Over 1.5 million pilgrims begin Hajj amid regional tensions

The annual Hajj pilgrimage, one of the five pillars of Islam, has begun in Saudi Arabia as more than 1.5 million pilgrims arrive from abroad amid the backdrop of a fragile ceasefire in the Iran war and a global energy crisis.

Saleh bin Saad al-Murabba, commander of the Hajj passport forces, said that over 1.5 million pilgrims had entered the kingdom by Friday, with more expected.

For many, reaching Mecca is the fulfilment of a lifelong dream. Egyptian pilgrim Samya Abdul Moneim said she felt overwhelming gratitude to have made the journey required once in a lifetime of every Muslim who can afford it and is physically able.

“I am in a state of blessing and happiness,” she said in Mecca on Sunday. “It’s an indescribable feeling, truly. Thank God, I am in a blessing.”

Ahead of the move to the vast tent city of Mina, pilgrims have been circling the cube-shaped Kaaba in the Grand Mosque in sweltering heat, some shielding themselves with umbrellas and handheld fans. Volunteers hand out water and misting fans to help people cope with the intense temperatures.

For many, Hajj is both physically demanding and spiritually transformative.

“This Hajj is, in effect, a hard reset for me,” said Youssef Chouhoud, a political scientist from the United States, speaking from Mina. “It is for many pilgrims the most difficult thing they will ever do in their lives. But nothing this meaningful is ever going to be easy.”

He said he drew inspiration from seeing fellow pilgrims “compete with one another in giving charity and helping each other along the way”.

The pilgrimage unfolds as the United States, Iran and regional allies discuss a “memorandum of understanding” that Washington says could reopen the Strait of Hormuz and ease an energy crisis triggered by US and Israeli attacks on Iran and Tehran’s closure of the waterway.

Despite the uncertainty, many pilgrims say they are leaning on their faith.

On Tuesday, pilgrims will gather on the plain of Arafat, the spiritual climax of Hajj, where they will stand in prayer, ask for forgiveness and remember loved ones back home.