Saudi Arabia says Hajj 2016 receives 1.8 million pilgrims
The General Authority for Statistics in Saudi Arabia said that this year’s Hajj has seen a total of 1,862,909 pilgrims, of whom 1,325,372 pilgrims came from outside Saudi Arabia, while the total pilgrims inside totaled 537,537 pilgrims.
The annual Hajj pilgrimage to the Saudi Arabian city of Mecca, a tradition for millions of Muslims across the globe, commenced on 10th September this year
The five-day pilgrimage is known to be the world’s largest religious pilgrim gathering. Some 3.7 million people participate every year. Muslims celebrate the Eid al-Adha , starting on the third day of Hajj. The dates of the tradition are based on the moon, and the schedule was made official by authorities in Saudi Arabia Thursday “based on the sighting of the moon,” according to Al Jazeera.
The Hajj pilgrimage is one of the five major pillars of Islam and is undertaken by millions across the globe round the year.
Muslims from around the world pour to Makkah every year to perform Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam.
Every able-bodied adult Muslim who can financially afford the trip must perform Hajj at least once in a lifetime.
The Haj reached its high point on Sunday when Muslims from across the world converged on a hill in Saudi Arabia, a year after the worst tragedy in the pilgrimage's history.
More than 1.8 million gathered from sunrise at the hill and a vast surrounding plain known as Mount Arafat, about 15 kilometres from Makkah.
They are spending the most important day of the annual Haj in prayer and reading from the holy Quran.
Arafat is the site where Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) gave his last sermon about 14 centuries ago after leading his followers on the pilgrimage.
