Pilgrims start flocking to Mina on Day of Tarwiyah, but what does Tarwiyah mean?

Hajj pilgrims

Hajj pilgrims start flocking to the holy site of Mina on the day of Tarwiyah in pursuit of the Prophetic Sunnah, but what does the name connote?

The day of Tarwiyah is the 8th day of the month of Dhu Al-Hijjah, which marks the beginning of the annual pilgrimage of Hajj.

The name Day of Tarwiyah means the day of fetching water and quenching thirst, but opinions differ on why the day received its name.

Some say the day got its name due to the difficulty of accessing water in the past. Pilgrims gathered in Mina in preparation for their arduous journey to the holy site of Arafat on the 9th day of Dhu Al-Hijjah. They spent the day in Mina, which is 7 kilometers northeast of the Grand Mosque in Makkah, drinking and collecting water to carry with them to Arafat.

Another opinion for calling the Day of Tarwiyah by the name relates to the dream the Prophet Ibrahim, peace be upon him, saw about slaughtering his son Ismail, peace be upon him. In Arabic, the word "tarawwie" means to think deeply, consider carefully and contemplate slowly before reaching a decision. When the Prophet Ibrahim had his dream, he contemplated deeply and carefully considered his options before reaching the decision to sacrifice his son, in complete obedience to the command of Allah. This took place in Mina on the 8th of Dhu Al-Hijjah and therefore the day became known as the Day of Tarwiyah.

As for the pilgrims’ journey on the 8th day of Dhu Al-Hajj, it begins in the morning by ascending from Makkah to Mina. The pilgrims perform the Dhuhr, Asr and Isha prayers in Mina at their designated times but in shortened form. The Maghrib prayer, which cannot be shortened, is performed as usual.

The pilgrims spend the night in tents. After performing the Fajr prayer, they start leaving Mina and head to Arafat for the standing, which marks the peak of the annual pilgrimage.

The holy site of ??Mina, which is squeezed between mountains on the north and south, is 16.8 km2 in area and it is located between Makkah and Muzdalifah. The place is inhabited only during the Hajj.

Despite the huge numbers of pilgrims heading to holy sites in vehicles and on foot, thousands of officers from various security wings follow up and organize their movement through the roads, tunnels and bridges that are constantly being developed by the Saudi government over the years.