Riyadh: Pilgrims started Tawaf Al-Qudum (Tawaf of arrival) on Sunday afternoon before heading to Mina to mark the start of the annual pilgrimage of Haj on Monday, the Day of Tarwiyah.
Saudi authorities and Haj missions ensured hassle-free Haj for pilgrims preparing them for their spiritual journey to Mina— the city of tents.
Those who arrived in Makkah on Sunday performed Tawaf Al-Qudum, one of the obligatory rituals of Haj, before heading for Mina.
Those who had arrived in Makkah earlier are engaged in making final preparations before moving into the tent city on Sunday evening.
The streets of Makkah were flooded with thousands of pilgrims of all nationalities after Saudi Arabia allowed the Haj to be performed this year without any COVID-19 restrictions on the number and ages of pilgrims.
Over two million pilgrims are expected to perform Hajj this year, double 2022’s number but lower than 2019.
From Sunday evening, pilgrims would move to Mina, about 5 kilometers from the Grand Mosque to spend the Day of Tarwiyah in their tents.
The pilgrims would be busy day and night with supplications and prayers in their tents on Monday.
After performing the Fajr prayer on Tuesday, they begin to leave Mina and head to Arafat for the ‘wuqoof Arafat’ ritual, one of the four pillars of Haj, which marks the culmination of the annual pilgrimage.
On Tuesday afternoon, pilgrims will make their way to the Namira Mosque to listen to the sermon of Arafat and perform the Zuhr and Asr prayers, both together and short, following the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad.
Pilgrims will then head to Muzdalifah after sunset, and then return to Mina on the morning of Wednesday, 10th Dhul-Hijjah (the day of sacrifice, the first day of Eid Al Adha) to stone Jamrat al-Aqabah and sacrifice, then shave or shorten and their hair to Makkah to perform the tawaf al-ifaadah.
Pilgrims spend in Mina the three days of Tashreeq (11th, 12th, and 13th of Zul Hijjah) to stone the three Jamarat, starting with the small, middle, and then Jamarat Al-Aqaba (the Great).
