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Now business has resumed again but costs are higher amid global economic strains. Umrah is another form of pilgrimage which can be carried out at any time of the year. Haj, a once-in-a-lifetime duty for every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it, is the worldвЂ™s biggest religious gathering and a major source of income for the Saudi government from worshippersвЂ™ lodging, transport, fees and gifts.Д«efore the pandemic enforced social distancing globally, official data showed the kingdom earned about $12 billion annually from the 2.6 million pilgrims that used to visit Mecca and Medina for the week-long haj, and around 19 million visitors for the umrah. Muslims traditionally slaughter sheep and cattle, dividing the meat among the needy, friends and relatives.Saudi Arabia, home to IslamвЂ™s holiest sites in Mecca and Medina, allowed up to one million foreign travellers this year to perform the haj, after two years of limiting the pilgrimage to Saudi residents as the coronavirus outbreak halted global travel. The holiday commemorates the prophet IbrahimвЂ™s willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail at GodвЂ™s request. Once the hajj is over, men are expected to shave their heads, and women to snip a lock of hair in a sign of renewal.ДЄround the world, Muslims will mark the end of the pilgrimage with Eid al-Adha, or Festival of Sacrifice. The ministry also advised pilgrims to drink water and be aware of the signs of heat stroke in the desert, where temperatures can exceed 40 degrees Celsius (105 degrees Fahrenheit). He said he expected authorities to expand quotas for pilgrims next year.

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Saudi Health Minister Fahad al-Jalajel told state-owned Al-Arabiya TV that authorities had not recorded an вЂњoutbreakвЂќ of the virus at the hajj, without elaborating on individual cases. With the hajj a major source of prestige and tourism for Saudi Arabia, the government is keen to do away with pandemic restrictions. There were no signs of social distancing in FridayвЂ™s mass procession. Infections have increased steadily in the kingdom in recent months. Saudi ArabiaвЂ™s Health Ministry urged pilgrims to consider wearing masks to curb the spread of coronavirus, although the government lifted a mask mandate and other virus precautions last month. With so many people from so many places crammed together, public health is a major concern. Tens of thousands of police officers are out in force to protect the areas and control crowds. Pilgrims enter through special electronic gates. In their most noticeable effort to improve access, the Saudis have built a high-speed rail link to ferry masses between holy sites. Saudi authorities never offered a final death toll. In 2016, thousands of pilgrims were crushed to death in a gruesome stampede. The ritual is a notorious chokepoint for surging crowds. Pilgrims stone the devil to signify overcoming temptation. That rite will take place on Saturday in the small village of Mina, where Muslims believe the devil tried to talk Ibrahim out of submitting to GodвЂ™s will.

The rituals began on Thursday with the circling of the Kaaba, the black cube in the center of MeccaвЂ™s Grand Mosque, which Muslims around the world face during their daily prayers wherever they are in the world.ДЄround sunset on Friday, the pilgrims marched or were bused 9 kilometers (5.5 miles) west to the rocky desert of Muzdalifa, where they combed the area for pebbles to carry out the symbolic stoning of the devil. Pilgrims spend five days carrying out a set of rituals associated with the Prophet Muhammad and the prophets Ibrahim and Ismail, or Abraham and Ishmael in the Bible, before him. Men wore unstitched sheets of white cloth resembling a shroud, while women wore conservative dress and headscarves, their faces exposed.ДЄll pilgrims selected to perform the hajj this year are under age 65 and have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. This is my feeling now - joy, great joy.вЂќ вЂњI feel I am so close to God,вЂќ said Zakaria Mohammad, an Egyptian pilgrim praying as the sky brightened over the hilltop.

They remained until nightfall in deep contemplation and worship. The pilgrims set out for Arafat before dawn, chanting as they trekked. Muslims believe prayer on this day at Mount Arafat, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) east of the holy city of Mecca, is their best chance at salvation and spiritual renewal. The experience sent many pilgrims to tears. Multitudes stood shoulder to shoulder, feet to feet, for the emotional day of supplication in the desert valley where Muslims believe the Prophet Muhammad delivered his final sermon, calling for equality and unity among Muslims. Hundreds of thousands of Muslim pilgrims from around the world raised their hands to heaven and offered prayers of repentance on the sacred hill of Mount Arafat in Saudi Arabia on Friday, an intense day of worship considered to be the climax of the annual hajj.

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