New Delhi, May 25: The sacred and spiritual Hajj journey began today as more than 1.7 million believers converged at Mina on Yawm al-Tarwiyah (the Day of Tarwiyah). Reciting and chanting the talbiyah — “Labbaik Allahumma Labbaik” (“Here I am, O Allah, here I am, at Your service”) — a sea of faithful dressed in white robes, in complete submission to Allah, moved towards Mina after offering Fajr prayers at the Holy Kaaba and performing Tawaf. By noon, almost all pilgrims had reached the tent city, where they engaged in prayers and recitation of the Holy Quran.
Braving intense heat, thousands of pilgrims carried white and black umbrellas for shade and used handheld fans to cope with soaring temperatures. Volunteers distributed water bottles to help them stay hydrated, while giant cooling fans sprayed fine mists of water across pilgrimage routes and camps, offering much-needed relief to the faithful undertaking the sacred journey.
Around 175,000 Indians, including over 4,000 pilgrims from Jammu and Kashmir, are participating in this year’s Hajj, which is one of the five fundamental pillars of Islam. A huge contingent of medical staff and guides has been deputed to ensure pilgrims’ safety and provide medical and other essential facilities. Mina is also mentioned in Islamic scriptures and hadiths as a critical stage of the Hajj pilgrimage.
Most pilgrims covered the nearly six-kilometre distance from the Grand Mosque to Mina on foot through dedicated shaded pedestrian pathways, while the elderly and children were transported by buses. Pilgrims also used the Al Mash Al Muqaddassah Metro line to reach their designated tents in Mina. Hordes of pilgrims departed for Mina directly from their accommodations after donning the ihram (sacred garments), including thousands from Saudi Arabia and neighbouring Gulf states.
Pilgrims will spend the day in their tents engaged in prayer and supplication, demonstrating profound obedience and complete submission to Allah.
Saleh bin Saad Al-Murabba, Commander of the Hajj Passport Forces, said the faithful had been pouring into the Kingdom for the Hajj amid a tenuous ceasefire related to the Iran conflict and prevailing regional tensions.
