While making hajj is seen as one of the vital parts of Muslim life, only a fraction of believers go on the pilgrimage. Thursday's stampede happened in Mina, near where pilgrims carry out a symbolic stoning of the devil. The directorate said the crush happened in the morning as pilgrims surged at an intersection of two streets, as worshipers headed toward a five-story Jamarat Bridge — which was designed to ease the pressure of crowds and prevent people from being trampled.
Such tragedies have happened with an alarming degree of frequency, with the area around Mina proving to be a chokepoint in the procession and where several stampedes have occurred in recent years. More than 1, people were trampled to death inside a sweltering air-conditioned tunnel in Tradition holds that it was originally a simple unroofed rectangular structure.
The Quraysh tribe, who ruled Mecca, rebuilt the pre-Islamic Kaaba in c. A door was raised above ground level to protect the shrine from intruders and flood waters. Muhammad was driven out of Mecca in C. The pre-Islamic Kaaba housed the Black Stone and statues of pagan gods. Muhammad reportedly cleansed the Kaaba of idols upon his victorious return to Mecca, returning the shrine to the monotheism of Ibrahim.
The Black Stone is believed to have been given to Ibrahim by the angel Gabriel and is revered by Muslims. Muhammad made a final pilgrimage in C. The Kaaba has been modified extensively throughout its history. Reportedly, the Black Stone broke into three pieces and Ibn Zubayr reassembled it with silver.
After regaining control of Mecca, Abd al-Malik restored the part of the building that Muhammad is thought to have designed. Over 2 million Muslims from around the world are beginning the five-day hajj pilgrimage on Friday. The hajj this year comes at a time of heightened sectarian and political tensions in the Persian Gulf and as Muslim minorities in China, Myanmar, India, New Zealand and other countries face increased threats, even attacks.
The hajj is a pillar of Islam, required of all Muslims once in a lifetime. It is a physically demanding journey that Muslims believe offers a chance to wipe clean past sins and start anew before God. Despite the physical challenges, many people rely on canes or crutches and insist on walking the routes.
Those who cannot afford the hajj are sometimes financed by charities or community leaders. Others save their entire lives to make the journey. While following a route the Prophet Muhammad once walked, Muslims trace the rites of hajj back to the prophets Ibrahim and Ismail, or Abraham and Ishmael as they are named in the Bible. Islamic tradition holds that the Kaaba was built by Ibrahim and Ismail as a house of monotheistic worship thousands of years ago.
Over the years, the Kaaba was reconstructed and attracted different kinds of pilgrims, including early Christians who once lived in the Arabian Peninsula. In pre-Islamic times, the Kaaba was used to house pagan idols worshiped by local tribes.
Observant Muslims around the world face toward the Kaaba during their five daily prayers. Women forgo makeup and perfume and wear loose-fitting clothing and a head covering, while men dress in seamless, white terry cloth garments. The white garments are forbidden to contain any stitching — a restriction meant to emphasize the equality of all Muslims and prevent wealthier pilgrims from differentiating themselves with more elaborate garments.
Muslims are forbidden from engaging in sexual intercourse, cutting their hair or trimming their nails while in ihram. It is also forbidden for pilgrims to argue, fight or lose their tempers during the hajj.
To perform the umrah, Muslims circle the Kaaba counter-clockwise seven times while reciting supplications to God, then walk between the two hills traveled by Hagar. 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 spending the night in the massive valley of Mina, the pilgrims head to Mt. Arafat, some 12 miles east of Mecca, for the pinnacle of the pilgrimage.
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