Hajj

Oman opens Hajj 2026 registration from September 23: What pilgrims need to know

Oman has announced that Hajj 2026 registration will open from September 23 to October 8, 2025. Here’s a complete guide on eligibility, application process, and key deadlines for pilgrims.

2026 Hajj applications to start within a week, says minority affairs minister Rijiju

The entire process will be digital. The minister also advised the people to get corrections made in their passport.

No Travel Ban on Indian Visitors to Saudi Arabia, Confirms Government Sources

No travel ban on Indians visiting Saudi Arabia, confirms MEA. Visa curbs are temporary, routine Hajj-season measures, ending June 30, 2025.

Saudi Arabia Blocks 2.7 Lakh Without Hajj Permits | Major Crackdown on Unauthorized Pilgrims

Saudi Arabia has stopped over 269,600 people without Hajj permits from entering Mecca ahead of this year's pilgrimage. Authorities say unauthorized pilgrims cause overcrowding and were a major factor in last year’s heat-related deaths. Over 23,000 residents have been penalized and 400 Hajj company licenses revoked. The government has introduced strict fines, deportations, and even deployed drones to monitor the pilgrimage. With 1.4 million official pilgrims already in Mecca, the Hajj is under tight surveillance to ensure safety and order.

Over 42,000 Hajj pilgrims stranded as private operators miss Saudi deadline, BJP’s Siddiqui seeks Rijiju’s intervention

This year, over 800 private tour operators were consolidated into 26 Combined Hajj Group Operators (CHGOs) by the ministry.

68 Indians among over 600 Hajj pilgrims killed in Saudi heat

During this year's hajj pilgrimage, 68 Indians died due to extreme heat, contributing to over 600 total fatalities, according to AFP. Rising temperatures have increasingly impacted the pilgrimage in recent years.

Diplomat says 68 Indian pilgrims among hajj dead

The new toll comes after two Arab diplomats told AFP on Tuesday that 550 deaths had been recorded during the hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam that all Muslims with the means must perform at least once.

In pics: Millions of pilgrims attend annual Hajj pilgrimage — five things to know

During the annual rituals which are likely to surpass attendance records, more than two million devotees from 160 nations are likely to visit Islam's holiest venue.

In Pics | Essentials for Hajj: A guide to the gear for pilgrimage

This is a five-day event that taking place in the last month of the Islamic calendar in which about two million people complete this pilgrimage every year.

As temperatures climb, pilgrims ascend Mount Arafat for hajj climax

As dawn broke, groups of worshippers recited Koran verses on the rocky rise, where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have given his final sermon.

In pics | Hajj pilgrimage starts in Saudi Arabia: All you need to know about it

For the pilgrims, it is a powerfully transformative spiritual experience that atones for sins, draws them nearer to God, and emphasises Muslim solidarity

Millions head to Mecca for huge hajj in Saudi heat: All you need to know

Pilgrims in white robes and sandals packed the ancient city, now dotted with luxury hotels and air-conditioned shopping malls, after flooding in on planes, buses and trains for the annual rites.

SpiceJet launches Hajj operations with special flights from five cities

SpiceJet will operate these special flights to Jeddah between 7th June and 22nd June, 2023. Return flights from Medina are also scheduled from 17th July to 2nd August, 2023.

Resumption of Haj brings joy and sorrow for Indonesians

Two years of coronavirus, a lower quota of pilgrims from Indonesia and an age limit of 65 have ruled out Haj for many Indonesians, leaving them disappointed

Saudi Arabia welcomes one million for biggest hajj pilgrimage since pandemic

One million people, including 850,000 from abroad, are allowed at this year's hajj after two years of drastically curtailed numbers due to the pandemic. The pilgrimage is one of five pillars of Islam, which all able-bodied Muslims with the means are required to perform at least once.

Egypt family keeps alive tradition behind Haj centrepiece

A ceremonial hanging of the kiswa, huge pieces of black silk embroidered with gold patterns, over the cubic structure that is the centrepiece of the Grand Mosque symbolises the launch of the annual Haj pilgrimage, which starts this week

Very different, symbolic hajj in Saudi Arabia amid virus

The hajj is one of Islam's most important and profound requirements, performed once in a lifetime. It follows a route the Prophet Muhammad walked nearly 1,400 years ago and is believed to ultimately trace the footsteps of the prophets Ibrahim and Ismail, or Abraham and Ishmael as they are named in the Bible.

Pilgrims arrive in Mecca for downsized hajj amid coronavirus pandemic

The hajj, which begins on Wednesday, normally draws around 2.5 million people for five intense days of worship in one of the world's largest gatherings of people from around the world.

Saudi Arabia to hold 'very limited' hajj due to coronavirus pandemic

The Saudi government did not specify how many people would be permitted to take part in the hajj pilgrimage.

Saudi Arabia suspends entry for pilgrims over coronavirus

The government is "suspending entry to the Kingdom for the purpose of Umrah and visiting the Prophet's Mosque temporarily", the foreign ministry said in a statement, referring to the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca that can be undertaken at any time of year.

Hard work, commitment of diaspora helped to strenghten India-Saudi bilateral ties: PM Modi

"Nearly 2.6 million Indians have made Saudi Arabia their second home, contributing to its growth and development. Many Indians also visit the Kingdom every year for the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimage, and for business purposes," the prime minister said in an interview published in the Arab News newspaper on Tuesday.