Muslim pilgrims performing the haj arrive on the plain of Arafat, near Mecca, yesterday. Pilgrims spent the day in the plain where Prophet Mohammad gave his farewell sermon 14 centuries ago, before moving back to Mena for the pillar-stoning rites on Tuesday. - Reuters

MOUNT ARAFAT, Saudi Arabia (Reuters):

More than two million elated Muslim pilgrims crowded on to holy Mount Arafat near Mecca yesterday, praying for Muslims around the world and hoping for a safe haj.

Muslims believe God is more likely to answer their prayers if they are made within the sacred zone on the mountain plain where pilgrims spend the day before moving to another site in the evening.

Wearing simple white robes to symbolise equality and selflessness, many trekked at dawn to the rocky outcrop, known as Jebel al-Rahma (Mount Mercy), where the Prophet Mohammad gave his last sermon 1,400 years ago.

"Whenever I stand on Jebel al-Rahma, I feel reborn," said Ruquia Manouzi, a Moroccan woman.

"There is a great feeling of spirituality fills you on haj, with this divine atmosphere and cooperation among Muslims," said Shakir Bakr, a student of religion from Mali.

Religious devotion

Mohamado Thiam, a telecoms engineer from Senegal, said pilgrims were praying for Muslims in hot spots around the world.

"I'm very happy. Look at how our nation is expanding," he said. "But we have to pray for our brethren in Iraq, in Palestine, in Sudan. There are people dying there."

In one of the world's biggest displays of mass religious devotion, pilgrims spend five days following a route around the mountains of the ancient city of Mecca.

The gruelling ritual is a duty for every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to make the trip. A record 1.65 million pilgrims have come from abroad, a six per cent rise on the last haj. Several hundred thousand people inside Saudi Arabia usually receive permits too.

With such large crowds, Saudi Arabia deploys more than 50,000 security men to try to avoid deadly stampedes, as well as attacks by Islamists opposed to the United States-allied Saudi royals.

Security fears are heightened this year because of concerns over sectarian strife between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims around the region.