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Eid el Kabir: 2 million Muslim pilgrims stone the devil in Muzdalifah, Saudi Arabia
About two million Muslim pilgrims for this year’s Hajj on Sunday performed the symbolic stoning of the devil in Saudi Arabia.
This comes as part of the final activities of the Muslim pilgrimage and importantly, the start of the Eid el-Kabir celebrations for Muslims globally.
In Nigeria, Eid al-Kabir, or Babbar Sallah in Hausa, is recognized as a feast of sacrifice commemorating Prophet Ibrahim’s obedience to the instruction of Allah, specifically his readiness to sacrifice his son, Ismail, as Allah demanded.
It is the festival of sharing when Muslims who can afford especially ram, buy, kill and share the meat with neighbours.
Back in the holy site, the stoning of the devil on Sunday is among the final rites of the Hajj, one of the five Pillars of Islam.
Earlier on Saturday, June 15, more than 1.8 million pilgrims had congregated on a sacred hill in Mount Ararat outside Mecca, and by the evening, they left the Mount to spend their night in the site known as Muzdalifa, where they collected pebbles they had used in the symbolic stoning of pillars representing the devil.
The pillars are in Mina, another sacred place in Mecca where Muslims believe Ibrahim’s faith was tested when God commanded him to sacrifice his only son Ismail.
As related in both the Quran and the Bible, Ibrahim (Abraham in the Bible), was prepared to submit to the command but God stopped him from sacrificing Ismail (or Isaac in the Bible), providing him instead a ram.
In Saudi Arabia, pilgrims will spend the next three days in Mina, where they walk long distances on pedestrian-only streets toward a complex of large pillars where they will cast seven pebbles each at three pillars, to symbolically cast away evil and sin.
At Mina, they will visit Mecca to perform ‘tawaf’, a circling of the Kaaba in the Grand Mosque counterclockwise seven times.
This would be as the pilgrims approach the end of their pilgrimage and prepare to leave the holy city.
After the Hajj, men typically shave their heads and remove the white garments they wear during the pilgrimage.
Willing pilgrims then leave Mecca for Medina to pray in Prophet Muhammad’s tomb, which forms part of the prophet’s mosque, one of the three holiest sites in Islam.
Over 1.83 million Muslims are performing the 2024 Hajj, according to Saudi Hajj and Umrah Minister, Tawfiq bin Fawzan al-Rabiah.
CREDIT: DAILY POST
Dangote Refinery has announced that it will need to export 95-97 percent of its Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) due to low interest from Nigerian marketers. The refinery, which processes 650,000 barrels per day, revealed that only 3 to 5 percent of petrol marketers are purchasing its fuel.
Devakumar Edwin, Vice President of Oil and Gas at Dangote Industries Limited, shared these details during an X Space session hosted by Nairametrics on Wednesday. He highlighted the challenges facing both the Dangote Refinery and Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
Edwin explained, “I’m selling 2 to 3 percent to small traders who are willing to buy, while the remaining 95 to 97 percent has to be exported,” referring to the local sales of the refinery’s products.
This situation arises as the NNPCL’s deadline for adjusting the Dangote Refinery’s fuel distribution approaches without a clear plan in sight. It is worth noting that while Aliko Dangote, President of Dangote Group, has announced the refinery’s initial petrol rollout, its distribution to marketers is contingent upon NNPCL’s decisions.
The final sixteen teams for the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia have been determined following the conclusion of the group stage.
In recent matches, Ghana triumphed over New Zealand with a score of 3-1, and Japan secured a 2-0 victory against Austria.
As a result, Japan has advanced to the Round of 16, joining the other 15 teams in this knockout stage.
The Round of 16 matches are scheduled for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.
The full lineup for the Round of 16 is as follows:
- Spain vs Canada
- Brazil vs Cameroon
- Colombia vs South Korea
- Mexico vs USA
- North Korea vs Austria
- Germany vs Argentina
- Netherlands vs France
- Japan vs Nigeria
The Nigerian Army has refuted claims of widespread resignations among its soldiers due to issues like corruption and low morale.
In a statement, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, Director of Army Public Relations, dismissed these reports as unfounded.
A news outlet had alleged that numerous Nigerian soldiers were resigning because of corruption and low morale. However, the statement condemned these allegations as misleading and a deliberate attempt to create discontent and undermine the Nigerian Army’s reputation and the dedication of its personnel.
Major General Nwachukwu clarified that, similar to other military organizations worldwide, service in the Nigerian Army is voluntary rather than mandatory. This means that personnel have the freedom to resign following established procedures.
He explained that the resignation process allows personnel to prepare and manage their entitlements, including pensions and gratuities, as outlined in the Harmonized Terms and Conditions of Service (Officers/Soldiers).
Contrary to the report’s implications, the statement emphasized that Nigerian Army personnel are highly motivated, and their welfare is a priority under the leadership of Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja.
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