Both Hajj and the much awaited festival of Eid-ul-Adha (also known as Bakra Eid, Bakrid, Bakhreid, Eid-ul-Zuha, Eid al-Adha, Eid Qurban, Qurban Bayarami or the Feast of Sacrifice) are marked during Dhul Hijjah, the twelfth and final month of the Islamic calendar, when the spiritual heart of the Muslim world beats in unison. The Hajj pilgrimage, one of the five pillars of Islam, is about to begin, calling millions of believers to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia for a journey that transcends distance, language and background.
Every year, Muslims from across the globe gather to perform Hajj, an obligation for every financially and physically able believer, at least once in a lifetime. The pilgrimage is more than a religious duty — it is a profound spiritual awakening and as noted in Sahih Bukhari, “Whoever performs Hajj and does not commit any obscenity or transgression will come back as free from sins as the day his mother bore him.”
This year, the Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia has issued a call to all Muslims in the Kingdom to observe the sky on the 29th of Dhul Qadah i.e. Tuesday, May 27, 2025. If the crescent moon is sighted on the evening of May 27, 2025, the holy month of Dhul Hijjah will begin on Wednesday, May 28, setting the stage for Hajj from June 04 to June 09 and Eid-ul-Adha on Friday, June 06, 2025.
If not, the lunar calendar will shift a day later, pushing the Hajj to take place from June 05 to June 10 and Eid-ul-Adha to be accordingly marked on Saturday, June 07, 2025. This is because the 8th day of the month of Dhul Hijjah marks the beginning of the five days of sacred Hajj rituals rooted in the lives of the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) AS and Prophet Muhammad SAW.
Pilgrims spend the 9th day of Dhul Hijjah on the vast plains of Arafat in deep prayer and reflection. It is a day often considered the most pivotal of the entire pilgrimage while the following day marks Eid-ul-Adha, the Festival of Sacrifice, celebrated around the world by Muslims with prayers, charity and the symbolic Qurbani (sacrifice of livestock).
However, the official dates are subject to the crescent moon sighting by Saudi Arabian authorities. This age-old moon-sighting tradition, whether done with the naked eye or binoculars, still holds great importance in determining the dates of major Islamic events and citizens are encouraged to report any sightings to the nearest court, keeping alive a beautiful practice of community participation in sacred timekeeping.
As the dates inch closer, Saudi Arabia is already seeing a flood of arrivals. According to the Kingdom’s General Directorate of Passports, 961,903 pilgrims have landed for this year’s Hajj season.
Airports remain the most common entry point, welcoming over 912,000 pilgrims, while others have entered by land and sea, creating a remarkable mosaic of cultures, languages, and experiences. Saudi officials have rolled out a seamless welcome at entry points, complete with high-tech immigration processes and multilingual support staff, ensuring that the first impression of the pilgrimage is smooth and respectful.
Inside Mecca’s Grand Mosque, preparations are in full swing. The Mataf i.e. the open circular area surrounding the Kaaba where pilgrims perform Tawaf (circumambulation), is now capable of hosting up to 107,000 pilgrims per hour. Across all levels of the Grand Mosque, the total worshipper capacity has been expanded to 203,000.
To manage this massive influx, authorities have streamlined access points, designated specific entrances for pilgrims and dedicated the entire Mataf exclusively for circumambulation. It is a marvel of modern crowd logistics, engineered to preserve the serenity of an ancient act of devotion.
As with any major event, ensuring safety is a high priority. The Saudi Interior Ministry has issued a strong warning against performing Hajj without a valid permit. Already, authorities have arrested 14 individuals — five residents and nine citizens — for illegally transporting 44 unregistered pilgrims.
Penalties are steep: imprisonment, fines up to SAR 100,000 (approx. USD 26,666), deportation for non-citizens with a 10-year re-entry ban and public naming of offenders. Even vehicles used in violations face confiscation, underscoring the seriousness with which the Kingdom treats crowd control and ritual integrity.
Hajj is not simply a journey to a place, it is a journey into the self and about shedding ego, embracing humility and rediscovering what it means to belong to something greater than oneself. As millions prepare for this sacred experience, the message of Hajj remains timeless: that faith unites us, that humility elevates us and that in worship, we find profound peace.
Stay connected for more updates, insights and behind-the-scenes stories from the 2025 Hajj pilgrimage.
Both Hajj and the much awaited festival of Eid-ul-Adha (also known as Bakra Eid, Bakrid, Bakhreid, Eid-ul-Zuha, Eid al-Adha, Eid Qurban, Qurban Bayarami or the Feast of Sacrifice) are marked during Dhul Hijjah, the twelfth and final month of the Islamic calendar, when the spiritual heart of the Muslim world beats in unison. The Hajj pilgrimage, one of the five pillars of Islam, is about to begin, calling millions of believers to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia for a journey that transcends distance, language and background.
Every year, Muslims from across the globe gather to perform Hajj, an obligation for every financially and physically able believer, at least once in a lifetime. The pilgrimage is more than a religious duty — it is a profound spiritual awakening and as noted in Sahih Bukhari, “Whoever performs Hajj and does not commit any obscenity or transgression will come back as free from sins as the day his mother bore him.”
This year, the Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia has issued a call to all Muslims in the Kingdom to observe the sky on the 29th of Dhul Qadah i.e. Tuesday, May 27, 2025. If the crescent moon is sighted on the evening of May 27, 2025, the holy month of Dhul Hijjah will begin on Wednesday, May 28, setting the stage for Hajj from June 04 to June 09 and Eid-ul-Adha on Friday, June 06, 2025.
If not, the lunar calendar will shift a day later, pushing the Hajj to take place from June 05 to June 10 and Eid-ul-Adha to be accordingly marked on Saturday, June 07, 2025. This is because the 8th day of the month of Dhul Hijjah marks the beginning of the five days of sacred Hajj rituals rooted in the lives of the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) AS and Prophet Muhammad SAW.
Pilgrims spend the 9th day of Dhul Hijjah on the vast plains of Arafat in deep prayer and reflection. It is a day often considered the most pivotal of the entire pilgrimage while the following day marks Eid-ul-Adha, the Festival of Sacrifice, celebrated around the world by Muslims with prayers, charity and the symbolic Qurbani (sacrifice of livestock).
However, the official dates are subject to the crescent moon sighting by Saudi Arabian authorities. This age-old moon-sighting tradition, whether done with the naked eye or binoculars, still holds great importance in determining the dates of major Islamic events and citizens are encouraged to report any sightings to the nearest court, keeping alive a beautiful practice of community participation in sacred timekeeping.
As the dates inch closer, Saudi Arabia is already seeing a flood of arrivals. According to the Kingdom’s General Directorate of Passports, 961,903 pilgrims have landed for this year’s Hajj season.
Airports remain the most common entry point, welcoming over 912,000 pilgrims, while others have entered by land and sea, creating a remarkable mosaic of cultures, languages, and experiences. Saudi officials have rolled out a seamless welcome at entry points, complete with high-tech immigration processes and multilingual support staff, ensuring that the first impression of the pilgrimage is smooth and respectful.
Inside Mecca’s Grand Mosque, preparations are in full swing. The Mataf i.e. the open circular area surrounding the Kaaba where pilgrims perform Tawaf (circumambulation), is now capable of hosting up to 107,000 pilgrims per hour. Across all levels of the Grand Mosque, the total worshipper capacity has been expanded to 203,000.
To manage this massive influx, authorities have streamlined access points, designated specific entrances for pilgrims and dedicated the entire Mataf exclusively for circumambulation. It is a marvel of modern crowd logistics, engineered to preserve the serenity of an ancient act of devotion.
As with any major event, ensuring safety is a high priority. The Saudi Interior Ministry has issued a strong warning against performing Hajj without a valid permit. Already, authorities have arrested 14 individuals — five residents and nine citizens — for illegally transporting 44 unregistered pilgrims.
Penalties are steep: imprisonment, fines up to SAR 100,000 (approx. USD 26,666), deportation for non-citizens with a 10-year re-entry ban and public naming of offenders. Even vehicles used in violations face confiscation, underscoring the seriousness with which the Kingdom treats crowd control and ritual integrity.
Hajj is not simply a journey to a place, it is a journey into the self and about shedding ego, embracing humility and rediscovering what it means to belong to something greater than oneself. As millions prepare for this sacred experience, the message of Hajj remains timeless: that faith unites us, that humility elevates us and that in worship, we find profound peace.
Stay connected for more updates, insights and behind-the-scenes stories from the 2025 Hajj pilgrimage.
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It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using ‘Content here, content here’, making it look like readable English. Many desktop publishing packages and web page editors now use Lorem Ipsum as their default model text, and a search for ‘lorem ipsum’ will uncover many web sites still in their infancy.
The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using ‘Content here, content here’, making
The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using ‘Content here, content here’, making it look like readable English. Many desktop publishing packages and web page editors now use Lorem Ipsum as their default model text, and a search for ‘lorem ipsum’ will uncover many web sites still in their infancy.
It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution
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