September 14, 2016

Since last weekend, nearly 2 million Muslims have descended on Mecca, Saudi Arabia, for the 2016 hajj, an annual holy pilgrimage (it ends tomorrow). The hajj (Arabic for pilgrimage) is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, formal acts of worship that provide the framework for a Muslim’s life. The Qur’ān, the holy book of Islam, commands all Muslims to make a hajj at least once in their lifetime if they are physically and financially able to do so. According to Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Statistics, the 2016 hajj truly was a global event. Of the 1.86 million pilgrims who attended, more than 70 percent came from beyond Saudi Arabia. The 2016 hajj also was notable for increased security and crowd-control measures after a stampede in 2015 killed more than 700 people. Such measures included the deployment of security personnel, the installation of hundreds of new surveillance cameras, and the distribution of electronic identification bracelets containing pilgrims’ personal data.

Muslims pray at the Kaaba in Mecca’s Great Mosque during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. Credit: © Shutterstock

The hajj takes place each year during Dhūl-Hijja, the 12th month of the Islamic calendar. It includes several rites that commemorate the trials and sacrifices of the prophet Abraham, his wife Hagar, and their son the prophet Ishmael. During the hajj, pilgrims wear special garments and circle the Kaaba, the most sacred shrine of Islam, seven times. Muslims believe that Abraham and Ishmael built the Kaaba as the first house of worship to God. It is an empty, cube-shaped building in the center of the Great Mosque in Mecca. Muslims all over the world face the direction of the Kaaba every day when they pray. During the hajj, pilgrims also visit Mount Arafat, a site outside of Mecca where the prophet Muhammad delivered his final sermon. Another rite involves the gathering and casting of stones at special pillars to symbolize a rejection of Satan, or the Devil.

Muslims visit Mount Arafat, the site of Muhammad’s final sermon, during the Hajj in Saudi Arabia. Credit: © Hikrcn/Shutterstock

The major Muslim festival of `Īd al-Ad-hā (also spelled Eid al-Adha) coincides with the later part of the hajj. The name of the festival means Feast of the Sacrifice in Arabic. During `Īd al-Ad-hā, Muslims gather an hour after sunrise in open spaces or in mosques to perform a community prayer. Muslims who can afford it sacrifice an animal, such as a camel, cow, goat, or sheep. The sacrifice honors Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his older son, Ishmael, and God’s decision to substitute a ram instead. The Qur’ān explains that the sacrifice is not an offering of meat to God, but a holy act of sharing food. Those who sacrifice share with the poor and with their neighbors. During the festival, children receive gifts, and people visit family and friends.

Some Muslims complete the hajj multiple times during their lives. Muslims believe a person who makes such a pilgrimage secures great religious merit. In addition to having religious significance, the hajj has great economic importance for the city of Mecca. The city has some minor industries, but its economy depends on money spent by the great number of pilgrims who visit each year.

September 24, 2015

Today, more than 700 people were crushed to death and more than 800 injured in a panicked stampede in Mina, near the Islamic holy city of Mecca. The victims were Muslims attempting to complete the hajj (also spelled hadj), a holy pilgrimage to Mecca that is one of the five pillars (duties) of Islam. The Islamic religion requires every Muslim to make this journey at least once, if possible. For four days each year, about 2 million Muslims converge on Mecca for the hajj, creating staggering congestion problems and, on occasion, horrific accidents. Today’s tragedy was apparently the result of a collision between waves of pilgrims going in opposite directions.

Muslim pilgrims pray at the Kaaba, the holiest shrine of Islam. The Kaaba is an empty cube-shaped building that stands in the center of the Great Mosque in the city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. According to Islamic law, all adult Muslims must, if possible, make at least one pilgrimage to Mecca during their lifetime. © Aidar Ayazbayev, Dreamstime

The Kaaba, the most sacred shrine of Islam, is in Mecca and is the chief goal of the pilgrimage. Aside from that, pilgrims must stop in Mina for the “stoning of the devil” ritual. Over a three-day period, Muslims cast stones at three large walls, symbolically driving away the devil. The overwhelming crowds are channeled through to each of the walls, creating dangerously cramped conditions. Saudi authorities blamed today’s incident on “undisciplined” pilgrims who did not follow the specified timetables meant to regulate human traffic. Others blamed the deaths on pilgrims’ fatigue and overall “mismanagement.”

Mina has often been the scene of deadly stampedes. The worst hajj-related incident occurred there in 1990, when a stampede killed more than 1,400 people. In another accident in Mecca just two weeks ago—on September 11, 2015—a massive construction crane collapsed onto the Grand Mosque, killing more than 100 pilgrims and injuring some 400 others. The collapse was blamed on exceedingly strong winds.