The pilgrims then enter Haram, chanting the talbiyyah as ordered by the prophet Mohammed:
"Jibreel came to me and ordered me to order my companions and those with me to raise their voices with talbiyyah (Abu Dawud).”
The talbiyyah is a chant that is translated as “Here I am at Thy service O Lord, here I am. Here I am at Thy service and Thou hast no partners. Thine alone is All Praise and All Bounty, and Thine alone is The Sovereignty. Thou hast no partners."
The Muslims will continue their travels to Mecca where they perform their first Tawaf, which is a seven time circumambulation of the Ka’aba in the Great Mosque. On each circumambulation, they are ideally required to kiss the black stone on the east corner of the Ka’aba but due to the impossibility of this task because of so many people attempting to do the same, it is acceptable to point to and acknowledge the black stone. It is only compulsory to perform three circumambulations but almost all pilgrims will perform all seven. After the first tawaf, each pilgrim is required to offer two rakaat prayers somewhere in the Great Mosque, ideally in the Place of Abraham.
Later on in the day, the pilgrims perform Sa’y or the ‘running’ between the hills of Mt Safa and Mt Marwah. This used to be in the open air, but is now performed entirely underground in air conditioned tunnels, and there is only a short section of the track where the pilgrims are permitted to run, because of health and safety reasons. There is also an extra lane for the disabled. As part of this particular ritual, the pilgrims then drink from the ZamZam well, which is available in coolers throughout the Great Mosque.
The pilgrims then travel to Mina, usually by foot, where they spend the night in prayer and meditation, in a city of temporary tents set up by the Saudi Arabian government.
The following day they will travel to the plain of Arafat and Mt of Mercy and spend the day, and most specifically the afternoon, praying. There is no specific programme of events or sermon held on this day, but it is required for every pilgrim to spend at least the afternoon praying, meditating, and considering the rest of their life path, else the pilgrims Hajj is considered invalid. At noon however all pilgrims will recite their Salats and perform Wuquf (the standing ceremony). That night, most pilgrims will spend the night sleeping in their tents at Muzadalifah.
As the sun sets, the pilgrims make their way from Arafat to Muzdalifah, between Mina and Arafat where they will gather stones for the next day’s ritual of Ramy al-Jamarat, and for sunset and evening salats, known as ‘the flight’. Ramy al-Jamarat involves throwing the previously collected pebbles at three stone pillars, throwing a total of 7 pebbles in all. However due to the large crowds, the pillars have had to be replaced with long walls, and baskets to catch the pebbles. Ramy al-Jamarat literally means ‘stoning of the devil’. The first throwing is aimed at the largest pillar, known as Jamrat'al'Aqabah. They then focus their aims on the second and third pillars. To enable all pilgrims an opportunity to aim for the Jamrat, several different heighted levels have been built, known as the Jumarat Bridge. This ritual is known generally as ‘Jamrah’.
The pilgrims then partake in the festival of Id-ul-Adha, a festival that takes place all over the world, but is focused as part of Hajj. The festival consists of animal sacrifice for each pilgrim. Traditionally, the pilgrim should sacrifice the animal themselves, but due to logistical problems of supplying enough animals, and other modern day issues, this is no longer always the case. Instead, every pilgrim can buy a voucher that ensures that an animal will be sacrificed on their behalf on the 10th of Dhul-Hijja without the pilgrim having to be present. This also happens for other Muslims celebrating the festival but not taking part in Hajj, especially in western countries such as the UK where there are strict slaughter laws, meaning the slaughter must take part in a licensed abattoir and so specific Islam abattoirs have been set up. Traditionally, goats, sheep camels and cows are sacrificed, but any animal can be sacrificed if these are unavailable. Butcher houses, will slaughter one sheep or goat per person, or a camel or cow can be enough sacrifice for up to 7 people. On Hajj, the meat is then packaged and sent to the poor, but other Muslims celebrating the festival worldwide are only required to donate a third of the meat to the poor, although many people will donate more.
Finally, the pilgrims must leave Mina before sunset on the 12th and travel to Mecca, for the Tawaf al-Wada, or the ‘farewell’ tawaf. It consists of the same routine as the first tawaf that was performed on the 8th Dhul-Hijja.
On the 13th of Dhul-Hijja, the pilgrims have finished the required events of Hajj and go their own ways. Many will travel to Medina to visit the Mosque of the Prophet, which is home to the tomb of Mohammed and his daughter Fatimah. Others may travel elsewhere around Mecca for sightseeing and pleasure, while others may just go home.
