The formal rituals of the holy Hajj begin on Monday as pilgrims from across the globe prepare themselves for the spiritual journey. Following the Isha prayers on Sunday, pilgrims began their journey to the tent city of Mina after donning the Ihram.
According to Shariah provisions, the pilgrims will remain in Mina on 8 Zil-Hajj to perform five daily prayers, from Fajr to Isha.
After staying overnight, they will depart for Arafat on Tuesday, 9 Zil-Hajj. This year, the Hajj sermon will be delivered by Chief Imam and khatib of Masjid al-Nabawi Sheikh Ali bin Abdul Rahman al-Hudhaify.
Following the sermon, pilgrims will perform the Zuhr and Asr prayers together and remain at Arafat until sunset. After sunset on 9 Zil-Hajj, they will head to Muzdalifah to perform Maghrib and Isha prayers and spend the night under the open sky.
On 10 Zil-Hajj, before sunrise, pilgrims will travel from Muzdalifah to Mina to perform the symbolic stoning of Jamrat al-Aqaba (the large pillar). This will be followed by the animal sacrifice to attain the pleasure of Almighty Allah and the ritual of shaving or trimming the hair.
The remaining rituals will be completed on 11 and 12 Zil-Hajj, with pilgrims scheduled to leave Mina before sunset on the 12th.
It is estimated that between 1.6 million and 1.8 million Muslims will perform Hajj this year.
From Bangladesh, a total of 78,500 pilgrims have travelled to Saudi Arabia to participate in the pilgrimage.
Meanwhile, the Saudi administration has implemented extensive preparations to ensure security. According to the state news agency SPA, Major General Mansour bin Nasser al-Faez, commander of the Special Security and Protection Forces, has inspected the operations of the forces deployed at the holy sites.
After observing field-level duties, he confirmed that the security forces are fully prepared to serve the pilgrims.
The commander further noted the excellent coordination between various security and service agencies, which will allow the “guests of Allah” to complete their worship with maximum comfort and safety.
As the number of pilgrims has already surpassed that figure before the commencement of the main rituals, this year’s Hajj is set to be on a significantly larger scale than the last.
