`ARAFAT, Saudi Arabia — More than 2.5 million pilgrims converged Tuesday, December 18, on Mount `Arafat, east of the holy city of Makkah, for the climax of hajj after spending a night of meditation and introspection in the tent city of Mina.
Chanting "Labbaik Allahumma Labbaik (Here I am answering Your call, O God)," the white-clad sea of faithful sought God’s forgiveness and prayed for fellow Muslims.

"I prayed that all Muslims may prosper, and that I may prosper with them," Egyptian Zaki Ali Ibrahim told Reuters.

"I felt that my prayers for Muslims were reaching God with strength."

A large group chanted prayers in unison behind their imam, asking God to help fellow Muslims in areas of conflict. The imam named Palestine, Chechnya, Kashmir and Sudan.

Shazli Atallah Mohamed, also from Egypt, said that on the hilltop he felt closer to God than anywhere else.

"I prayed that God might accept us all into paradise."

Muslims who perform hajj properly return to their homes having all their sins washed way as promised by Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).

Some of the most enthusiastic pilgrims spent the night on Mount `Arafat, also known as Jabal al-Rahma or the Mountain of Mercy.

The pilgrims will pray the noon prayer at the Namera Mosque and lesson to a sermon, commemorate the sermon Prophet Muhammad made in the year of his death in 632.

Standing on `Arafat is the most essential pillar of hajj and missing it means the ritual has not been fulfilled and must be repeated in the future.

Hajj, which ends on Friday, December 21, is one of the five pillars of Islam and is an obligation for all able-bodied Muslims at least once in a lifetime if afforded.

Well-organized

Hajj this year has been described by pilgrims and officials as the most well-organized over the past years.

Traffic jams that used to obstruct the flow of pilgrims into Mina ate something of the past, reported the Saudi Arab News.

Maj. Gen. Saad Al-Khilaiwi, assistant commander of hajj security forces, said the trek of pilgrims from Makkah to Mina took place without any major accidents.

Mohammad Baghdadi, supervisor of the water department in the Makkah region, said officials have made sure water reaches all pilgrims throughout hajj stages, adding that reserve water tanks have been established to meet emergency requirements.

Saudi authorities have given top priority to the security and safety of pilgrims and have deployed more than 50,000 security forces in the holy sites.

The government has taken precautions against bird flu, after recent cases of the deadly H5N1 strain of the virus killing birds in the Riyadh region.

Pilgrims praised Saudi authorities for excellent arrangements.

"They deserve huge accolades. God bless them," said Idris Zanny from Nigeria, on his fifth hajj.