricity has made arrangements for water supply and for illuminating the roads pilgrims will use in performing their rituals. Thousands of toilets with excellent hygienic standards have been made ready for the pilgrims. The newly-built huge three-story Jamrat Bridge has been well connected with various ramps to avoid congestion. About 10,000 security men have been stationed in and around the bridge, said Major General Saad Abdullah Al-Khulaivi of the Civil Defense. All the possibilities of accidents have been hopefully eliminated, said Al
