hajj

noun \ ˈhaj \

variants: or less commonly hadj

|Updated on: 19 Jul 2018

Definition of hajj

: the pilgrimage to Mecca prescribed as a religious duty for Muslims

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Recent Examples of hajj from the Web

Kirakosyan says the second main character, Haji Ayvaz, has a more modest reputation and has been on a hajj to Mecca.

— allison keyes, Smithsonian, "Illuminating the Shadowy Art of Armenian Puppet Theater," 13 July 2018
Still, immigration lines for hajj can still take up to 12 hours.

— katherine lagrave, Condé Nast Traveler, "The Beauty—and Business—of the Hajj," 29 Mar. 2018
Scott is joined by Siraj Datoo, a Bloomberg editor in London, to discuss his recent hajj experience and the economics of the pilgrimage, as well as Donna Abu-Nasr, a Bloomberg reporter who covers the Middle Eastern economy.

— Bloomberg.com, "Forget Oil. Religion Is Big Business in Saudi Arabia," 4 Oct. 2017
Fasting during Ramadan is one of the five obligatory pillars of Islam, along with the Muslim declaration of faith, daily prayer, annual charity and performing the hajj pilgrimage in Mecca.

— Washington Post, "Muslim fasting month of Ramadan to start Thursday," 15 May 2018
The border crossing at Arar was reopened this month for trade and travelers, just in time for Iraqis to make the annual hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, now under way.

— margherita stancati, WSJ, "Saudis Open Iraqi Border and Forge Ties to Counter Iran," 23 Aug. 2017
Before his hajj, the African and the Muslim worlds had heard little about the emperor who was uniting many parts of modern-day Mauritania and Mali (Melle), and the tale was unknown to most of Europe.

— michael harriot, The Root, "When Wakanda Was Real," 6 Feb. 2018
Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims perform the tawwaf on any given day during the hajj.

— mona eltahawy, chicagotribune.com, "#MosqueMeToo: What happened when I was sexually assaulted during the hajj," 19 Feb. 2018
Those meetings came as Riydah allowed Qataris pilgrims over the border in August for hajj, a pilgrimage required of every able-bodied Muslim once in their lives.

— jon gambrell, The Seattle Times, "Qatar exile says he’s held by UAE; Abu Dhabi denies claim," 14 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hajj.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.