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Muslims are completing the annual hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia which includes circling the Kaaba in Mecca that Islam’s faithful face five times each day during their prayers.
Hundreds of Bahrainis were among those taking part in the five-day pilgrimage which represents one of the world’s biggest gatherings every year, and is required of all able-bodied Muslims once in their life who are physically and financially capable of undertaking the journey.
The hajj offers pilgrims an opportunity to feel closer to God amid the Muslim world’s many challenges. “We are very blessed by Allah to be in this place, and we pray to Allah to make the Islamic nations from the West to the East in a better situation,” said pilgrim Essam Eddin Afifi.
Muslims believe the hajj retraces the footsteps of the Prophet Muhammad, as well as those of the prophets Ibrahim and Ismail. Muslims believe God stayed the hand of Ibrahim after commanding him to sacrifice his son, Ismail. In the Christian and Jewish version of the story, Abraham is ordered to kill his other son, Isaac.
The Kaaba represents the metaphorical house of God and the oneness of God.
Muslims circle the Kaaba counter-clockwise seven times while reciting supplications to God, then walk between the two hills travelled by Hajar, Ibrahim’s wife. Mecca’s Grand Mosque, the world’s largest, encompasses the Kaaba and the two hills. Before heading to Mecca, many pilgrims visit the city of Medina, where the Prophet Muhammad is buried and where he built his first mosque.
After prayers in Mecca, pilgrims head to an area called Mount Arafat, where the Prophet Muhammad delivered his final sermon. From there, pilgrims head to an area called Muzdalifa, picking up pebbles along the way for a symbolic stoning of the devil and a casting away of sins - that takes place in the Mina valley for three days.
At the hajj’s end, male pilgrims shave their hair and women cut a lock of hair in a sign of renewal for completing the pilgrimage.
In Bahrain and around the world, Muslims are now marking the end of hajj with the Eid al-Adha celebration. The holiday, remembering Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son, sees Muslims slaughter sheep and cattle, distributing the meat to the poor.
Major General Mansour Al Turki, the spokesman of the Saudi Interior Ministry, told journalists that more than two million Muslims from abroad and inside the kingdom had taken part in this year’s hajj.
The Ministry of Communication’s Smart Hajj initiative also offered pilgrims phone apps to help them navigate the pilgrimage.
The Manasikana app, launched by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah guided pilgrims through every step of the journey.
The authorities also reinforced the internet infrastructure in and around Mecca by placing 3,000 mobile antennas to improve 4G reception. They also worked to provide WI-FI coverage for pilgrims throughout the journey.
The towers provided visitors with undisrupted mobile internet to maintain contact with their families and make use of the ministry’s online services.
“Saudi Arabia is moving to a new era with a huge ambition. We will open doors and combine minds to spread a message that serves Islam and technology,” Nouf Al Rakan, the chief executive of the Saudi Federation for Cyber Security, Programming and Drones.
