The fifth and last Pillar of Islam is the Hajj. It is explicitly stated in the Holy Qur’an that every physically and financially able Muslim should make the Hajj to the Holy City of Makkah once in his or her lifetime. The Hajj is considered the culmination of each Muslim’s religious duties and aspiration. Muslims from all over the world seek to make the Hajj to the Holy City of Makkah, which occurs between the eighth and thirteenth days of the last month of the Islamic calendar – Dhu’l-Hijjah – of each year. Muslims travel thousands of miles to reach the Holy City of Makkah for the Hajj and perform the rituals in the same manner as the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) almost fourteen centuries ago. According to the Department of General Statistics at the Planning Ministry, the number of pilgrims for 2004 (1424 AH) amounted to 2,164,469. There were 1,534,759 pilgrims from outside the Kingdom, while 629,710 were from inside the Kingdom.