Hajj to Mecca

This is the time of year that Muslims take their pilgrimage to Mecca, called the Hajj. It is one of the 5 principles of Islam that every Muslim must make the pilgrimage to Mecca during the Hajj at least once in their lives. Nearly 3 million Muslims from around the world, chanting and raising their hands to heaven, marched through a desert valley outside Mecca on Thursday on the first day of the annual hajj pilgrimage. Dressed in seamless white robes symbolizing the equality of mankind under God, the pilgrims hiked through the eight-mile valley to Mina, starting a series of rituals to cleanse themselves of sin.

This year’s hajj takes place amid increasing worries across the Islamic world — over the bloodshed in Iraq, violence in the Palestinian territories and a new war in Somalia. Amid the crises, tensions have increased between the two main sects of Islam, Sunnis and Shiites, who come together in the five days of hajj rituals centered around the holy city of Mecca, birthplace of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad. Pilgrims come from all over the world to take part in a series of religious rituals. The Koran calls on all Muslims to make the pilgrimage, if they have the means. An adult Muslim of a sane mind, an able body and having means to bear the expenses must perform this act of worship once in his/her lifetime. There should be peace on the way to Mecca and there should be no hindrance or restriction in traveling to Mecca. Hajj is not obligatory for children, the sick, and those who are unable to bear the expenses for Hajj. Muslims believe that the reward for performing the Hajj is nothing less than Paradise, but it's important to carry out all the rituals correctly.

The rituals are complicated and last for ten days. The most famous is when the pilgrims walk round the Kaba'a - the black stone building in Mecca. On Thursday morning, as they have for the past few days, hundreds of thousands circled the Kaaba, the black cubic stone in Mecca, Islam’s holiest site, which Muslims face when they perform their daily prayers. Pilgrims also have to travel to nearby Mina and camp overnight in tents and there are special prayers which have to be said. All these rituals are based on actions which the Prophet Abraham made when God tested his faith by asking him to sacrifice his son Isma'il.

The Hajj is a huge occasion, with about two million people of all nationalities and backgrounds concentrated into just a couple of square miles in Mecca. The very number of people means that, logistically, performing the Hajj can be difficult. It can also cause dangers - in years past, 300 people died as a fire swept through 70,000 tents in Mina.

In the past, pilgrims could take months or even years just travelling to Mecca. It was a dangerous undertaking, with many dying in the attempt to reach the sacred shrines. There were tales of bravery and luck - escaping robbers or slave-traders, crossing the Sahara on foot from West Africa or sailing in overcrowded boats from India. Nowadays, pilgrims fly in to one of the world's most modern airports, in a matter of hours.

The Hajj isn't just a time for spiritual matters. Most people take presents back to family and today, there's a significant trade in electrical goods. The Hajj has always been an important source of income for the people of Mecca - honest commerce isn't frowned on in Islam.

There are some prohibitions during the Hajj. It is forbidden to have a hair cut during Hajj or to wear sewn clothes. Pilgrims should offer Fidya (redemption) if he has to wear sewn clothes or have to shave his head due to illness or lice. If the pilgrim has sexual intercourse with his/her spouse before the first Tawaaf the Hajj will become invalid or unlawful. He/she should continue to perform all the duties of the pilgrimage but he/she has to perform pilgrimage again the next year. Moreover he/she has to sacrifice a camel at Mina to atone the violation.

Saudi Arabia spent more than $1 billion over the past year on a project to renovate the stoning site, where huge crowds file past three stone walls symbolizing the devil to pelt them with stones. New entrances and exits were added around the walls to ease the flow, and this year authorities made repeated announcements to pilgrims not to bring luggage to the site.

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Hajj to Mecca

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