The Hajj (/hædʒ/;[1] Arabic: حَجّ‎ Ḥaǧǧ "pilgrimage") is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca,[2] the holiest city for Muslims, and a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by all adult Muslims who are physically and financially capable of undertaking the journey, and can support their family during their absence.[3][4][5] Literally speaking, Hajj means heading to a place for the sake of visiting. In Islamic terminology, Hajj is a pilgrimage made to Kaaba, the ‘House of God’, in the sacred city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. The rites of Hajj, which go back to the time of Prophet Abraham who built Kaaba after it had been first built by Prophet Adam, are performed over five or six days, beginning on the eighth and ending on the thirteenth day of Dhu al-Hijjah, the last month of the Islamic calendar[6].It is one of the five pillars of Islam, alongside Shahadah, Salat, Zakat and Sawm. The Hajj is the second largest annual gathering of Muslims in the world.[7] The state of being physically and financially capable of performing the Hajj is called istita'ah, and a Muslim who fulfils this condition is called a mustati. The Hajj is a demonstration of the solidarity of the Muslim people, and their submission to God (Allah).[8][9] The word Hajj means "to intend a journey", which connotes both the outward act of a journey and the inward act of intentions.[10] The pilgrimage occurs from the 8th to 12th (or in some cases 13th[11]) of Dhu al-Hijjah, the last month of the Islamic calendar. Because the Islamic calendar is lunar and the Islamic year is about eleven days shorter than the Gregorian year, the Gregorian date of Hajj changes from year to year. Ihram is the name given to the special spiritual state in which pilgrims wear two white sheets of seamless cloth and abstain from certain actions.[8][12][13] During Hajj, pilgrims join processions of hundreds of thousands of people, who simultaneously converge on Mecca for the week of the Hajj, and perform a series of rituals: each person walks counter-clockwise seven times around the Kaaba (the cube-shaped building and the direction of prayer for the Muslims), runs back and forth between the hills of Safa and Marwah, drinks from the Zamzam Well, goes to the plains of Mount Arafat to stand in vigil, spends a night in the plain of Muzdalifa, and performs symbolic stoning of the devil by throwing stones at three pillars. The pilgrims then shave their heads, perform a ritual of animal sacrifice, and celebrate the three-day global festival of Eid al-Adha.[14][15][16][17] Contents 1 Etymology 2 History 3 Timing of Hajj 4 Rites 4.1 Ihram 4.2 First day of Hajj: 8th Dhu al-Hijjah 4.3 Tawaf and sa'ay 4.4 Second day: 9th Dhu al-Hijjah 4.5 Third day: 10th Dhu al-Hijjah 4.6 Fourth day: 11th Dhu al-Hijjah 4.7 Fifth day: 12th Dhu al-Hijjah 4.8 Last day at Mina: 13th Dhu al-Hijjah 4.9 Journey to Medina 5 Arrangement and facilities 5.1 Visa requirements 6 Transportation 7 Modern crowd-control problems 8 Significance 9 Hajj and the Saudi economy 10 Number of pilgrims per year 11 Hadith 12 Differences between the Hajj and Umrah 13 Hajj Badal 14 Gallery 15 See also 16 Notes 17 References 18 Further reading 19 External links The ritual of Tawaf involves walking seven times counterclockwise around the Kaaba.[51] Upon arriving at Al-Masjid Al-Ḥarām (Arabic: الـمَـسـجِـد الـحَـرَام‎, The Sacred Mosque), pilgrims perform an arrival tawaf either as part of Umrah or as a welcome tawaf.[52] During tawaf, pilgrims also include Hateem – an area at the north side of the Kaaba – inside their path. Each circuit starts with the kissing or touching of the Black Stone (Hajar al- Aswad).[53] If kissing the stone is not possible because of the crowds, they may simply point towards the stone with their hand on each circuit. Eating is not permitted but the drinking of water is allowed, because of the risk of dehydration. Men are encouraged to perform the first three circuit...