Trip of a lifetime: Saudi Arabia witnesses largest Hajj since pandemic
One million Muslim pilgrims, including 850,000 from abroad, converged in Saudi Arabia for this year’s Hajj after the coronavirus pandemic strictly reduced access to one of Islam’s five pillars for the last two years
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Saudi Arabia’s decision to allow some 850,000 Muslims from abroad to make the annual pilgrimage of Hajj, which began on Thursday, marked a major step toward normalcy after two years of a drastically scaled-down hajj owing to the pandemic. AP
The hajj is an once-in-a-lifetime duty for all Muslims physically and financially able to make the journey, which takes the faithful along a path traversed by the Prophet Muhammad some 1,400 years ago. Pilgrims spend five days carrying out a set of rituals intended to bring them closer to God. AP
Male pilgrims wear two white seamless cloths called the Ihram, which is meant to show equality before Allah. One of the cloths is wrapped around the waist reaching below the knee while the other is draped over the left shoulder and tied at the right side. Female pilgrims are allowed to wear any white, modest dresses when they reach the Miqat. AP
On the first day of Hajj, pilgrims walk seven times around the Kaaba for the welcoming tawaf (also called the circumambulation of the Kaaba) and kiss the black stone. This is followed by prayers inside the mosque near the Kaaba and then drinking water from the Zamzam well. AFP
The pilgrims then move to the Safa and Marwah hills near the Kaaba where they either run or walk seven times between the hills, to symbolically emulate what Ismail’s mother Hajjar did in search of water for her son. AFP File
On the second day, following the morning prayer (Fazar), the pilgrims proceed to Mina where they spend the whole day in prayer. AP
On the third day, pilgrims go to Arafat to offer supplications, seek repentance and listen to sermons from where it is believed Islam’s Prophet Mohammed delivered his final sermon. AP
The ritual at Arafat is the ultimate day of Hajj and is considered compulsory if the pilgrimage is to be considered successful. Later, all pilgrims leave for Muzdalifah where they pray and spend the night in the open fields and gather small pebbles and stones for the next day’s ritual. AP
In the next three days, pilgrims will move to Mina to perform the symbolic stoning of the devil (ramy) by throwing seven pebbles or stones at the largest of three pillars. On this day, animals like sheep or goats are slaughtered after the ‘stoning of the devil’ to commemorate Abraham’s sacrifice to God when he obeyed the command to sacrifice his son. This day is also the day Muslims worldwide celebrate the Eid al-Adha festival. AP
Male pilgrims will completely shave their hairs after the sacrifice and females will clip pieces of their hair. They then head to the holy mosque at Mecca for another round of tawaf. Pilgrims will do another round of ‘stoning the devil’ at each of the three pillars. Before leaving Mecca, the pilgrims perform another circumambulation of the Kaaba called the ‘farewell tawaf’ for seven times. After this tawaf, the Hajj pilgrimage is finally completed. AP
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