Hajj
The fifth pillar of Islam is Hajj, which translates to mean ‘the pilgrimage to the Holy city
of Makkah’ The Arabic word Hajj, linguistically, means ‘heading to a place for the sake of
visiting’; in Islamic terminology, it describes the act of heading to Makkah to observe specific
acts and rituals. Hajj, or the pilgrimage, is a 5-6-day journey to this sacred place
between the 8th and 13th day of the last month of the Islamic lunar calendar, Dhul-Hijjah.
The Hajj journey is obligatory for every Muslim, male or female, to complete at least once
in a lifetime; providing that they are mentally, physically and financially capable of making
the trip. God states:
"...And [due] to Allah from the people is a pilgrimage to the House - for whoever is
able to find thereto a way... (Quran 3:97)
The Hajj includes detailed re-enactments of certain symbolic rituals performed by great
Prophets and righteous individuals in the past. The Hajj Pilgrimage and its symbolic
rituals commemorate the legacy of Prophet Abraham, so one needs to learn about Prophet
Abraham to understand the reasoning behind certain acts performed as a part of Hajj.
Integral to Hajj is the Ka’bah, a holy shrine: a black silk-clad cube stone structure at
the heart of the Grand Mosque in the modern-day city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The Kaaba is
at the center of the Earth, built by Prophet Abraham and his son Ismael. Upon completion,
God the Almighty Commanded Prophet Abraham to relay the message amongst the people that
they would be required to make a pilgrimage to this house. Prophet Abraham then replied,
‘O Allah with no one here, how will they hear my message?’ God then replied, ‘Upon
you is the proclamation, and upon me, is to see who responds.’ Prophet Abraham went
on top of the Ka’bah and also climbed Mount Safa and called out, “O People, Allah has
built a house for himself on this Earth, and he has legislated upon you that you go and
perform pilgrimage, so come and perform pilgrim to this house!’
"And proclaim to the people the Hajj [pilgrimage]; they will come to you on foot and on every
lean camel; they will come from every distant pass" (Quran 22:27)
By performing Hajj, Muslims are answering the command of Allah. More than 4000 years
later, to this very day, millions upon millions of Muslims continue to answer the call of
Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) from every corner of the globe. You will find Muslims
from Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia, and all over the world making this pilgrimage
every year. It is the largest annual convention of faith on Earth, where Muslims gather to
commemorate the rituals observed by Prophet Abraham and his son, Ishmael. Muslims celebrate
the legacy of Prophet Ibrahim and the many sacrifices he has made for the sake of God.
When Muslims enter the scared Makkan territory during Hajj, they bathe themselves and enter
into a ritually purified state called a’hram. In this state, pilgrims are forbidden to perform
normal actions that are otherwise permissible, such as covering one’s head for males, clipping
their fingernails, cutting their hair, hunting animals, picking plants, shedding blood, engaging
in sexual activity, and wearing normal clothing for men. Male Pilgrims wear two white seamless
lyon sheets with no stitching by hand, that are wrapped around the body. No belts, no
rings, no perfumes, no jewelry, or any type of accessories or garish clothing, may be
worn. The simple garb worn represents complete impoverishment and humility and signifies
the equality of humanity--as everyone comes before God the same. No one is better than
the other among the pilgrims of hajj. Muslims are all united in their devotion to God. Every
human being is displayed equally, as we are all equal in the eyes of Allah regardless
of our color or race. The black man stands next to the white man and they call on Allah
with one voice. The king stands beside a peasant, the businessman stands beside the politician,
the doctor beside the engineer, and they declare their submission to the will of Allah using
the same words. Several Millions of people are dressed the same way and look the same,
no one can tell the rich from the poor; all fulfill the same rituals with the utmost humility.
This is to remind pilgrims of the coming Day of Judgment when all people will be stripped
of their clothes and displayed before their God. The pilgrims display a sense of poverty
with their appearance, as the pilgrims acknowledge that they are the ones in need, and God is
the one that owns and has everything they require.
Pilgrims start to perform their tawaf from the black stone corner. Tawaf is the act
of circulating the Ka’ba counterclockwise. Pilgrims circumambulate the Ka’ba seven
times while they recite prayers during each circuit. Pilgrims perform the tawaf (circumambulation)
to follow the suit of the Prophet (peace be upon him) as has been ordained in the Qur’an.
Certain Scholars state that the circumambulation of the Kaaba symbolizes the Oneness of God
and the fact that all human actions must claim God at their center. As Pilgrims circulate
the Ka’ba, they disconnect themselves from worldly attachments and focus upon the presence
of the Divine. As Pilgrims circumambulate the Ka’bah, they chant: 'Here I am, O Allah,
Here I am, you have no partner, Indeed, all praise, favor, and dominion belong to you,
you have no partner.’ Since Prophet Abraham and his wife Sara were
not able to bear any children, Sara asked her husband to marry their servant so they
could beget a child before they were too old to raise the offspring. Later, Prophet Abraham
was commanded by God to take both his second wife Hagar and their son Ismael and leave
them in a barren desert valley in modern-day Mecca. As soon as Abraham started to leave,
Hagar cried out, ‘Where are you going? Why are you leaving us?’ Abraham did not respond.
After a few more attempts to find answers, Hagar then asked if this action was a commandment
from God. He responded, ‘Yes.’ Then she replied, if God commanded you to leave us,
then leave us, because God never will leave us to perish. She was certain that God would
not abandon her and her child, despite their presence at the center of a desert Valley.
He left them with little water and some dates.
Later, Hagar ran out of food and water and started to worry for her child. She then fell
into a state of anxiety and climbed a hillock called ‘Mount Safa,’ crying out, “Is
anyone there?” Then she ran to another hillock--Mount Marwa—again crying out, “Is anyone there?”
Then she commenced pacing back and forth to each mountain, seven times.
On the seventh round, Hajar saw Angel Gabriel descend from the sky and strike the ground
with his wing, causing water to gush upward from the ground. Angel Gabriel declared, “Zam,
Zam,” meaning “Stop, stop,” commanding the water to stop. This water is now referred
to as Zam Zam Water. This well to this today nourishes pilgrims of Mecca every day. Hagar
and her child, for their part, were rescued by passersby. Years later, when Ismael was
growing to become a man, his father Prophet Abraham returned and built with him the house
in Mecca, called the Ka’bah. In commemoration of this great sacrifice from
Hagar, Muslim pilgrims in Hajj progress in a quicker pace going back and forth between
the two hillocks (which are 300-400 yards apart) seven times, reenacting Hagar’s movements
when attempting to find aid. This action is symbolic of Hagar's search for water and the
miracle of the well of Zam Zam.
Then the pilgrims depart Mecca toward the valley of Minna, which is about 3-4 miles
outside of Makkah. During Hajj season, Minna is full of more than 100,000 air-conditioned
tents that cover every open space as far as the eye can see, row after row, where pilgrims
stay overnight. The tents accommodate roughly 2-3 million people performing Hajj. Pilgrims
spend their time in prayer, worship, and meditation, asking for forgiveness on the night known
as Layali Al-Tashreeq.
After spending the night at the village of Mina, pilgrims take the next step and proceed
to a huge plain about 7-8 miles from Mecca called Arafat, a huge plain surrounded by
bare mountains. Forming the center is a hill known as Mount Mercy (Gabal Al-Rahma), where
Prophet Muhammad delivered his memorable Farewell Sermon. This is the central rite of the entire
Hajj. Pilgrims stand from noon to sunset praying quietly before God, begging for mercy and
forgiveness and asking their wishes. Many pilgrims shed tears as they ask the Al-Mighty
to forgive them their sins in this very emotional day of standing. The process of standing,
reflecting, taking account of their actions, and begging and pleading to God is often thought
of as a preview and representation of the great assembly of the upcoming Day of Judgment.
It is to remind people of the inevitable day where everyone will stand before their Lord
begging for mercy.
Then pilgrims spend the night at Muzdalifah, an open plain about halfway between Arafat
and Mina where pilgrims pray, then go back to Mina.
At the age of 95, Prophet Abraham saw himself slaughtering his son in a dream; interpreting
the vision to mean that he needed to slaughter his son for the sake of God. He was to lay
his son on to the sand and raise a knife to sacrifice him. Of course, Islam doesn’t
allow this act; the dream was only a way for God to test Prophet Abraham. But Prophet Abraham
didn’t know that this was only a test to see who he loved and was devoted to the most;
his Lord or his son. Ismael was his only progeny at the time. His son looked at his father
and said, if God commanded you to do this, do as you were commanded as I too am submissive
to God. As Abraham raised his sword, Satan appeared in front of him and stated, ‘that’s
your only son, what are you doing? How can you kill him?’ Prophet Abraham, recognizing
Satan the cursed, started to pelt him with seven stones until he went away. After that,
Abraham moved to another place, where Satan once again returned and was pelted again by
Prophet Abraham; then again, the action was repeated in another place. Satan always tries
to separate people from their Lord. Eventually, when Abraham was poised to kill his own son,
his son was replaced with a Ram sent by God. Prophet Abraham immediately realized that
this was only a test from the Almighty.
At Minna, pilgrims participate in a ritual known as the ramy, which is the throwing
of seven stones at three monuments called the Jamarāt. Until today, millions of Muslims
pass by three monuments and throw pebbles as a ritual, which symbolizes the reenactment
of the actions of Prophet Ibrahim when he was faced with the trial of sacrificing his
son. The three monuments or pillars in Mina represent the three places that the Devil
tempted Prophet Abraham to forego the sacrifice. The throwing of the pebbles is purely symbolic.
To this day, at the end of Hajj, Muslims annually sacrifice sheep, cows, camels, and goats in
the millions; commemorating the spirit of Abraham, his intention, his sincerity, and
his passion. The meat from the sacrifice is then given to charity.
During Hajj, Muslims also kiss a black stone, symbolizing their apperception of being invited
to the house of the King of all Kings-- our Lord, our Creator. Muslims also kiss the black
stone in tradition of Prophet Muhammad. If they cannot kiss it, they can touch it or
point in its direction. This stone was sent down from Heaven for Abraham, to be
used for the construction of the sacred house. Buildings in ancient times often had cornerstones,
and Prophet Abraham wanted a cornerstone for this house. Narrations describe the stone
as being whiter than milk in origin, darkening slowly from the sins of humans until it morphed
into a black stone. The black stone is the starting-point for tawaf-- the circling of
the Ka’bah. Hajj is completed by the act of Men either
shaving their heads or clipping their hair, and women cutting off a fingertip’s length
of their hair, to mark their partial deconsecration; a symbol of humility.
Apart from Hajj, a ‘minor pilgrimage’ known as Umrah is performed in the remainder
of the year. The completion of Umrah does not fulfill the obligation of Hajj. Umrah
is much shorter in length, lasting a few hours which entail the seven circumambulations of
the Kabaa and the light jogging between Mount Safa and Mount Mara.
This spiritual journey known as Hajj boasts many benefits, including a powerful positive
transformation that makes pilgrims more spiritual, righteous, softer, and better human beings
overall. Pilgrims who embark on the journey of Hajj faithfully and sincerely are cleansed
of all their previous sins, leaving them with a fresh start.
Upon completion of Hajj, Muslims celebrate one of two Muslim Holidays called Eid Al-Adha.
Muslims celebrate by praying to God and visiting family and friends to thank and praise God
for all the blessings He has bestowed upon them.