[imagesource: AFP]

The Hajj (sometimes spelled Hadj, Hadji, or Haj) is the annual pilgrimage to Makkah, or Mecca as it’s also known, in Saudi Arabia.

It lasts approximately five to six days depending on the lunar Islamic calendar.

The Hajj is mandatory for adult Muslims, who need to make the journey at least once in their life, provided they are financially or physically able to do so, and can support their family during their absence.

The pilgrimage is made to the Kaaba (the house of God) beginning on the eighth day and ending on the 13th day of Dhu al-Hijjah, the last month of the Islamic calendar.

The Hajj is a demonstration of the solidarity of the Muslim people, and their devotion to Allah. The word Hajj means “to attend a journey”, which connotes both the outward act of a journey and the inward act of intentions.

This year it started on July 28 and ends on August 2, and is therefore currently underway, albeit under dramatically different circumstances due to the pandemic:

Here are the Hujjaj (the name given to someone on Hajj) performing Tawaaf (where pilgrims circumambulate the Kaaba):

To give you a point of comparison, here’s last year’s Hajj:

Al Jazeera breaks down this year’s pilgrimage:

This year, only up to 10,000 people already residing in Saudi Arabia will participate in the five-day pilgrimage, a tiny fraction of the 2.5 million pilgrims from around the world that attended last year.

“There are no security-related concerns in this pilgrimage, but [downsizing] is to protect pilgrims from the danger of the pandemic,” said Khalid bin Qarar Al-Harbi, Saudi Arabia’s director of public security.

Pilgrims will be required to wear masks and observe physical distancing during a series of religious rites that are completed over five days in the holy city of Mecca and its surroundings in western Saudi Arabia.

Those selected to take part in the Hajj were subject to temperature checks and placed in a short quarantine ahead of the rites.

Health workers sanitised luggage and electronic wristbands were handed out so that authorities could monitor their whereabouts. Workers armed with disinfectant and brooms were also seen cleaning the area around the Kabaa.

All worshippers were required to undergo a COVID-19 test before they began their pilgrimage.

They were given elaborate amenity kits that include sterilised pebbles for a stoning ritual, disinfectants, masks, a prayer rug and the “ihram”, a seamless white garment worn by pilgrims, according to a Hajj ministry programme document.

The government scaled back the pilgrimage due to fears that it could be a major source of contagion.

While some have complained that they were excluded from this year’s pilgrimage, as the system used to determine who could go on Hajj wasn’t clear, others have welcomed the care with which the Saudi government responded to the pandemic.

[source:aljazeera]