Makkah: Hundreds of thousands of Haj pilgrims at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, started performing on Tuesday evening, June 3, the ritual of Tawaf Al-Qudum (Tawaf of Arrival), before moving into Mina to mark the beginning of the annual pilgrimage of Haj on Wednesday, June 4.
Upon entering the state of ihram, pilgrims perform the first tawaf — the ritual circling of the Kaaba — marking their formal arrival in the holy city.
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On Tuesday night, pilgrims began their journey to Mina, approximately five kilometres from the Grand Mosque, where they will spend the Day of Tarwiyah in their tents. This day is dedicated to supplication and prayer in preparation for the peak of the pilgrimage.
Following the Fajr prayer on Thursday, June 5, pilgrims will depart Mina for Arafat to perform wuqoof Arafat — the standing at Arafat — a central pillar of Haj and its spiritual climax.
On Thursday afternoon, they will gather at the Namira Mosque to listen to the Arafat sermon and perform the Zuhr and Asr prayers, combined and shortened, in accordance with the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
After sunset, the pilgrims will proceed to Muzdalifah, where they will spend the night under the open sky collecting pebbles for the stoning ritual.
On the morning of Friday, 10 Dhul-Hijjah — the Day of Sacrifice and the first day of Eid Al-Adha — pilgrims will return to Mina to perform the stoning of Jamrat al-Aqabah, offer their sacrifices, shave or shorten their hair, and head back to Makkah to perform Tawaf Al-Ifadah, another essential rite of Haj.
Pilgrims will then spend the three days of Tashreeq (11th, 12th, and 13th Dhul-Hijjah) in Mina, performing the symbolic stoning of the three Jamarat — beginning with the small, followed by the middle, and concluding with Jamrat Al-Aqabah (the Great Pillar).
