Two million white-clad Muslims from across the globe began the hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia in one of the world's largest annual gatherings. The intending pilgrims will perform the main pillar of Hajj, Wuquf-e-Arafa today.

Wuquf-e-Arafat (Stay at Mount Arafat)

Having spent the evening at Mina, the Tent City, Hajis are headed towards rocky hill, Mount Arafat where they believe the Prophet Mohammed gave his final sermon 14 centuries ago after leading his followers on the hajj.

Wuquf (Stay) in Arafat is performed from Zuhr to sunset on the 9th of Zil-Hajj of Islamic year.

Imam of Nimra Mosque will deliver his sermon to Hajj pilgrims in Arafat and the pilgrims would offer Zohar and Asar prayers jointly at Arafat.

The main action in Wuquf is not to pray lots of Nafils but to just stand facing the Baitul Haram (Sacred House) asking Allah for forgiveness while recognizing Him as our Lord.

The holy Prophet (PBUH) said, "Al Hajju Arafah," means ‘standing in Arafat’ is the Hajj.

After the Wuquf-e-Arafat, the pilgrims would move towards Muzdalafa and there they would perform remaining two prayers, Maghrib and Isha, together.

All Hajj pilgrims will stay whole night in Muzdalfa and continue worships for forgiveness and pleasing God, the almighty.

They would perform Fajar prayer on morning of 10th Zil-Hajj in Muzdalfa and then return to Mina for following act of Hazrat Ibrahim (A.S), Rami, stoning the big Satan.

After stoning the Satan, Hajj pilgrims will shave off heads or trim hairs, to the prescribed level, and then would get off the Ahrams, Hajj cloths, at completion of Hajj rituals.

Muslims celebrate Eid-ul-Adha and sacrifice Halal animals of their choices every year, after completion of Hajj proceedings.

Tired But Happy

A sandstorm blew and light rain fell as streaks of lightning lit up the skies above the vast plain surrounding Mount Arafat, where the faithful began to arrive ahead of the climax of hajj on Wednesday.

Many reached Arafat by bus but others walked from the holy city of Makkah about 15 kilometres (nine miles) away.

Some unloaded their luggage from buses while fellow pilgrims struggled in the winds to set up their tents beside the road.

Police manned checkpoints along the way to verify the permits of the faithful, many of whom appeared worn out, a contrast to the joy pilgrims showed earlier in Makkah.

"Transport is bad, our residence is bad, and food is really bad... even though we paid around $4,000 (3,603 euros) to come," said Tunisian pilgrim Abu Salim, 58.

"However, tiredness for the sake of God is not that big a problem."

For many, the hajj will be the highlight of their spiritual lives.

This year's gathering is about the same size as last year's, with 1.4 million foreign pilgrims joining hundreds of thousands of Saudis and residents of the kingdom.

They are undeterred by a construction crane collapse at Makkah's Grand Mosque earlier this month that killed 109 people, including foreign pilgrims.

About 400 people were injured by the crane which was working on an expansion of Islam's holiest site.

Previously marred by stampedes and fires that killed hundreds, the pilgrimage had been largely incident-free for the past nine years after safety improvements.

The hajj is among the five pillars of Islam and every capable Muslim must perform it at least once in a lifetime.

Yemeni pilgrim Mohammed al-Mikhlafi, 54, complained of "a lack of organisation" at the gathering, where he planned to pray for Muslim unity.

"One belongs to the Islamic State (IS) group, another to Al-Qaeda. These groups are destroying Islam while fighting under its banner," said the Yemenia Airways employee, who lives in Saudi Arabia.

His wife stood covered from head to toe with only her eyes showing.

100,000 police

This year's gathering takes place against a backdrop of increased jihadist violence in some Muslim countries, a surge of the potentially deadly MERS virus and the war in Saudi neighbour Yemen.

About 100,000 police have been deployed to secure pilgrimage sites and manage the crowds.

Authorities say they are on alert for possible attacks by extremists.

IS jihadists have bombed security forces and mosques in the kingdom in recent months.

Security forces have taken "measures to prevent terrorist groups from exploiting hajj season to carry out acts of sabotage," interior ministry spokesman General Mansur al-Turki said.

This year's hajj also comes with Saudi Arabia at war.

Since March the kingdom has led an Arab coalition conducting air strikes and supporting local forces in Yemen against Iran-backed rebels.

Most Yemeni pilgrims performing the hajj this year already reside in the kingdom.

Among other challenges facing Saudi authorities is potential transmission of the deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV).

The capital saw a jump in infections last month, but health officials say there has never been a case of MERS infection among pilgrims.

The health ministry has mobilised thousands of medical workers to help ensure a virus-free pilgrimage and to care for routine ailments.

The first day of the hajj is known as Tarwiah Day, when pilgrims traditionally watered their animals and stocked water for their trip to Mount Arafat.

On the way, modern-day pilgrims stay in specially built fireproof tents during their stop in Mina, a city which only comes alive during hajj season.

At Mount Arafat they will pray and recite from the holy Koran.

Pilgrims start the hajj by entering ihram, a state of purity in which they must not quarrel, wear perfume, or cut their nails or hair.

During ihram, men wear a seamless two-piece shroud-like white garment, while women must wear loose dresses, generally also white, exposing only their faces and hands.

The clothing emphasises their unity, regardless of whether they spend the hajj in Makkah's five-star hotels or in shabby highrise hostels.

- See more at: http://www.suchtv.pk/world/item/27770-muslim-pilgrims-mass-in-makkah-for-haj.html#sthash.qWzqytwF.dpuf

The federal government Tuesday announced holidays on account of Eid-ul Azha.

According to the notification issued by the Interior Ministry, Eid holidays will begin from 24th to 27th of this month.

Yesterday, official moon sighting committee announced that Zilhajj moon was not sighted anywhere in Pakistan.

Addressing a press conference in Karachi after chairing a meeting of the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee, Mufti Muneeb ur Rehman said that moon could not be sighted in Pakistan on Monday.

Eid al Adha will be marked on Friday, September 25, he had announced.

History:

Eid al-Adha, also called the Feast of Sacrifice , the Greater Eid, or Bakr-Eid , is the second of two religious holidays celebrated by Muslims worldwide each year. It honors the willingness of Hazrat Ibrahim (Peace Be upon Him) to sacrifice his promised son, Hazrat Ismail (Peace Be upon Him), as an act of submission to Almighty Allah's command, before God then intervened, through his angel Jibra'il and informs him that his sacrifice has already been accepted.

The meat from the sacrificed animal is preferred to be divided into three parts. The family retains one third of the share; another third is given to relatives, friends and neighbors; and the remaining third is given to the poor and needy.

In the lunar-based Islamic calendar, Eid al-Azha falls on the 10th day of Zill-Hijjah and lasts for four days. In the international (Gregorian) calendar, the dates vary from year to year, drifting approximately 11 days earlier each year.

Eid al-Azha is the latter of the two Eid holidays, the former being Eid al-Fitr. The basis for the observance comes from the 196th ayah (verse) of Al-Baqara, the second sura of the Quran. The word "Eid" appears once in Al-Ma'ida, the fifth sura of the Quran, with the meaning "solemn festival".

Like Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Azha begins with a Sunnah prayer of two rakats followed by a sermon (khutbah). Eid al-Azha celebrations start after the descent of the Hujjaj, the pilgrims performing the Hajj, from Mount Arafat, a hill east of Makkah.

Eid sacrifice may take place until sunset on the 13th day of Zill-Hijjah. The days of Eid have been singled out in the Hadith as "days of remembrance".The takbir (days) of Tashriq are from the Fajr prayer of the 9th of Zill-Hijjah up to the Asr prayer of the 13th of Zill-Hijjah (5 days and 4 nights). This equals 23 prayers: 5 on the 9th–12th, which equals 20, and 3 on the 13th.
- See more at: http://www.suchtv.pk/pakistan/general/item/27441-govt-announces-eidul-azha-holidays.html#sthash.s6pyVqaS.dpuf

A research group within ISIS is alleged to have developed and used warfare poisonous agents in the areas under their control. Russia's Foreign Ministry says ISIS now has the scientific documentation necessary to produce chemical weapons.

An anonymous US official cited by the BBC believes ISIS/ISIL has formed a group to produce toxic chemicals such as mustard and chlorine gas (mustard agent, dichloroethyl sulfide, HD blister agent).

“They're using mustard. We know they are,” BBC cited an unnamed US official as saying, adding that the use of chemical warfare by ISIS has been registered on several occasions.

“We've seen them use it on at least four separate occasions on both sides of the border – both in Iraq and Syria,” the official was quoted as saying.

Prior to the emergence of ISIS as a major force in Syria, the country’s chemical warfare arsenals were successfully evacuated and destroyed on a special vessel in the Mediterranean Sea following a deal negotiated with Russia and the US, which both took part in this operation.

According to the BBC, the US intelligence community believes that most possibly ISIS arranged for the production of chemical agents of their own.

“We assess that they have an active chemical weapons little research cell that they're working on to try and get better at it,” the official told BBC, explaining that mustard agent is “not a complex chemical to produce.”

The BBC’s source also did not question the fact that the Syrian government handed over all of its 1,180 tons of declared chemical warfare stockpiles under the threat of US airstrikes in 2013. The process began in October 2013, and was completed by June 2014.

The mustard agent is believed to be produced in the form of powder stuffed into projectiles such as mortar rounds, the official said.

When the mustard agent powder is dispersed in the air after an explosion, it causes blisters when it comes into contact with human skin. It takes months to cure the sores caused by such blisters. Mucous membranes of the upper respiratory passages are severely damaged, while contact with eyes can cause loss of vision.

There is no antidote to mustard agent and the only treatment existing is the physical removal of the agent from the body.

On September 3, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, said that ISIS had obtained the necessary scientific documentation for chemical weapons production.

“In particular, there’s information about ISIS getting scientific and technical documentation for production of chemical weapons, capture of chemical plants, recruitment of foreign experts for activities aiming to set up synthesis of chemical warfare agents,” Zakharova told a media briefing.

The spokesperson warned of the possibility of these chemical agents spreading outside of the territory controlled by ISIS and even beyond of the Middle East. Zakharova called on to the UN Security Council to react to the threat of trans-boundary terrorist activities, implying the use of chemical warfare agents.

On Monday, the UN Security Council called for the creation of an inquiry that will seek to prosecute those behind chemical weapons attacks in Syria. A resolution was unanimously agreed by the 15-member council.

Russia’s Ambassador to the UN, Vitaly Churkin, expressed the hope that the experts appointed for the task will be professional and objective in their work.

“We believe the decision made today is primarily preventive in nature and it will help to ensure that no toxic chemicals will be used as weapons in the future in Syria,” he said.
- See more at: http://www.suchtv.pk/world/item/27221-isis-using-chemical-weapons-in-iraq-syria-report.html#sthash.VFb59Wse.dpuf

1. The CPEC project has given India sleepless nights ever since its inception

2. The demand for Khalistan

3. Pakistan is the only country that opposes India’s autocratic mindset in the region

4. Success of Operation Zarb-e-Azb

5. Modi’s old habits will die hard

6. Pakistan’s improving economic situation

7. RAW agents not at large anymore

8. Balochistan is ever the secure province we all want it to be

9. An army chief we are proud of!

10. A peaceful Afghanistan translates into a peaceful Pakistan

Govt #hospitals #doctors & #Nurses stage #protest against freezing of #Health_ Risk_Allowance in #Islamabad

Celebrations of Pakistan's 50th Defence Day are under way across the nation on Sunday as the day commenced with a 31-gun salute in the federal capital and 21-gun salutes in provincial capitals, Radio Pakistan reported.