For a few days now, many people from all over the world have begun to arrive in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, for the Hajj, the usual annual pilgrimage to the sacred city for the faithful of Islam. More than a million have already arrived, and it is estimated that in the next few days the pilgrims could exceed two million. Hajj rites and prayers begin on Friday 14 June and will continue until 19 June.
The Hajj (whose Arabic root means “heading towards”) is the fifth pillar of Islam and must be performed at least once in a lifetime by every Muslim as long as his health conditions and economic means allow it. It takes place between the eighth and thirteenth day of the last month of the Islamic calendar and represents a moment of purification for the faithful, who during the journey ask for forgiveness for their sins and are purified through the celebration of prayers and rites. The final destination of the pilgrimage is the Great Mosque of Mecca, where the Ka’bah is located, a black cubic building located in the center of the large courtyard of the mosque and venerated by all Muslims.
According to the doctrine, anyone who is physically prevented from going on a pilgrimage to Mecca can delegate someone else to fulfill the religious obligation, obtaining the “spiritual” advantages at the cost of paying for the travel and maintenance of the person in charge on site. It is also possible to bequeath funds for the rite to be performed in the name and for the benefit of a deceased person.
Each man must dress using only two pieces of unsewn white cloth, one to girdle his waist (called izar) and the other to cover the trunk and left shoulder, leaving the right arm free (laugh‘). Women, on the other hand, must have their body almost completely covered, except for their face and hands. Anyone who has fulfilled the obligation of the Hajj acquires a particular merit: he has the right to wear a headdress that commemorates the fulfillment of the obligation and is awarded the honorific title of Ḥājjī (Hajj pilgrim).
The large crowd of pilgrims, whose number has increased more and more in recent years, has often caused problems and accidents. The most serious was in 2015, when, according to the Saudi authorities, 769 people died in the crush, and almost a thousand were injured (but according to estimates from the news agency Associated Press the deaths were actually more than 2 thousand).
