On the 9th Dhul Hijjah before noon the pilgrims come to Arafat which is a barren and plain land. Here they stand in contemplative vigil. They will offer supplications, will repent for sins they have committed, and seek the mercy of Allah. They will listen to the sermon carried out by Islamic scholars. Lasting from noon through sunset, or known as wuquf, it is said to be one of the most important rites of Hajj. The pilgrims will offer noon and also afternoon prayers at Masjid al-Namirah together at noontime. The pilgrim needs to spend the afternoon on Arafat or else the Hajj is regarded as being invalid.

The Hajj is regarded as one of the pillars of Islam. All able-bodied Muslims need to perform it at least once in their lifetime. Hajj allows one to wipe clean their past sins and begin fresh. Many people aim to deepen their faith and some ladies take on “hijab” or the Islamic hair covering when they return from Hajj.

Hajj is the greater Muslim pilgrimage that occurs to Mecca. It happens in the last month of the year. All Muslims need to at least perform Hajj once in their lifetime, if they are able to afford to do so. It is also one of the Five Pillars that Islam has.

There are three forms of Hajj, i.e. Tamattu, Ifraad and Qiran. The following tells you about the Tamattu form of Hajj. This is what the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) encourages people to perform. It consists of:

• Preparation and Intention – You need to make niyyah or intention before going to perform Hajj.
• Going into the state of Ihram- Next you will go into the state of Ihram or ritual purity.
• When you arrive in Makkah, you need to first perform Umrah. You will need to do Tawaf and Sa’i. Tawaf is when the pilgrim walks in circles around the Kaa’bah. This is in an anti-clockwise motion. A single Tawaf consists of seven complete circles. You can even offer voluntary prayers so as to thank Allah (SWT) for reaching safely and to begin this special journey.
• Safa and Marwa- When you have performed Tawaf, you will need to perform Sa’i. This includes walking and running particularly between the two hills that are of Safa and Marwa.
• Clip or shave the hair- When Sa’i is completed, the men need to get their hair clipped or shaved. A women will clip her hair which will be to the length of her fingertip. When this is done, the completion of Umrah occurs. You can then leave Ihram till the 8th of Dhul Hijjah.
• Resting plus praying- When Umrah has been performed, for the rest of the month, you will remain in Makkah to finish the Hajj. You should perform sincere acts of worship at this time. The Hajj will start on the 8th Dhul Hijjah.
• Re-entering the state of Ihram- The 8th day of Dhul Hijjah will be the start of the days of Hajj. It will be the next stage of the spiritual journey. You need to purify yourself then go into the state of Ihram again.
• Arrive at Mina- Here you will go to your allocated tent. You need to pray Salah or obligatory prayers. This will encompass Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, ‘Isha and Fajar. You need to shorten the four-unit prayers to two units each. This is without combining them. You will stay the night and pray, reading the Qur’an. You will prepare for day two.
• Day of ‘Arafat- After sunrise you will go to the plains of ‘Arafat. You will recite Istaghfar and make supplications.
  Arrival in Muzdalifah- After sunset you will leave ‘Arafat and go to Muzdalifah. When you reach Muzdalifah you need to perform Maghrib and ‘Isha Salah. You can collect pebbles from here to perform Rami.
• Rami and Hady- The 10th of Dhul Hijjah is the Day of Sacrifice. You will perform the Hady and start the first of three days of “stoning the devil” rite.
• Qurbani and Eid al-Adha- This will be on the 10th of Dhul Hijjah. You will offer Qurbani or sacrifice.
• Shaving the head- After the Hady you will shave or trim the hair if you are a man. A women will trim her hair that will be by the length of a fingertip. You can leave Ihram now.
• Tawaf al-Ifadha and Saai’- Now you will go to Makkah where you will perform Tawaf al-Ifadha. Then another circuit of Saai’.
• Second day or Rami- On the 11th of Dhul Hijjah you will carry out second day of Rami.
• Spend night in Mina- When the second Rami is done, you will go to your camp in Mina then spend the time in worship.
• Third day or Rami- On the afternoon of the 12th of Dhul Hijjah will be the final stoning day.
• Tawaf al-Wida- This Tawaf will be performed before leaving the boundaries of the Haram.

Mina is a valley that is surrounded by mountains. Pilgrims spend the nights of 8th, 11th and 12th of Dhul Hijjah here. They occasionally can spend the night of the 13th here also. Mina Hajj is even an important symbol for the stoning ritual because it is where the three stone pillars of Jamarat are present.

It is important to stay in Mina because pilgrims spend a full day as well as night within the tents located at Mina. This is knowns as Layali al Tashriq. Pilgrims will read the Holy Quran and offer prayers. They will worship Allah SWT and perform Zikr. They also listen to Islamic lectures.

At Mina three hard stone pillars get struck by pilgrims. This is part of the ritual of stoning the devil.