In Photos: The Hajj
More than 1.75 million worshippers from 168 countries arrived in Saudi Arabia for the five-day ritual, a once-in-a-lifetime duty for every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it.
Pilgrims began gathering on Mount Arafat on Thursday for the highlight of the hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia dedicated to prayers and reflection.
As Malcolm X once put it: “During the past eleven days here in the Muslim world, I have eaten from the same plate, drunk from the same glass and slept in the same bed (or on the same rug) – while praying to the same God with fellow Muslims, whose eyes were the bluest of the blue, whose hair was the blondest of blond, and whose skin was the whitest of white. And in the words and in the actions and in the deeds of the ‘white' Muslims, I felt the same sincerity that I felt among the black African Muslims of Nigeria, Sudan and Ghana. We are truly all the same-brothers.”
Pilgrims began gathering on Mount Arafat on Thursday for the highlight of the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia dedicated to prayers and reflection.
The Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam, recreating a journey taken by the Prophet Mohammad about 1,400 years ago.
During the pilgrimage, men and women forgo perfume, cosmetics or makeup and men dress in seamless, white robes. These restrictions are meant to emphasise the equality of all Muslims and prevent wealthier pilgrims from differentiating themselves with more elaborate garments.
Once at the Grand Mosque, pilgrims perform Tawaf, or circumambulate, seven times counterclockwise, around the Kaaba, one of the holy shrines in Islam.
After spending the night in the valley of Mina, they head to Mount Arafat for the pinnacle of the pilgrimage. Islam holds that Mount Arafat is where God tested Prophet Abrahams faith by commanding him to sacrifice his son Ismail and where the Prophet Muhammad gave his last sermon.
Pilgrims walk seven times between two stone spots at the mosque, emulating a search for water by Prophet Ibrahims wife Hagar, in a ritual walk known as performing the Sai.
On the way back from Mount Arafat, they head to an area called Muzdalifah, nine km west of Arafat. They spend the night there and pick up pebbles along the way that will be used in a symbolic, cathartic ritual where stones are released in Mina.
After the first stoning, sheep are sacrificed and the meat distributed to needy Muslims, symbolising Abrahams willingness to sacrifice his son Ismael on the order of God.
The number of pilgrims is more than last year when Iranians were absent due to high tensions between Riyadh and Tehran.
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