Hajj – Significant Practice in Islam

HAJJ – Significant Practice in Islam

Objectives
 Briefly describe the rituals of Hajj
 Describe the meaning of Pilgrimage and its aspects of worship
 Demonstrate how this practice expresses the beliefs of Islam
 Analyse the significance of this practice for both the individual and the Muslim
community

The Quran and Hadith on Hajj

ِ ‫اس ِحجُّ ْالبَ ْي‬

ً‫ت َم ِن ا ْستَطَا َع إِلَ ْي ِه َسبِيل‬ ِ َّ‫َّمقَا ُم إِ ْب َرا ِهي َم َو َمن َد َخلَهُ َكانَ آ ِمنًا َو ِ هلِلِ َعلَى الن‬

“[It is] the place whereon Abraham once stood; and whoever enters it finds inner peace. Hence,
pilgrimage unto the Temple is a duty owed to God by all people who are able to undertake it.”

(Qur’an 3:97)

ْ َ ‫اس بِ ْال َح ِّج يَأْتُو‬

ٍ ‫ضا ِم ٍر يَأتِينَ ِمن ُك ِّل فَ ٍّج َع ِمي‬
‫ق‬ َ ‫ك ِر َج ًاًل َو َعلَى ُك ِّل‬ ِ َّ‫َوأَ ِّذن فِي الن‬

"And proclaim to mankind Al-Hajj (Pilgrimage).

They will come to you on foot and on every lean camel, they will come from every deep valley and
distant place to perform Hajj”

(Qur’an 22:27)

‫ّللاَ ِعن َد ْال َم ْش َع ِر الْ َح َر ِام َو ْاذ ُكرُوه ُ َك َما هَدَا ُك ْم َوإِن ُكنتُم ِّمن‬ ْ ‫ت فَ ْاذ ُكر‬
‫ُوا ه‬ ٍ ‫وا فَضْ لً ِّمن َّربِّ ُك ْم فَإ ِ َذا أَفَضْ تُم ِّم ْن َع َرفَا‬
ْ ‫ْس َعلَ ْي ُك ْم ُجنَا ٌح أَن تَ ْبتَ ُغ‬
َ ‫ََ ي‬
َ‫قَ ْبلِ ِه لَ ِمنَ الضَّآلِّين‬

[However,] you will be committing no sin if [during the pilgrimage] you seek to obtain any bounty
from your Sustainer. And when you surge downward in multitudes from `Arafat, remember God at
the holy place, and remember Him as the One who guided you after you had indeed been lost on your
way.

(Qur’an 2:128)

Prophet Muhammad said: “Whoever performs Hajj to this house — Ka’bah — and does not commit
any obscenity and wrongdoing, he, or she, will come out as the day he, or she, was born — pure and
free from sins.”

Description of Pilgrimage – Hajj

The Arabic word hajj literally means “to embark out for a place”. In Islamic terminology, hajj refers
to the annual pilgrimage that Muslims embark onto Mecca with the intention of visiting holy places
and performing certain religious rites in accordance with the way prescribed by the Prophet
Muhammadpbuh.
 Hajj – Significant Practice in Islam

Hajj, or the Pilgrimage, consists of visiting a number of sacred places such as Ka’bah, Mt Arafat and
performing specific rites during the period from the 8th to 13th Dhu’l Hijjah, the twelfth month of the
Islamic Calendar. This pilgrimage is done once in a lifetime by those Muslims rich enough to make
the journey. Hajj has a number of important rituals associated with it, including:

1. Putting on ihram, the two pieced cloth.

2. Circumambulating the Ka’bah seven times.
3. A fast walk between Safa and Marwah near Ka’bah.
4. Visiting and staying at Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah.
5. Throwing pebbles at three fixed places in Mina.
6. Shaving or trimming hair.
7. Sacrifice of an animal which is distributed to the poor.

Hajj is Abrahamic
Hajj is more than just a matter of connecting with the historical legacy of Islam, but is rather a form
of collective worship, and a way of establishing a connection with the monotheism and its human
legacy symbolised by Abrahampbuh and the first human Adampbuh respectively.

Abraham was an exemplar model for monotheism and a mentor for all believers in One God. His
faith and submission to One God was equal to the faith of a whole nation as described in the Holy
Qur’an.

Hence, it is not a surprise that most of the Hajj rites are Abrahamic.

Ka’bah signifies oneness of God, the creator of the universe and every living creature.

The Story of Abraham

Abraham had two wives, Sarah, the mother of Isaac and Hagar the mother of Ishmael.

When Ishmael was a baby, Abraham took his wife Hagar with Ishmael to Mecca at a time when it
was an arid place. This was a command from God for which he acted without hesitation because he
had trust in his Lord. His wife Hagar fully submitted to God’s command due to her strong faith and
agreed to migrate to Mecca and live there alone with her son.

Initially, it was very difficult for Hagar in Mecca; at the time Mecca as a city did not exist. It was part
of a valley called Bekka (Mecca). When Hagar ran out of water and her son cried because of thirst,
she walked and ran scanning the whole area searching for water.

Hagar ran back and forth seven times between two rocky hillocks, Safa and Marwa. Hagar kept
searching until she found the sacred water known as zamzam. This water sprang forth miraculously
under Ishmael's tiny feet.

Sacrificing of Animal
Pilgrims provide a qurban (sacrifice) on Eid (Festival) day by organising the slaughtering of a sheep
and having its meat distributed to needy people. The meat is usually canned and donated to poor
people in other countries as humanitarian aid. In many countries, this is the only time that the
people get the chance to eat meat.
 Hajj – Significant Practice in Islam

The act symbolises a Muslims willingness to give up things that are of benefit to them or close to
their hearts, in order to follow God's commands. It also symbolises a Muslims willingness to give up
some of their own bounties, in order to strengthen ties of friendship and help those who are in
need. The symbolism is in the attitude - a willingness to make sacrifices in our lives in order to stay
on the Straight Path.

The Qur'an describes Abraham as follows:

Surely Abraham was an example, obedient to God, by nature upright, and he was not of the
polytheists. He was grateful for Our bounties. We chose him and guided him unto a right path. We
gave him good in this world, and in the next he will most surely be among the righteous."

(Qur'an 16:120-121)

And "We made him (Abraham) pure in this world and in the hereafter; he is most surely among the
righteous. When his Lord said to him, 'Submit,' he said, 'I submit myself to the Lord of the Worlds.'"

(Qur'an 2:130-131)

Thus, slaughtering of sheep is significant in many ways;

- It ended the sacrificing of human beings which was a common practice during Prophet Abraham’s
time.
- The slaughtering of the sheep is symbolic of the sacrifices one makes in devoting one’s life to
God. In the Qur’an, Abraham is referred to as the first Muslim for this reason. A Muslim is
someone who submits or surrenders to God.
- The sacrifice is representative of one’s God-consciousness;

“[But bear in mind:] never does their (sacrificed animals) flesh reach God, and neither their blood: it is
only your God-consciousness that reaches Him”.

(Qur’an 22:37)

The spiritual meaning of Hajj and its aspects of worship

The Qur’anic verse, “All that is in the heavens and on the earth extols and glorifies God, for He is the
Tremendous, the Wise,” (Qur’an, 57:1) tells us that all creatures of God glorify, praise and, hence,
worship God in a language of their natural disposition. When a seed lifts a tall tree or a bud on a
branch opens up into a beautiful flower, all reflect the Power, Wisdom and Glory of God. Just as this
occurs individually when creatures display the wonders of the Creator and live in accordance with
the purposes of their creation, they also worship God collectively by obeying to the call of God in
large numbers. All great animal migrations numbering in millions and synchronised blossoming of all
plants in springtime are examples of collective acts of worship seen in nature. For example, it has
only been discovered that corals on the Great Barrier Reef on the east coast of Australia, germinate
at the same time in a year across a thousand miles of the reef. The wilder-beasts in Africa migrate in
tens and thousands to greener pastures in the steps of Africa all at the same time.

Muslims also obey to the call of God by turning up in millions at the time of pilgrimage. The central
aims of worship, that is exalting, glorifying and praising God, occur individually and collectively.
Muslims exalt God by showing up in mass, as though saying ‘You are greater than my self and above
 Hajj – Significant Practice in Islam

the whole of humanity; here we are ready to worship you in mass.’ They glorify God by going around
the Ka’bah, as though saying ‘just as we are circling the one and only Ka’bah, the oldest place of
worship on earth, we only obey you the Absolute One worthy of worship.’ They praise God through
the collective supplication (du’a) and remembrance of God in the plains of Mt Arafat.

Another common act of worship observed in the universe is that all entities orbit around a central
point. While electrons orbit the nucleus in an atom, the earth and planets orbit the sun. Solar system
orbits the centre of the Milky Way and so on. Muslims join in this cosmic mode of worship and
synchronise with the universe and all existence by circling the Ka’bah.

Muslims believe that the Ka’bah was the first place of worship built by the first human and the first
prophet, Adampbuh. It was later rebuilt on the same foundations by Abrahampbuh and his son
Ishmailpbuh and declared as a shrine dedicated to monotheism. Abrahampbuh called on people to
make pilgrimage to the site. Before the days of Islam, the Hebrew Bible confirmed the existence of
this pilgrimage to Mecca (or Beca). Psalm 84:4–6 says, “O Lord Almighty, my King and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; they are ever praising You. Blessed are those whose
strength is in You, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Beca,
they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools.”

The climax of Pilgrimage occurs at the plains of Mount Arafat, about twenty kilometres outside of
Mecca. All pilgrims have to be present in this location at the same time simulating the day of
resurrection. Everybody wears the same simple garment and supplicates to God with no distinction
of race, status or wealth.

Mt Arafat has a very significant place in the history of humanity. According to Islam, this is the place
where the first man, Adampbuh and his partner Eve sincerely repented and received forgiveness for
their mistake committed in Paradise. Similarly, Muslims turn up in millions at the same place and
time, as Adampbuh and Eve did, to repent for their sins and ask forgiveness. The plea and petition of
millions of people at the same time is a compelling spiritual force that begs forgiveness. If three
million people walked to the palace of a president and asked for something, certainly he would not
reject them. According to Prophet Muhammadpbuh, God will not return a sincere pilgrim asking
forgiveness empty handed. His or her sins will be wiped off and attain the sinless state of a newborn.
Since human rights cannot be forgiven by God, pilgrims usually see their family and friends and
settle any unsettled issues and ask for forgiveness for mistakes and sins done to them.

Thus, when Muslims circle the Ka’bah and collectively pray in the plains of Mt Arafat, they are
affirming their commitment to God and to monotheism. As people from all races and nations gather
at the spiritual epicenter of the world, the Ka’bah, they are affirming their common paternal
ancestry with Adampbuh and their spiritual ancestry with Abrahampbuh.

The fundamental spiritual benefit of Hajj

While shahadah detaches one from finite and false masters; salat detaches one from the worldly
affairs; zakat detaches the worshipper from the pangs of material wealth; and fasting detaches the
worshipper from the physical desires and emotional impulses, pilgrimage is a detachment from the
load of sins and racism.

If we do not clear the sins of the past it leads one to despair of getting close to God. We would even
be ashamed to enter into the presence of God in prayer. There is the possibility that despair in time
can lead to loosing motivation and enthusiasm for spiritual closeness to God. Therefore they must
 Hajj – Significant Practice in Islam

be removed. The removal comes in settling any human rights before the pilgrimage and sincere
repentance and plea at Arafat. This is the reason why the prophet has said “Hajj is Arafat.”

One final potential human problem is the issue of racism that prevents us to develop spiritually. This
is because racism leads to superiority complex over other races or it justifies transgression of the
rights of other people. There needs to be a display of such magnitude that would make one realise
that feelings of race superiority is harmful. Pilgrimage enables a Muslim to realise the universality of
Islam as he sees Muslims from all over the world from all nationalities and races. A pilgrim develops
an acute sense of equality of human beings in practice rather than just theory. It simulates the Day
of Judgment when masses gather in one place wearing only a two-pieced white garment without any
stiches. In addition, this uniform dressing is an expression of the absolute equality of human beings.
Muslims also realise the universality of Islam when they witness Muslims from all races and
nationalities worshipping the One God. It was this experience that led to the transformation of
Malcolm X. After witnessing the equal and peaceful stance of all races and all nationalities before
God, he denounced his extreme racist beliefs towards ‘white man’ in response to racism towards
African Americans.

Other benefits of Hajj for human development

Pilgrimage is a total human experience and has great benefits for a Muslim. In addition to the above
fundamental spiritual benefit, pilgrimage has other spiritual benefits. The certainty of the faith of a
Muslim increases through pilgrimage. Seeing millions of people worship one God is an immense
witness that He exists. Visiting Ka’bah where a number of prophets are reported to be buried and
Mt Hira where Qur’an first started to be revealed increases his or her attachment to the Qur’an and
the Holy Prophet Muhammadpbuh. Masses moving in unison and with a common dress stripped of all
worldly possessions enact the Day of Judgment. Seeing the places where human history was shaped
demonstrates the Divine Plan and Determination. The extra self-control and exercise of human will
reminds them of their accountability in having the freedom of choice.

In addition to removing racism, pilgrimage is the greatest social event in the world. For centuries
Muslims shared ideas, passed on experience and books when they met for pilgrimage.

Pilgrimage also has great mental benefits. Many mental skills such as determination, perseverance,
patience and control of human will are exercised and developed in trying conditions of the hajj.
Inner spiritual peace and contentment reach their peak removing stress and any sign of depression.
By leaving everything behind for a long period of time provides the effect of true recreation for the
mind and the spirit.

Physical benefits are not neglected in pilgrimage. Hajj is very much a physical event. Going around
the Ka’bah seven times and fast walk between Safa and Marwah gives Muslims ample exercise and
remind them the need to be physically fit and also the value of good health especially when they see
older pilgrims struggling in doing the rites.