Hajj takes place two months and 10 days after Ramadan ends, during the Islamic month of Dhul-Hijjah. The height of Hajj corresponds with the major Islamic holy day Eid al-Adha, which commemorates Abraham's readiness to sacrifice his son on Divine orders. The pilgrimage, conducted over five days, includes numerous detailed rituals including wearing a special garment that symbolizes human equality and unity before God, a circular, counter-clockwise procession around the Kaaba, and the symbolic stoning of evil.
What it's like experiencing Hajj first hand. Kaaba Ka'bah , a cube-shaped structure draped in black silk, is the most sacred shrine of Islam and the chief goal of the pilgrimage. There is a black stone enclosed in a silver ring in the eastern corner of the Kaaba. Muslims believe that the stone was given to Abraham by the angel Gabriel. Participants touch or kiss the stone to end the ceremony around the Kaaba.
People who have completed the pilgrimage may add the phrase al-Hajj or hajji pilgrim to their names. April - A fire in Mina, Saudi Arabia, tears through a sprawling, overcrowded tent city, trapping and killing more than pilgrims and injuring 1, February 1, - A stampede kills Muslim pilgrims and injures more at a stone-throwing ritual which has been the source of deadly trampling in the past.
January 5, - A small hotel in Mecca collapses, killing at least 76 people. The hotel, Luluat Alkheir, is occupied by Asian pilgrims when it collapses. January 12, - A stampede kills at least people. The stampede, like others in the past, happens during the stone-throwing ritual in which the pilgrims stone a symbolic devil.
It takes place during Dhu'al-Hijjah, which is the final month of the Islamic calendar. In Hajj started from the evening of 17 July and will continue until 22 July. Every year, millions of Muslims from across the world make the journey to Mecca from wherever they live. However, this year there are special rules as part of Saudi Arabia's attempts to control the spread of the coronavirus.
Read on to find out more about why this pilgrimage is so important in the Islamic faith. Usually more than two million Muslims from around the world will make the special journey to Mecca for Hajj.
However since the coronavirus pandemic started only a limited number of people have been allowed to travel to Mecca. This year only 60, fully vaccinated Saudi Arabia residents have been allowed to take part. This is larger than in , but is still far smaller than usual years. Pilgrims had to have received both doses of a Covid vaccine, be aged between 18 and 65 and meet health requirements, to be allowed to take part.
They are expected to socially distance and wear face masks too. Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam. These are the five key acts which every Muslim is expected to do in their lifetime. Muslims are required to make the journey to Mecca for Hajj at least once in their life if they are physically able and can afford to do so.
In addition to Hajj, the other important acts are:. Mecca is the place where the Islamic religion started. It is where the Prophet Muhammad was born and received the first revelations from Allah Allah is the Arabic word for God that went on to become the Koran - the holy book read by Muslims.
The city is home to the Ka'bah, built by prophet Abraham and his son prophet Ishmael. Muslims pray in the direction of this sacred building, which is found within the Great Mosque of Mecca.
The Ka'bah is the holiest site in Islam and symbolises the oneness of God. Ibrahim and Ismail did as instructed and the Quran even narrates how the archangel, Gabriel, brought the Black Stone from heaven to be attached to the Kaabah. He was another messiah and the last prophet considered in Islam.
After cleansing the Kaabah, he reconsecrated the building to Allah and performed his first and last pilgrimage there in CE.
Hajj facilitates and tends to bring together Muslims across the world in a spirit of unity and brotherhood without any discrimination based on caste, culture and colour, an unmitigated representation of equality. It is believed that whoever performs the Hajj rites truly and with purity, returns home washing off all their lifelong sins. This annual pilgrimage not only ensures equality but it also rewards pilgrims heaven after death if the obligations are performed righteously.
It symbolises kindness, positivity and is the highest form of honour earned as it is a re-enactment of the sacrifices and obedience of Prophet Abraham to God almighty, following the instructions laid down by Prophet Muhammad. Arafah Day falls on the ninth of Dhu al-Hijjah and commemorates finality of the religion of Islam and of Divine revelation. It is basically the climax of Hajj when Muslim pilgrims gather at Mount Arafat and offer a day-long prayer with recitations of the Quran.
Since Mount Arafat is approximately 15 kms away from Mecca, the Muslim pilgrims spend a day there to perform the rituals and live in tents from dawn to dusk. While fasting on the Day of Arafah is prohibited for the pilgrims, it is a highly recommended Sunnah for non-pilgrims as it entails a great reward with the belief that Allah forgives the sins of two years.
Since Arafah Day is viewed by Muslims as a day of gratitude, the next day is celebrated as Eid-ul-Adha which marks another sacrifice by Prophet Ibrahim. In normal times, around 2 million Muslim pilgrims would gather on Mount Arafat but owing to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, preventive and precautionary measures have been placed to ensure the health and safety of the pilgrims hence, only 60, worshippers have been allowed to the holy site this year by Saudi Arabia government.
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