Muslims at Hajj

These lovely photos of Hajj came from the BBC online. They are from Hajj 2009:

In New Delhi, India, Muslims offer Eid al-Adha prayers at the Ferozshah Kotla Mosque on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2008. (AP Photo/Gurinder Osan)

These beautiful photos, depicting the Hajj as well as Muslims all over the world preparing for and celebrating Eid-ul-Adha, were published in Boston.com’s “The Big Picture”, December 12, 2008:

Yesterday marked the end of the Muslim festival Eid al-Adha, or “Feast of Sacrifice” – which also marks the end of the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. One of the pillars of Islamic faith, the Hajj must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by any Muslim who has the ability to do so. This year, nearly 3 million Muslims made the Hajj, without major incident, and are now returning to their homes across the world. Muslims who stayed closer to home celebrated Eid al-Adha, commemorating the the willingness of Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son to God. Traditional practices include ritual prayers, the sacrifice of animals (usually sheep), distribution of the meat amongst family, friends and the poor, and visiting with relatives. (41 photos total)

Muslim pilgrims pray on a rocky hill called the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat near Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, Dec. 7. Nearly 3 million pilgrims converged Saturday around the holy city of Mecca at the beginning of the 5-day hajj pilgrimage, a lifelong dream for many Muslims. AP / Hassan Ammar

Here is a collection of 19 astounding, beautiful photographs of the Hajj, taken in 2008. These photos come from the Associated Press (AP) and were assembled and published online by the Sacramento Bee, and one extra photo from the BBC Online. The commentary on the photos also comes from AP:

Islam requires that all Muslims who are financially and physically able to perform the hajj at least once in their lifetime. The pilgrimage is supposed to cleanse Muslims of their sin. The hajj begins and ends in the holy city of Mecca, the birthplace of the 7th century Prophet Mohammed and the site of Islam’s holiest shrine, the Kaaba. Pilgrims on Monday, joined in a feast of freshly slaughtered sheep, goats and camels at a huge tent city in Mina, a desert valley east of Mecca. Muslim tradition says it was at Mina, 3 miles from Mecca, that the devil tried to tempt Abraham to disobey God by refusing to sacrifice his son. Hordes of pilgrims dressed in their white robes streamed across Mina valley Monday toward three walls symbolizing the devil known as the Jamarat, chanting “at thy service, my God, at thy service.” The massive crowds streamed through a four-story platform the size of an airport terminal built around the walls, and each pilgrim stoned the largest wall with pebbles collected earlier on the nearby rocky plain of Muzdalifah. They will return on each of the final two days of the five-day pilgrimage, which ends Wednesday, to stone all three walls. — associated press

Click to see full photo. A beautiful panoramic photo of Masjid-al-Haram in Makkah and the Ka'bah during Hajj

These photos are from Hajj in 2007 and come from the website of the BBC news online: