Assam | First Batch of Hajj Pilgrims Board Flight for Saudi Arabia

Guwahati, July 4, 2019:

The first batch of 150 Hajj pilgrims from Assam for this year have boarded their flights for Mecca in Saudi Arabia today to undertake the annual Islamic pilgrimage.

The batch was flagged off by Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) MLA Ramendra Narayan Kalita from the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International (LGBI) Airport located in Guwahati city of Assam.

As per reports, around 150 pilgrims will head for Mecca from the LGBI airport till July 18.

It is to be mentioned that from the North Eastern states of India, a total of 3,594 people have booked their flight tickets this year. Among these, 3,515 are from Assam, 55 from Meghalaya, 22 from Nagaland, and 4 from Arunachal Pradesh. A total of 2,432 are male, whereas 1,162 are female.

Last year, a total of 2,371,675 Hajj Pilgrims had visited Mecca.

The Hajj is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims, and a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by all adult Muslims who are physically and financially capable of undertaking the journey, and can support their family during their absence.

The literal meaning of the word Hajj is heading to a place for the sake of visiting. In Islamic terminology, Hajj is a pilgrimage made to Kaaba, the “House of God”, in the sacred city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

The rites of Hajj, which according to Islam go back to the time of Prophet Abraham who re-built Kaaba after it had been first built by Prophet Adam, are performed over five or six days, beginning on the eighth and ending on the thirteenth day of Dhu al-Hijjah, the last month of the Islamic calendar.

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