The formal rituals of the holy Hajj will begin on Monday as pilgrims start staying in Mina from the morning in line with the religious obligations of Hajj.

Following the directives of the Saudi government to ensure smooth and safe movement of pilgrims to Mina, the pilgrims started heading towards Mina Sunday night.

The Bangladesh Hajj Office in Makkah and the concerned Hajj agencies have already completed all preparations for transporting Bangladeshi pilgrims to Mina.

According to Shariah, pilgrims will stay in Mina on Zilhaj 08 and offer five daily prayers from fajr to isha there.

After spending the night in Mina, the pilgrims will proceed to Arafat on Tuesday. This year, the Hajj sermon will be delivered by the chief Imam and Khatib of Al-Masjid an-Nabawi Sheikh Ali bin Abdul Rahman Al-Hudhaifi.

After the sermon, pilgrims will offer zuhr and asr prayers together and remain in Arafat until sunset. According to Shariah, staying in Arafat is the principal rite of Hajj.

After sunset on Tuesday, the pilgrims will leave for Muzdalifah, where they will offer maghrib and isha prayers and spend the night under the open sky.

Before sunrise on Wednesday, pilgrims will return to Mina from Muzdalifah and perform symbolic stoning by throwing pebbles at the largest Jamarah.

They will then offer sacrificial animals seeking the pleasure of Almighty Allah and shave their heads or trim their hair.

After completing the remaining Hajj rituals on Zilhaj 11 and 12, the pilgrims will leave Mina before sunset on Zilhaj 12.

Around 1.6 to 1.8 million Muslims from different countries will perform Hajj this year. Around 78,500 pilgrims from Bangladesh are performing Hajj in the current season.