Hajj once again at full capacity after Covid outbreak

• The annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca resumes at full capacity for the first time since the coronavirus outbreak.
• Over 1.8 million pilgrims from around the world have gathered in Mecca for the Hajj.
• The pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of Islam and serves as a profound spiritual experience for Muslims.

The annual Hajj pilgrimage was resuming at its full capacity for the first time since the coronavirus outbreak.

Muslim pilgrims in Mecca circled the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest site, and then gathered in a massive tent camp in the nearby desert.

Ayedh al-Ghweinim, a spokeswoman for the Saudi Hajj Ministry, stated that more than 1.8 million pilgrims from across the world have gathered in and around Mecca for the Hajj, and the number is continually rising as more pilgrims from within Saudi Arabia join.

Authorities predict that this year’s numbers will be close to more than two million pre-COVID levels.

Yehya Al-Ghanam, an Egyptian businessman, said he was speechless when he arrived in Mina, one of the largest tent cities outside of Mecca, where pilgrims will spend a large portion of the Hajj.

“Tears will fall from my eyes out of joy and happiness,” he said, overwhelmed by the emotions surrounding his pilgrimage. “I do not sleep. I have not slept for 15 days, only an hour a day.”

All Muslims are obligated to perform the five-day Hajj at least once in their lifetimes if they are physically and financially capable of doing so. It is one of the five pillars of Islam.

It is a profoundly affecting spiritual experience for pilgrims that atones for sins, draws them nearer to God, and connects the more than 1.8 billion Muslims around the world.

The Hajj ceremonies primarily serve to remember Abrahim, his son Ishmael, and Ishmael’s mother Hajar as they are described in the Quran.

Since arriving in Mecca over the past few days, pilgrims have been making the traditional circle around the Kaaba.

The pilgrims traveled to Mina on foot or by bus as they were the final ones to do so on Monday.

Soldiers in Mina poured water on pilgrims to cool them off on the sweltering desert plain, where there is little relief from the scorching sun.

The devout pitched their tents, taking refuge in the rows of cubicles, and joining in communal prayer in anticipation of the ceremonies to come.

Over 2.4 million pilgrims took part in the Hajj in 2019. The pilgrimage was restricted to a small number of Saudi Arabia’s citizens and residents in 2020 due to the global coronavirus lockdown.

Only a small number of foreign pilgrims were permitted by Saudi Arabia to attend last year, thus there were just under 900,000.