The pilgrimage for devout Muslims had started the day before under relaxed crown rules. The number of pilgrims is significantly higher than last year, when only about 60,000 believers were allowed in. Before the pandemic, around 2.5 million Muslims attended.
This year, the rules for mouthguards were partially relaxed. Also, for the first time since the start of the pandemic, Muslims are allowed to travel from abroad. However, the faithful must still be under 65 and fully vaccinated against Corona.
Pilgrimage is one of the five basic duties of Islam. Every devout Muslim who is healthy and can afford it must make a pilgrimage to the city of Mecca, which is sacred to Muslims, once in a lifetime. They follow precisely defined pilgrimage rituals during the pilgrimage. At the beginning of the pilgrimage, the faithful enter a state of consecration. Men wear seamless white robes for this. Uniform clothing is meant to symbolize the equality of all Muslims before God.
The rocky peak of Arafat is located about 20 kilometers east of Mecca. According to Muslim belief, the Prophet Muhammad preached his last sermon here some 1,400 years ago. Pilgrims stay there until dusk according to the Hajj ritual, devoting themselves to Quran prayers and recitations.
On Saturday, the third day of the pilgrimage, the festival of the Eid al-Adha sacrifice begins, for Muslims around the world the most important religious celebration alongside Eid al-Fitr at the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. The festival is meant to commemorate the progenitor Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice one of his sons to prove his faith to God. He stopped him and gave Abraham a sheep for the slaughter. This story, which is also recorded in the Bible, is considered in the history of theology as the moment when human sacrifice was replaced by animal sacrifice.
The pilgrimage of several days is associated with a great effort for the believers, if only because of the high temperatures. Many pilgrims traveled long distances to travel from Asia, Africa or other parts of the world. Many of them saved a lot of time to participate in Hajj.
Mecca and the nearby city of Medina are considered the birthplace of Islam. The Saudi royal family derives an important part of its legitimacy from sovereignty over these places. King Salman therefore also bears the title of “Servant of the Two Holy Places”.