Hajj pilgrimage begins amid heartfelt prayers for Gaza

FILE - In this Aug. 13, 2019, file photo taken with a slow shutter speed, Muslim pilgrims circumambulate the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque, during the hajj pilgrimage in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020, halted travel to the holiest sites in Islam over fears of the global outbreak of the new coronavirus just months ahead of the annual hajj pilgrimage, a move coming as the Mideast has over 220 confirmed cases of the illness. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)

Pilgrims in the Saudi city of Mecca have converged on a vast tent camp, officially starting the annual Hajj pilgrimage, after circumambulating the holy Kaaba in the Grand Mosque — the holiest site in Islam.

More than 1.5 million pilgrims from around the world have already amassed in and around Mecca for the Hajj, and the number was still growing as more pilgrims from inside Saudi Arabia joined on Friday. Authorities expected the number to exceed 2 million this year.

This year's Hajj comes against the backdrop of Israel's genocidal war in Gaza, which pushed the Middle East to the brink of a wider conflict.

Palestinians in Gaza were not able to travel to Mecca this year because of the closure of the Rafah crossing in May, when Israel expanded its ground invasion to the coastal strip's southern city of Rafah, on the border with Egypt.

"We pray for the Muslims, for our country and people, for all the Muslim world, especially for the Palestinian people," Mohammed Rafeeq, an Indian pilgrim, said as he headed to the tent camp in Mina.

Moving spiritual experience

Officials aid 4,200 pilgrims from the occupied West Bank went to the Hajj. Saudi authorities said 1,000 more from the families of Palestinians killed or wounded in Gaza also arrived, at the invitation of Saudi King Salman. The invitees were already outside Gaza — mostly in Egypt — before the closure of the Rafah border crossing.

"We are deprived of (performing) the Hajj because the crossing is closed, and because of the raging wars and destruction," said Amna Abu Mutlaq, a 75-year-old Palestinian woman in Gaza's southern city of Khan Younis who had planned to make the pilgrimage this year but was unable to.

The Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam, and all Muslims are required to make it at least once in their lives if they are physically and financially able to do so. It is a moving spiritual experience for pilgrims.

Official start of Hajj

Uniting the world's more than 2 billion Muslims, it's also a chance to pray for peace in many conflict-stricken Arab and Muslim countries, including Yemen and Sudan, where more than a year of war has created the world's largest displacement crisis.

For many Muslims, the Hajj is an important part of their lives. Some spend years saving up and waiting for a permit to make the Hajj in their 50s and 60s, after raising their children.

The rituals during the Hajj largely commemorate the Quranic accounts of Prophet Ibrahim, his son Prophet Ismail, and Ismail's mother Hajar — or Abraham and Ismael as they are named in the Bible.

Male pilgrims wear an ihram, two unstitched sheets of white cloth that resemble a shroud, while women dress in loose-fitting clothing with headscarves.

The pilgrims have been circling around the cube-shaped Kaaba in the seven-minaret Grand Mosque since arriving in Mecca over recent days.

Saudi authorities have adopted security restrictions in and around Mecca, with checkpoints on roads leading to the city to prevent those who don’t have Hajj permits from reaching the holy sites.

On Friday, the pilgrims made their way to Mina, to officially start the Hajj. They will then move for a daylong vigil on Saturday on Mount Arafat, a desert hill where the Prophet Muhammad is said to have delivered his final speech.

Healthy pilgrims make the trip on foot, others use a bus or train.

Hajj's emotional impact

The time of year when the Hajj takes place varies as it's set for five days in the second week of Dhu al Hijjah, the last month in the Islamic lunar calendar.

Most of the Hajj rituals are held outdoors with little if any shade. When it falls in the summer, temperatures can soar to over 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). The Saudi Health Ministry has cautioned that temperatures at the holy sites could reach 48 C (118 F).

Many pilgrims carried umbrellas for protection from the burning sun, and in Mina, multiple charities handed out cold water. Cooling stations sprayed pilgrims with water to cool them down. The faithful set up in their tents, resting and praying together to prepare for the coming rituals.

After Saturday's worship in Arafat, pilgrims travel a few kilometers to a site known as Muzdalifa, to collect pebbles to use in the symbolic stoning of pillars representing the devil back in Mina.

Pilgrims then return to Mina for three days, coinciding with the festive Eid al Adha holiday, when Muslims around the world slaughter livestock and distribute the meat to the poor. Afterward, the Hajjis return to Mecca for a final circumambulation.

In recent years, the annual pilgrimage has returned to its monumental scale after three years of heavy restrictions stemming from the coronavirus pandemic. In 2023, more than 1.8 million pilgrims performed the Hajj, approaching the 2019 level, when more than 2.4 million participated.

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Source: TRT