Pakistan’s President Arif Alvi landed in Jeddah on Sunday to perform the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca which is one of the five pillars of Islam. The president, who was wearing the white ihram garment, welcomed at the King Abdulaziz International Airport by Prince Badr bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, the deputy governor of the Makkah region.
Alvi will join more than 2 million Muslims from around the world who will converge on Mecca, the holiest city in Islam, to perform the rituals of Hajj, which start on Monday and end on Saturday. The Hajj is a spiritual journey that commemorates the faith of Ibrahim (Abraham) and his son Ismail (Ishmael), who built the Kaaba, the cube-shaped structure that Muslims face when they pray. The Hajj also follows the footsteps of Prophet Muhammad, who performed the Hajj in the 7th century.
The Hajj is a duty for every able-bodied and financially capable Muslim to perform at least once in their lifetime. It is a source of forgiveness, mercy, and blessings from Allah. The Quran says: “And complete the Hajj and Umrah for Allah.” (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:196)
