With pandemic in mind, pared-back hajj in Mecca for 2nd year

The hajj pilgrimage, which once drew some 2.5 million Muslims from all walks of life from across the globe, is now almost unrecognizable.

No vaccine, no Hajj: Saudi Arabia makes Covid-19 shot mandatory for pilgrims

Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca is the fifth and final pillar of Islam. Saudi had in 2020 annulled the annual pilgrimage due to the pandemic. Later it allowed a limited number of pilgrims to perform the Hajj.  

Saudi Arabia to allow nearly 1,000 pilgrims in scaled-down hajj

Saudi Arabia's decision to hold a "very limited" hajj is fraught with political and economic peril and comes after several Muslim nations pulled out of the ritual that forms one of the main pillars of Islam. The hajj -- a must for able-bodied Muslims at least once in their lifetime -- could be a major source of the contagious outbreak, as millions of pilgrims would be offering prayers within enclosed religious sites.

First batch of Hajj 2019 pilgrims leaves for Saudi

15,000 pilgrims from Maharashtra to go on Hajj this year