Malaysian children in practice run for Muslim hajj

Thousands of Malaysian children took part in a practice run Thursday of the Muslim hajj pilgrimage, marching around a model of the holy Kaaba, Islam’s most sacred site. Dressed in white robes, the youngsters circled the black cuboid in the compound of a convention centre just outside Kuala Lumpur. The Kaaba sits inside the Grand […]

Thousands of Malaysian children took part in a practice run Thursday of the Muslim hajj pilgrimage, marching around a model of the holy Kaaba, Islam’s most sacred site.

Dressed in white robes, the youngsters circled the black cuboid in the compound of a convention centre just outside Kuala Lumpur.

The Kaaba sits inside the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and Muslims around the world turn towards it to pray. Part of the hajj involves walking around the Kaaba.

“We are learning how to do the hajj,” six-year-old Aqra Izz told AFP, as nearly 6,000 boys and girls took a break after marching. “I want to do this when I get older… like my mother and father.”

The hajj pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of Islam. Muslims must perform the hajj at least once in their lives, if able, and it marks the spiritual peak of their lives.

Millions from around the world travel to Saudi Arabia annually for the pilgrimage.

Thursday’s event was called the “Little Hajj”.

Guided by female teachers, the children also took part in a practice of a ritual known as “The Stoning of the Devil”, picking up mock stones before throwing them at makeshift pillars.

Organisers said the gathering was aimed at helping Islamic kindergarten students get a better understanding of performing the hajj. AFP