110 Cities

This year the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia is scheduled to begin at sundown on June 26 and end at sundown June 28, 2023. The most significant parts of the pilgrimage take place during the first three days. This prayer guide focuses on the first three days of Hajj.
In Luke 7, Jesus says to a sinful woman, “Your sins are forgiven…Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” Because Jesus is God, he has all the authority and power to forgive all of our sins through his atoning sacrifice on the cross and His glorious resurrection, for those who receive Him by faith. Praise His holy name for His mercy! However, the nearly 2 billion Muslims in the world today reject God’s mercy by rejecting Jesus as Savior. Instead, Muslims go on the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia in order to receive forgiveness of sins from Allah.
Consider this one Hadith (the sayings of Muhammad): It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: I heard the Prophet say: “Whoever performs Hajj for the sake of Allah and does not u�er any obscene speech or do any evil deed, will go back (free of sin) as his mother bore him.” (Al-Bukhaari, 1449; Muslim, 1350)
Therefore, the Hajj is the pinnacle of life for Muslims. They seek not only the forgiveness of sins but also to deepen their allegiance to Allah.
Since the Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam, all Muslims are commanded to perform the Hajj at least once in their lifetime if they are able. The Hajj begins on the 8th day of the 12th month of Dhul Hijjah in the Islamic calendar. Normally around 2.5 million Muslims from all over the world flock to Mecca for Hajj to perform sacred acts and follow the steps of Muhammad, their prophet. Due to Covid-19, this year Saudi will only allow 1 million, fully vaccinated and no older than 65 years old Muslims, from inside and outside the country to perform the Hajj.

This is a call for Christians to pray for Muslims as they go on the Hajj.

Everything that Islam forbids comes with a warning of punishment in this life and certainly in the hereafter. Likewise, everything it proscribes comes with a promise of personal reward. Sometimes that reward is a blessing or sign of God’s favor, but the most sought-after reward for many Muslims is the remission of their own sins. Therefore, many men and women make the pilgrimage not just once (as is required of all Muslims who are able), but again and again over the course of their lives.

Pray that the increasingly commercialization of the Hajj will lead to disillusionment among Muslims.

Pray that they will be fed up with empty rituals, dead works, and hypocrisy.
Pray that they will come to know that salvation from their sins is only found in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Purification [Ihram]

Many people will visit the
Grand Mosque

They will stay in a tent city

Hajj Prayer – Day 1 – June 14, 2024

Sacred Act 1: Ihram (cleaning, preparation day)
Pilgrims must enter into the state of Ihram (purity) which involves ritual washing and then wearing white, plain garments. These garments indicate that all pilgrims are equal. Following this cleansing, pilgrims are officially on the Hajj. As they cross the pilgrimage boundary, the men will shout the Talbiyah, a Muslim prayer: “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.”

During this day of cleansing, pilgrims visit the the Grand Mosque in which the Ka’aba is located. The Ka’aba is a black building in the center of the Mosque that is considered to be the Bayt Allah (“House of God”), the most sacred site in Islam. It is equivalent to the Holy of Holies in the Jewish Tabernacle and Temple. After leaving the Grand Mosque, many pilgrims will walk to the tent city of Mina to spend the night.

Key Scriptures to Pray
But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! Hebrews 9:11-14
Going before the Father

• Pray Muslims would know that only the Lord Jesus Christ provides the “purification for sins” that they desire. Pray for their spiritual journey to include dreams and visions of Jesus.
• As Muslims walk into the Grand Mosque and see the Ka’aba, they feel like they are entering the most holy place on earth. Hebrews 9:11-14 says the Lord Jesus entered the “Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption”. Pray that pilgrims would know that only in Jesus can they have an unblemished conscience and eternal redemption.