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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Muslims from astir the satellite are successful the Saudi metropolis of Mecca for the Hajj, 1 of the Five Pillars of Islam.
In the coming days, radical volition immerse themselves successful spiritual rituals and acts of worship that originated much than 1,400 years ago.
They besides person to contend with excess heat and different earthly factors, similar a prohibition connected children nether the property of 12 and a crackdown connected unauthorized entry.
Here’s what to cognize astir this year’s Hajj:
Last year’s pilgrims struggled done burning prima and suffocating blistery weather, with the mercury hitting 47 degrees Celsius (117 degrees Fahrenheit). More than 1,300 radical died.
This year, Saudi authorities are advising caution successful nonstop sunlight, telling pilgrims to debar going retired during the time and uncovering their heads, but for rituals, unless necessary.
An authoritative information kit emphasizes the value of light-colored covering and umbrellas. It besides has details connected recognizing and treating the symptoms of dehydration and vigor exhaustion.
But it’s pugnacious to debar the vigor and crowds erstwhile the Hajj is outdoors. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime accidental for many, elevating the idiosyncratic stakes further, and temperatures successful Mecca are already 41 degrees Celsius (about 106 Fahrenheit).
Although the godforsaken kingdom spends billions of dollars connected assemblage power and cooling, the sheer fig of pilgrims and climatic conditions marque it hard to warrant people’s safety.
Saudi Arabia has banned children nether 12 from this year’s Hajj — 1 of the biggest argumentation changes successful caller years.
Riyadh reportedly introduced the prohibition arsenic a precautionary measurement to guarantee children’s information during the pilgrimage, which could beryllium a unsafe situation for them due to the fact that of the immense crowds.
Children are exempt from doing the Hajj and are not required to fulfill different Islamic obligations, similar supplication and fasting, until they scope puberty.
But that doesn’t halt immoderate parents from wanting to instrumentality their children to acquisition the Hajj and spot the holiest tract successful Islam, the Kaaba, the black, cube-shaped operation that is the focal constituent for regular prayers.
Father of 5 Talha Ayub, from the Pakistani metropolis of Lahore, said his kids were staying with their grandparents portion helium and his woman performed the Hajj successful a “more relaxed way.”
“Even if children were allowed, we astir apt wouldn’t person taken them due to the fact that the upwind is highly harsh this year,” said Ayub, whose children are aged 1 to 13. “I person mixed feelings astir leaving them behind. I’ll miss them.”
There’s nary authoritative property breakdown for pilgrims, but astir are betwixt 35 and 64.
The terms of a Hajj ranges from $4,000 to $20,000, depending connected the magnitude of stay, level of comfort, and state of departure. Depreciating currencies, precocious inflation, and tax hikes successful Saudi Arabia besides person an interaction connected however overmuch Muslims extremity up paying.
The countries that typically nonstop the astir pilgrims are processing nations. Some person trimmed the terms of government-backed Hajj programs to marque them much affordable. But this measurement isn’t ever enough.
Farid Ahmed Majumder, caput wide of the Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh, said the state was allowed to nonstop immoderate 127,000 pilgrims this twelvemonth but failed to conscionable this quota, chiefly due to the fact that of higher costs.
Pakistan has reduced the terms of the state-run Hajj program. It has besides debuted a flexible outgo system.
Farmer and tiny concern proprietor Zaheer Ahmad said helium didn’t person capable wealth to wage for his Hajj up-front, 1.2 cardinal rupees oregon astir $4,255.
He paid successful 3 installments, applying for the Hajj successful December with an beforehand and finishing his payments successful February. “Otherwise, I mightiness not person been capable to spell for Hajj astatine all,” helium said.
In Saudi Arabia, which has besides introduced flexible payments, home pilgrims wage 20% wrong 72 hours of booking, different 40% during Ramadan and the last 40% the pursuing month.
Although the Hajj is simply a once-in-a-lifetime obligation, radical don’t privation to hold a beingness to fulfill it.
But the Hajj has constricted capacity, countries person acceptable quotas, and determination is lone 1 clip each twelvemonth to bash it. Patience truly is simply a virtuousness and everything needs to align: availability, health, and finances.
Muslim-majority countries similar Indonesia and Malaysia person decades-long waiting lists for the Hajj. Indonesia has 5.4 cardinal radical awaiting their turn, with the fig expanding each year.
While determination is thing to halt radical from performing the Hajj much than once, immoderate governments judge this signifier deprives others of the opportunity, particularly successful countries wherever request is high.
India has a prohibition connected “repeaters” and excludes applications from anyone who has antecedently performed the pilgrimage done the nationalist Hajj committee, though determination are exceptions from those accompanying definite categories of radical similar the elderly.
With a restricted proviso of Hajj spaces, it's inevitable that radical volition effort to find ways to get to the beatified metropolis and enactment there.
In April, to curb unauthorized Hajj pilgrimages and power inbound travel, Saudi Arabia suspended the contented of short-term visas for 14 countries: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Nigeria, Jordan, Algeria, Sudan, Ethiopia, Tunisia, Yemen, and Morocco.
People person successful the past traveled to Saudi Arabia connected short-term visas and entered Mecca without authoritative support for the Hajj. Authorities said that galore of those who died successful the vigor during past year's Hajj were unregistered and incapable to entree air-conditioned pilgrim amenities.
The Interior Ministry warned successful May that a good of up to 20,000 riyals, oregon astir $5,330, would beryllium imposed connected anyone attempting to participate Mecca during the Hajj without the close visa.
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Associated Press writers Sheikh Saaliq successful New Delhi, Julhas Alam successful Dhaka, Bangladesh, and Munir Ahmed successful Islamabad contributed to this report.
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Associated Press religion sum receives enactment done the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with backing from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely liable for this content.
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