Few thousand gather in Plain of Arafat to begin Hajj rituals amid Covid restrictions

The Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and it is obligatory for all able-bodied Muslims to perform at least once in their lifetime if they can afford it.

Before coronavirus pandemic hit the world, around 2.5 million Muslims from across the world used to gather at Islam’s holiest site to attend the Hajj. But due to Covid-19 related restrictions, no foreign pilgrims have been allowed to perform the Hajj again this year.

The Kingdom allowed only 60,000 vaccinated Saudi citizens and residents between the ages of 18 and 65 to register for the annual pilgrimage this year.

Saudi Arabia’s High Judicial Court has announced that the first day of the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca will be on Sunday July 18.

Hajj re-enacts the actions of Prophet Muhammad’s ‘farewell pilgrimage’ in 632 AD. It also hearkens back to the time of Prophet Abraham, who Muslims believe built the Kaaba, along with his son Ismail.

With pilgrims coming from across the world all dressed in simple cloth, the Hajj strengthens the bonds of brotherhood among Muslims and removes markers of class, wealth and materialism.