Hajj Makkah Medina Journey Information

 Hajj Makkah Medina Journey Information 

Mecca and Medina, the pilgrimage places of the Muslim community, are considered very holy and holy. This pilgrimage is called Hajj Yatra, every Muslim wants to go here once in his life. Going where it is necessary for every Muslim person, who is physically and financially strong, and in his absence, his family can be well fed. Mecca is located in Saudi Arabia, it is said that it is the middle of the world. People from all over the world go here and millions of people come together and pray. It is one of the five pillars of Islam, Shahada, Salat, Zakat and Swan which are prescribed in the Quran. These two cities are two sanctuaries of Islam. It is the cradle of Islam. Earlier only Muslims were allowed to enter this city, but now everyone can go here. All the information about it is given here.

Mecca

The city of Mecca is the city where the first house was built for the prayer of Allah. Praying in the holy mosque of this city is equivalent to 100,000 prayers. Muslim devotees bow down and pray in front of Mecca 5 times a day, anywhere in the world. The capital of the Kingdom of Mecca is located within 70 kilometers from the city on the Jinnah Valley, 277 meters above sea level. The Quran also started from here. There is a special cave at a distance of 3 km from Mecca which is considered to be the home of Kaaba.

Mecca History

The Messenger of God in Mecca, the founder of the Muslim faith, Prophet Muhammad was born in 570. Prophet Ibrahim and Prophet Ismail, the messengers of Allah and the sons of Hazrat, spent most of their lives here while visiting this city. There was a difference of opinion between the people of Mecca and Muhammad, after that the Prophet fled from Mecca and went to Medina. Islam's holiest place in Mecca, Saudi Arabia is the Kaaba Mosque, according to Muslim tradition, this mosque was built from black stones first by Adam and then by Abraham and his son Ishmail. For a long time Mecca was independently ruled by the descendants of Muhammad, Sharif. The city of Mecca was built in 1925.

Medina

Medina is the second holiest place in Islam. Medina means 'City of the Prophet'. The city is located in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, about 100 miles from the Red Sea and 275 miles by road. It is not a part of Haj pilgrimage. But if the pilgrims want, they can also go to Medina.

History of Medina

The early history of Medina is unclear, but it is believed that Jews had already settled there as a result of expulsion from Palestine during the Christian period, but later they fled. A new chapter in the history of the oasis began with the visit of the Prophet Muhammad to Medina on September 622. The date of this journey marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar which is called Hijra. In 632, Muhammad, along with his 30,000 followers, delivered a message to the crowd gathered at the Plain of Arafat, saying that his mission on earth was now complete, two months after he died in Medina. After his death, he was buried here. Because of this, his tomb is also considered a holy place. After the departure of the Jews, Islam expanded rapidly in Medina and it became the administrative capital of the Islamic State. Islam is one of the largest religions in the world in the 21st century.

  Hajj Journey Time (Hajj Dates)

The date of Haj pilgrimage is decided according to the Islamic calendar. Every year each yatra is of 5 days duration. Which is from the eighth day to the 12th day of Dhu-al-Hijjah, the last month of the Islamic calendar. The ninth Dhul Hijjah in these five days is called Arfah day, and it is called Hajj. Al Hijra is the Islamic New Year. The Islamic calendar follows the lunar calendar, and the Islamic year is 11 days shorter than the Gregorian year. Because of which the date of Gregorian changes every year for Hajj. According to the Gregorian calendar, the Haj pilgrimage begins every year 11 days before each of the previous year's pilgrimages. Due to this, there comes a time in every 33 years when Hajj is performed twice in the same Gregorian year. The last time this happened was in 2006.

When does Haj pilgrimage start in 2022?

This year in 2022, the Haj pilgrimage will start from 7 July 2022, and will end on 12 July 2022.

Hajj rituals, rituals

Pilgrims can also visit Mecca during the rest of the year, this is called a short pilgrimage or Umrah. Even if someone performs Umrah, he is still obliged to complete the Hajj pilgrimage once in his life. Performing Umrah does not make his Hajj pilgrimage.

It has been explained in detail in the Fiqh literature that what etiquettes, ideals should be followed while going for Haj pilgrimage. Islamic jurisprudence describes how a pilgrim can perform the rites of Hajj. Every pilgrim fulfills these things carefully, so that he can complete the Haj pilgrimage well. During the Hajj pilgrimage, the pilgrims do not only follow the words of Muhammad, but they also keep the memory of the events associated with Abraham in their mind.

During the Hajj pilgrimage, the pilgrim should have a spirit of spirituality and unity. All Muslims are encouraged to share in the spirit of equal rights, performance and equality. All pilgrims should live in purity and simplicity as much as possible during the Hajj. During the journey, men should wear simple white clothes, no color is fixed for women, but they should also wear simple clothes.

Ihram (How to wear Ihram for Haj) – It is 6 km away from Mecca. The day the pilgrims go to the holy kingdom is called Ihram. Here men have to wear white clothes, which are stitched without any knots. Simple slippers can also be worn. Here any kind of perfume is applied to the body. Nail cutting, hair shaving happens here or not, it is not clear anywhere. Women have to wear simple clothes, but their hands and mouth should be open. Ihram means that everyone is equal in front of God, nothing is different in front of him rich, poor, male, female.

Tawaf – Pilgrims enter the Big Mosque, Masjid-al-Haram. Here the Kava situated in the middle revolves around the building seven times. At the beginning of each round, the black stone touches and kisses 'Hazar-al-Aswad'. If there is a lot of crowd, the pilgrims can start the procession by pointing the hand towards that stone. Food is prohibited here, but because of the very high heat, one can drink water here. Men are asked to complete the first three rounds by walking very fast, which is called Ramal. After completing the tawaaf, there are two rakat prayers, which take place outside the mosque near the Kaaba in the place of Abraham. Pilgrims can complete this prayer in any place of the mosque due to the huge crowd during Hajj. After this prayer, the pilgrims drink water from the water, which is present in coolers from place to place in the mosque. Although the rounds around the Kaaba are done in the lower floor, but due to the crowd, Tawaf can be completed in the first floor and also in the roof of the mosque.

Sai-Tawaf is followed by the process of Sai. In this, between the hills of Safa and Marwah, seven times and a round is made by running. Which is located near the Kaaba. Earlier this was an open area, but now this area is completely surrounded by Masjid, Al-Haram-Mosque and can be reached through air-conditioned tunnels. Pilgrims are advised to walk here, while there are 2 green pillars separately, where pilgrims can run and complete the round. There is also a separate internal “express lane” for the disabled. After the evening, men shave their hair, while women tie their hair with clips. In this way the rituals of Umrah or Ihram are completed.

Required Documents for Mecca Madina Travels

Those who are residents of this city have to keep their ID i.e. identity card, because the security personnel allow them to proceed only after seeing it. And those who are travelers from other countries, it is mandatory to have a visa (passport) with their identity card. Every city has its own legal rules, in the same way, to go here too, first of all you should have faith in this holy religion. Also, drinking alcohol and spreading dirt is strictly prohibited in this city.

Distance between Mecca and Madina

Mecca is adjacent to the south side of Medina. So the distance between Medina to Mecca is 339 kms by air, 439 kms by road. The distance between Mecca and Medina by rail is 453 km.

How to Reach Makkah Madina from India

People also come from abroad to visit this holy city. It can also be traveled by plane and by air.

By Air: To go to Mecca and Medina from India, you can go to Saudi Arabia's International Airport Jeddah by air from Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. It is the gateway to pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina. As a flight option, you can choose airlines service like Kuwait Airways, Air India, Jet Airways and Oman Airways. The distance from Delhi to Saudi Arabia's Jeddah airport by air is 3836.68 km.

Ticket price for each airlines may vary. The price of the tickets is also dependent on the passenger class or the time of travel, if you travel in the month of Ramadan then the price of the tickets will be higher. Usually, the cost of air tickets from Delhi to Jeddah starts at Rs.17,000. If you travel in business class then Rs 27,500 and if you travel in economy class then you will have to pay up to Rs 1,52000. By air, this journey can be completed in 6 hours.

By sea: Travel to Mecca and Medina has been closed by sea since 1995, but according to a PTI report, the government may start sea route service again from 2018. Due to which 2515 nautical miles (1 nautical mile is equal to 1.8 km) from Mumbai port to Jeddah, that is, a distance of 4527 km can be completed in 2 to 3 days.

By the way, the driving distance from New Delhi to Mecca and Medina in India is 9487 km. Which may take up to 7 days 21 hours 44 minutes to complete.

Information about five days of Haj pilgrimage

First day of Hajj (Eighth day Dhaul-Hijjah) – On arrival in Mecca, the place where the pilgrims reach on the first day is called Meena Kshetra. Where every pilgrim spends the whole day in prayer. Over 1 lakh temporary tents are set up here for the pilgrims, where arrangements are made for their stay. In this view, a big tent has a view of the city. Every pilgrim performs morning, afternoon, evening, night prayers here. The next day after the morning prayer, they leave Mina and proceed to Arafat.

Second day of Hajj (Ninth day Dhual-Hijjah) –

Arfah - It is also called the day of Arfah and the day of Hajj. Pilgrims reach Arfah Mountain, also known as the Mount of Mercy, before noon. It is located 20 km to the east of Mecca. Here the pilgrims used to seek forgiveness for all the sins committed by them, they spend the whole day here, and listen to the words of Islam. They do this till sunset, then it is said, at this time the pilgrims 'stand before God'. If a pilgrim does not spend his afternoon in Arafat, his Hajj pilgrimage is considered illegal. After this, in Masjid al-Nimrah, the pilgrims offer afternoon and evening prayers together. In every part of the world, Muslims who do not go for Hajj, also spend this day in prayer, fasting.

Mujdalifa – Pilgrims leave Arfah after sunset and go to Muzdalifa. Muzdalifa is a region located between Arfah and Mina. After reaching here, the pilgrims pray Maghrib and Isha together. Here everyone prays all night, and spends the night under the open sky. Along with this, stones are also collected the next day to pelt the devil.

The third day of Hajj (Dhaul-Hijjah on the tenth day) – After arriving from Mujdalifa, the pilgrims spend the day in Mina.

Rami al-Jamarat – After reaching Mina, pilgrims throw seven stones at the three highest pillars, which are called Jamarat al-Aqbah. This is called stoning the devil. The process of stone pelting takes place from morning to evening, on this day the remaining 2 pillars are not stoned. These pillars are said to be the form of Satan. From the point of view of security, these pillars have now been given the form of a wall in 2004, where there is also a system of collecting stones.

Animal Sacrifice – After stoning Satan, animal sacrifices are performed according to the story of Abraham and Ishmael. Traditionally, pilgrims sacrifice themselves for animal sacrifice or witness the slaughter. Nowadays many pilgrims buy a sacrifice voucher in Mecca before the commencement of Hajj, who sacrifice an animal on the 10th, in the absence of the pilgrim. After this, this meat is distributed to the poor in every part of the world. On the day when this animal sacrifice is done in Mecca, all Muslim communities all over the world celebrate the three-day festival of Eid al-Adha i.e. Bakrid.

Hair shaving – The main process of Haj pilgrimage is to give hair after animal sacrifice. In this, the hair is shaved or cut. On Eid al-Adha, all men shave or get their hair cut, while women cut their upper hair.

Tawaf al-Ifadah – On this day, pilgrims go to Masjid al-Haram in Mecca again for Tawah, which is called Tawaf al-Ifadah. It is a symbol of showing love to God during Hajj. This night is spent in Meena itself.

Fourth day of Hajj (Dhaul-Hijjah on the eleventh day) – On this day again seven stones are thrown at three pillars. This is also called stoning the devil.

Fifth day of Hajj (Dhaul-Hijjah on the twelfth day) – Seven stones are thrown on this day also.

Last day of Hajj – Once again stones are thrown before going to Mecca.

Tawaf al-Wada – Pilgrims perform Tawaf al-Wada before leaving Mecca. If possible, before leaving, the pilgrims touch and kiss the Kaaba once.

(Importance of Mecca and Medina in Islam)

The city of Mecca was declared a pilgrimage site by the Prophet Muhammad. This is the fifth pillar of Islam. The city is the commercial, cultural and entertainment center of Saudi Arabia. There are many historical sites here, the Nassif House, the Beach, the Fountain of King Fahd and the Jeddah Corniche are the center of attraction for the travelers. Other than this -

There is a very beautiful rectangular building in Mecca, around which there is a mosque made of granite stones. The Kaaba is situated in the middle of this building mosque. Kaaba is an Arabic word which means "cube". It is the center of daily worship in the heart of the Grand Mosque of Mecca, which has only one door. This Kaaba is 40 feet long as well as 33 feet wide. Travelers make seven rounds of this Kaaba and then kiss it. They believe that Muhammad is still in the black box.

Nearby there is a holy well of Jam Zam whose water never dries up. This yatra also demonstrates the integration of all Muslims i.e. Muslim unity, solidarity. All Muslims pray facing the direction of Mecca and Kaaba, this direction is known as Qibla.

The footprints of Muhammad have been preserved in Mecca, and the footprints of those feet are also seen by the travelers.

Medina is called in the Arabic language by the name of 'Madinat Rasool Allah' meaning city of the Prophet of Allah and in the short form it is called as Al-Madina. Hence it is also considered a holy place.

On one side of the tomb of the Prophet Muhammad is the Masjid al-Nabawi.

Mecca and Medina are also very big trading centers. The cost of beautification and maintenance of these cities is done from the amount of tax collected from the pilgrims visiting here. There is very little rain here, due to which the land here is like sand and is also infertile.

In this way, this pilgrimage site has great importance among Muslims. The government of Saudi Arabia makes efforts to make the best arrangements here every year, so that more and more pilgrims can come here and complete their Hajj pilgrimage well. Housing, transportation, sanitation and health care are the main issues on which special work is done. Now pilgrims can also take advantage of modern facilities here. The Saudi Arabian government fixes a quota for every country, according to which people can go there. CCTV cameras have been installed in every corner of Mecca from the point of view of security. Pilgrims mostly complete the Hajj pilgrimage in groups.