Muzdalifah

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Coordinates: 21°23′33″N, 39°56′16″E Muzdalifah (Arabic: مزدلفة) is an open, level area near Mecca in Saudi Arabia associated with the Hajj. It lies just southeast of Mina on the route between Mina and Arafat. Each year on the 9th day of the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah, after an afternoon of prayer at Arafat (this occurred most recently at the end of December 2007), Muslim pilgrims visit Muzdalifah in the evening. Because of over-crowding, the pilgrims sometimes do not arrive there until late at night. At Muzdalifah they collect 49 pebbles (the number 49 is chosen because that is the number of days that Muhammad was tempted by the devil) which will be thrown in the Stoning of the Devil ritual in Mina during the next three or four days. The pilgrims spend the night at Muzdalifah, often sleeping in the open air, before leaving for Mina the next morning. It is also where Prophet Ibrahim and his son Isma'il threw stones at the evil spirit. (Eid ul-Adha).

[[Category:Hajj]