Haj Calendar

The Haj is performed in the following manner:

      On the 7th Zul Hijjah it is important to listen to the Duhr prayer Khutba at the Haram

Sharief.

      On the 8th of Zul Hijjah, pilgrims would get into the state of Ihraam after following the

 prescribed procedures and then will be transported to Mina.  Here they pray  Duhur, Asar,

 Maghrib and Isha prayers and stay there for the night.  This is the Sunnah of the Prophet

 (pbuh).

      On the 9th of Zul Hijjah,  pilgrims  leave Mina for Arafat after the Fajr prayer.  At

Arafat, they say their Duhur and Asar prayers. Being in the state of Ihraam and praying on

the plains of Arafat during the day and evening is the climax of the Haj.  After Maghrib,

pilgrims have to move to Muzdalifa which is between Arafat and Mina.  At Muzdalifa,

pilgrims have to camp for the night and no matter how late they reach Muzdalifa, they have

to say their Maghrib and Isha prayers together.  They also pick up small pebbles for stoning

the Jamarat (Satan) at Mina on the following day.

      On the 10th of Zul Hijjah after Fajr prayer pilgrims move from Muzdalifa to Mina.  Here

they perform the Rami (stoning) on the big Jamarat only, and subsequently do their Haj

sacrifice (Adahi), have their haircut (Qasr) or head shaved (Halq).  They can now get out of

the state of Ihraam.

      On the 10th of Zul Hijjah or on the following two days, pilgrims have to perform the

Tawaaf-e-Ifada (Tawaaf-e-Ziyarah) and Sa’ye at Makkah. This can be done in normal

clothes.

      On the 11th of Zul Hijjah and on 12th  of Zul Hijjah, pilgrims stone all the three Jamarats

starting from  the small to the middle to the big. On 12^th Zul Hijjah, normally pilgrims depart

from Mina before Maghrib time for Makkah. Very few pilgrims stay on till the 13th of Zul

Hijjah when they stone the three Jamarats again and depart from Mina.