Official Hajj activities begin on Wednesday, the 8th day of Dhul-Hijjah.  On this day, the millions of pilgrims who have gathered in the city of Makkah (Mecca) travel to the nearby village of Mina for a day of prayer and preparation.

What's Coming Next:

• Thursday: Hajj Day 2 (Day of Arafat)
• Friday: Hajj Day 3 (Eid Al-Adha)

Despite extensive precautions, Al-Jazeera reports that a few dozen cases of H1N1 have been seen among Hajj pilgrims.  And now, four pilgrims have died of complications from the virus.  The Hajj officially begins in a few days, but millions of pilgrims have been arriving in Makkah (Mecca) during the past weeks.  The four deaths come just days before the climax of the pilgrimage, the Day of Arafat, which will fall on Thursday.

Saudi officials have responded by reiterating their advice about H1N1 vaccination and hygiene.  The four pilgrims who died had not been vaccinated against the virus, and also unfortunately did not heed previous Saudi government instructions for certain groups of people to refrain from Hajj.  One was a minor child, and three were over the age of 75 -- both high-risk groups who had been advised to avoid Hajj this year.

The government of Saudi Arabia has announced that today, Wednesday, 18 November 2009, is the first day of Dhul-Hijjah (the month of Hajj).  The announcement came after several people witnessed the new crescent moon, marking the new month, on Tuesday evening.

Therefore, the Day of Arafat during this year's Hajj will be on November 26th, and Eid Al-Adha will be the following day, on November 27th.

May those who are traveling for Hajj have a safe and pleasant journey for the sake of Allah.  Labayk Allahumma Labayk!

In the debate over the theory of evolution and creationism, Muslims generally fall in the middle.  According to the Qur'an, the universe was created in six stages (eons), beginning with a "big bang."  Muslims also accept that life first developed in water, and later in stages, over a period of time.  Muslims naturally attribute this natural order to a plan put in place by the Creator.  Most find this belief to be compatible with scientific theories on evolution.

Most Muslims also believe, however, that human beings are a unique life form that did not follow the path of evolution from apes.  Islam teaches that human life was created "from a single pair of a male and a female."