Hajj

Hajj (Arabic: حَجّ, romanized: Ḥajj [ħaddʒ]; also spelled Hadj or Haj) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city in Islam. Hajj is a one-time-required religious duty for all Muslims who are physically and financially capable of undertaking the journey and supporting their family during their absence from home. In Islamic terminology, Hajj is a pilgrimage made to the Kaaba—the "House of Allah"—in the sacred city of Mecca. It is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, alongside the Shahadah (oath that one believes there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah), salah (prayer), zakah (almsgiving), and sawm (fasting during Ramadan). The Hajj is an annual practice when Muslim brotherhood is on display and their solidarity with fellow Muslims and submission to God (Allah) is fulfilled. The Hajj is taken by Muslims to cleanse their souls of all worldly sins, which connotes both the outward act of a journey after death and the inward act of good intentions. The rites of pilgrimage are performed over five to six days, extending from the 8th to the 12th or 13th of Dhu'l-Hijja, the last month of the Islamic calendar. Because the Islamic calendar is lunar and the Islamic year is about eleven or twelve days shorter than the Gregorian year, the Gregorian date of Hajj changes from year to year. In 2024 AD (1445 AH), Dhu'l-Hijja extended from 7 June to 6 July and in 2025 AD (1446 AH), Dhu'l-Hijja was from 28 May to 25 June. In 2026 AD (1447 AH), Dhu'l-Hijja extended from 18 May to 15 June; and in 2027 AD (1448 AH), Dhu'l-Hijja will extend from 8 May to 5 June. The Hajj is associated with the life of the Islamic prophet Muhammad from the 7th century AD, but...