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As the sun rose over Mecca yesterday, pilgrims dressed in customary white robes began their five-day journey, the hajj pilgrimage. The Hajj is a central pillar of Islam, and a once-in-a-lifetime duty for all Muslims to perform if they can physically manage it and financially afford it. It normally attracts around 2-3 million pilgrims from around the world but Covid restrictions mean that, for the second year running, no foreign pilgrims will attend. Only 60,000 fully vaccinated Saudi citizens and residents will be allowed. And this year, for the first time, the country will officially permit women to perform the hajj without the need for a male guardian. For many women, this will seem like freedom day. During the Hajj Muslims are following in the footsteps of the prophets Abraham and Ishmael through the Arabian desert. Tomorrow culminates in the Eid of sacrifice or Eid al-Adha. The rites and rituals of the pilgrimage can be difficult but remain an aspiration for the faithful. Once riding the camel or walking were the main ways of making an often perilous journey. Today most pilgrims fly and technology allows live images to be made available to everyone – we’ve gone, as one writer said, “from the camel to snapchat”. But while much has changed and become easier over the centuries, the essence of hajj lies in prayer for forgiveness and a sense of sacrifice. The sacrifices we make for God and for one another, the forgiveness which we seek from God and also from one another. Sacrifice isn’t only an aspect of religious ritual, it’s a part of life. Covid-19 has been a brutal reminder of human vulnerability but it’s also taught us human strength. Today in the UK, is so called “Freedom Day”, when most remaining Covid restrictions will be lifted. While there’s relief for many businesses, many people feel a growing anxiety as Covid case numbers rise. In this confusing time, I think that we should hold onto the spirit of small sacrifices that we’ve been making over the last year and a half. Doing what we can for the well-being of others is an act of generosity; the need to keep ourselves and others, especially the weak, safe, makes us rethink our own wants and desires. Because for me, at the heart of observance and sacrifice, it isn’t what we do for God that matters as much as what we can do for one another.