The biggest Hajj pilgrimage of the year for Muslims begins |=> Posted in Bac Giang newspaper

On June 23, Muslims from all over flocked to Mecca to participate in the largest Hajj pilgrimage of Muslims.

This year's pilgrimage is expected to attract over 2 million pilgrims from 160 countries despite the scorching heat in Saudi Arabia.

Tín đồ Hồi giáo,thánh địa Mecca,lễ hành hương Hajj,người Hồi giáo

Muslim pilgrims make the pilgrimage to Mecca on June 22, 2023.

The Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam (belief, prayer, almsgiving, fasting, and pilgrimage to Mecca) that believers are obliged to complete at least once in their lifetime if they are able. This year, the Hajj lasts four days, starting on the evening of June 25.

During the pilgrimage, pilgrims gather in the holy city of Mecca for several days to commemorate the Prophet Mohammed’s final pilgrimage and perform rituals. Before the ceremony, to show purity, men wear simple white robes, regardless of wealth, social status or nationality. Women wear loose white dresses, revealing only their faces and hands.

Pilgrims are not allowed to argue, do not wear perfume, and must have their nails trimmed and their hair neatly trimmed. When the ceremony begins, they walk seven times around the Kaaba, the 15m-high stone structure at the centre of Mecca's Grand Mosque. They then walk seven times between the hills of Al-Safa and Al-Marwah, moving to Mina, 5km away, before the main ritual on Mount Arafat.

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Muslim pilgrims make the pilgrimage to Mecca on June 22, 2023.

The highlight of the pilgrimage is the gathering on Mount Arafat, where the Prophet Mohammed is said to have delivered his last sermon. Worshippers will gather on the 70m-high mountain and its surrounding area for hours of prayer and recitation of the Quran until evening. At sunset, they will go to Muzdalifah to collect stones, then return to Mina to perform the stoning ritual. After the stoning ritual, pilgrims will shave or cut their hair and perform the Eid al-Adha sacrifice, marking the end of the Hajj.

Since the rituals are mostly performed outdoors, in hot weather conditions expected to reach up to 44 degrees Celsius, Saudi Arabia has mobilized over 32,000 medical staff ready to perform emergency duties. To facilitate travel during the four days of the Hajj, Saudi Arabian officials said about 24,000 buses will serve pilgrims, as well as 17 trains capable of transporting 72,000 people per hour.

This year’s Hajj is expected to set a record for the number of participants. In 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, about 2.5 million pilgrims from around the world participated in the event. However, last year, due to restrictions on the number of participants to prevent the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hajj had only 926,000 participants.

Pilgrimages to Mecca are one of Saudi Arabia's main sources of income. The year-round Hajj and Umrah rituals are estimated to bring in $12 billion a year for the country.

WHO warns of spread of virus-related diseases due to El Nino

On June 21, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the organization is preparing for an increase in the spread of virus-related diseases such as dengue fever, Zika and chikungunya due to the El Nino weather phenomenon.

According to VNA

Muslims, Mecca, Hajj pilgrimage, Muslims

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