Saudi Arabia Will Allow Up to 1 Million Pilgrims To Participate in Hajj

Saudi Arabia will allow up to one million people participate in the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca this year, after two years of preventing participation from outside of the country due to the coronavirus. The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announced this year’s Haj participation requirements on Saturday in a statement published by the SPA news agency. Pilgrims to Mecca this year must be under the age of 65 and be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, according to the statement. In addition, pilgrims entering Saudi Arabia from abroad must have proof of a negative PCR test. Some 60,000 Saudis participated in last year’s Hajj. Pre-pandemic numbers of hajj participants were about 2.5 million. The hajj pilgrimage is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, one which every adult Muslim who is physically and financially able must perform at least once during his or her lifetime. The pilgrimage includes various rituals and customary practices for a period of five or six days. Among these rituals is the widely known practice of circling the Kaaba seven times in a counter-clockwise direction. The hajj is modeled on the Prophet Muhammad’s “Farewell Pilgrimage” of the year 632 and is believed by Muslims to cleanse them of their sins and strengthen their connection to God.