Masked pilgrims prayed on Thursday at Mount Arafat on the most important day of the Hajj as Sheikh Abdullah Al-Manee delivered the Hajj sermon at Masjid-e-Nimra, saying "Islam forbids any excess against any Muslim or non-Muslim. We must fully comply with the teachings of Sharia.”

Sheikh Abdullah Al-Manee, a member of the Council of Senior Scholars and Advisers at the Royal Saudi Court, stressed over the parents’ rights and Haqooq Ul Ibaad, the duty Muslims owe to mankind being just and on the righteous path.

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He said The Holy Prophet (PBUH) described the Muslim Ummah as one body. Muslims should lead their lives according to Islam as it is the only way to lead a successful life, he urged.

The key points of the sermon:

Deal kindly with your parents
Along with Allah Almighty, the rights of parents should also be fulfilled
Make peace with your relatives
Always speak straight and clear
Allah Almighty has commanded justice and benevolence
Treat your wives kindly
He urged the faithful to keep fearing Allah and adopt piety. Prodding the path of Allah is the only way of emancipation. “Islam forbids any excess against any Muslim or non-Muslim. We must fully comply with the teachings of Sharia”, Sheikh Abdullah said and added that Islam brought blessings for mankind.

He called upon the media of the Muslim world to play a role in the unity of Muslim Ummah. “The peace and tranquility of mind can only be found through the religion,” he said.

He further added:

Wrath of Allah descends on unjust killing
Allah, the Exalted, has declared murder as haraam
Allah has a painful punishment for those who kill unjustly
Muslims hold fast to the rope of Allah
O people, reflect on the universe of Allah and His system
People are not delivering their trusts to the rightful owners
If there is a dispute, we should return to Allah and His Messenger
The sermon also highlighted the issue of plague in light 0f Islam:

If the plague spreads, one should not go to another area
When a person stands up for prayers and takes care of purity and purity
Muslims should believe that Allah Almighty will deliver them from Hajj
Some people use haraam things, which is why it is contagious
After listening to Hajj sermon, pilgrims performed Zohr and Asr prayers combined at Masjid-e-Nima. The pilgrims will then spend time in Arafat with prayers for acceptance of their pilgrimage and recitation of Quranic verses until sunset.

After sunset, they will head to Muzdalifah, where they will engage in prayers after performing combined Maghreb and Isha prayers. They will stay there until morning prayers.

In Muzdalifa, pilgrims rest and traditionally pick up pebbles that will be used for a symbolic stoning of the devil. However, for this year, they will be provided with the pebbles that have been prepackaged and sterilised.

The final ritual takes place over three to four days in Mina, about 12 miles east of Makkah.

For now, pilgrims converged on Saudi Arabia's Mount Arafat for the climax of this year's Hajj, the smallest in modern times and a sharp contrast to the massive crowds of previous years.

A tight security cordon has been erected all around the foot of the rocky hill outside Makkahk, also known as Jabal al-Rahma or Mount of Mercy.

Pilgrims, donning masks and observing social distancing, were brought in buses from neighbouring Mina, state television showed, as Saudi authorities impose measures to prevent a coronavirus outbreak.

They were subject to temperature checks and attended a sermon -- which state media said was translated into 10 languages -- before they set off on the climb to the summit for hours of Quran recitals and prayers to atone for their sins.

The scene was strikingly different to last year's ritual when a sea of pilgrims ascended Mount Arafat, marshalled by tens of thousands of stewards in a bid to prevent any crushes.

After sunset prayers, pilgrims will make their way down Mount Arafat to Muzdalifah, another holy site where they will sleep under the stars to prepare for the final stage of Hajj, the symbolic "stoning of the devil".

It takes place on Friday and also marks the beginning of Eidul Azha, the festival of sacrifice.

The Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam and a must for able-bodied Muslims at least once in their lifetime, is usually one of the world's largest religious gatherings.

But only up to 10,000 people already residing in the kingdom will participate in this year's ritual, compared with 2019's gathering of some 2.5 million from around the world.

"You are not our guests but those of God, the custodian of the two holy mosques (Saudi Arabia's King Salman) and the nation," Hajj Minister Mohammad Benten said in a video released by the media ministry on Wednesday.

- Security cordon -
A security cordon has been thrown around the holy sites to prevent any security breaches, an interior ministry spokesman said.

Riyadh faced strong criticism in 2015 when some 2,300 worshippers were killed in the deadliest stampede in the gathering's history. But this year, those risks are greatly reduced by the much smaller crowd.

The pilgrims have all been tested for the virus, and foreign journalists were barred from this year's hajj, usually a huge global media event.

As part of the rites completed over five days in the holy city of Makkah and its surroundings, the pilgrims converged on Mount Arafat after spending the night in Mina.

Mina sits in a narrow valley surrounded by rocky mountains, and is transformed each year into a vast encampment for pilgrims.

They began the Hajj on Wednesday with their first "tawaf", the circumambulation of the Holy Kaaba, a large structure in Makkah’s Grand Mosque towards which Muslims around the world pray.

The Kaaba is draped in a black cloth embroidered in gold with Quranic verses and known as the kiswa, which is changed each year during the pilgrimage.

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Pilgrims were brought inside the mosque in small batches, walking along paths marked on the floor, in sharp contrast to the normal sea of humanity that swirls around the Kaaba during Hajj.