The five pillars of Islam teach Muslims how to lead a “good life”. Each pillar has a different meaning, which Muslims must follow.
When on Hajj there are certain rules a pilgrim must follow, these are:
☪ No perfume, not in soap or even in food.
☪ No Jewellery, except a woman’s wedding ring.
☪ No gloves are allowed to be worn, but hands can be wrapped in a cloth.
☪ No cutting of hair and fingernails, so not to interfere with nature.
☪ No pulling up plants or trees.
☪ No hunting or bloodshed, except for certain thing like snakes, scorpions, bedbugs etc.
☪ No weapons.
☪ No sexual relations, no flirting or kissing, or even flirtatious thought.
☪ No engagements or taking part in weddings.
☪ Every able bodied person who can afford it must go on Hajj at least once.
(“It is the duty of all men towards God to come to the house a pilgrim, if he is able to make his way there” (Arberry) (Qu’ran 3:93))
☪ Women must be accompanied. (They should have a close male relative as their Wakil or mahram (guardian) to protect them.)
☪ Things at home must be kept clean; you must clear all your debts, and make sure there is enough money for the family to get by while on you are gone.
If a Muslim is too ill to go on Hajj, they can pay for someone else to go on their behalf, this person must have already completed Hajj at least once for themselves. For Muslims who have genuine reasons for that they cannot go, they only have to declare it as their Niyyah, their heartfelt intention to go on Hajj, then the duty is considered to be fulfilled. Rules are set in place because the pilgrims are Allah’s servants, so automatically they put away everything that may lead to dishonesty, arrogance and aggression. They take away all distractions so that they can focus on Allah.
During Hajj the pilgrims must wear Ihram; also they must purify their bodies before reaching the sacred city, by taking a bath. Before putting on the Ihram, males shave their heads, cut their nails and trim their beards. This is not allowed after the Ihram has been put on and not while on Hajj. For men the Ihram consists of two pieces of un-sewn pure white cloth, one wrapped around their waist, and sometimes held with an “unsown belt held together with staples with the customary three pockets, one for passport and airline tickets, one for money, and one for medicine’s” (Murad Hofmann, 1998) the other cloth is then thrown over the left shoulder, on there feet the males are allowed to wear un-sewn sandals. They wear nothing on there heads so many carry white umbrellas to protect themselves from the sun. There is no uniform for women, they must, however, be fully covered up, showing only there hands and face; many wear a simple long sleeved ankle length pure white dress with a pure white head scarf. The Ihram is intended to show the equality of all pilgrims in the eyes of Allah, as there is no difference between the rich and poor when everyone is dressed equally. Ihram is an important symbol for Muslims; it has the following meanings;
☪ They have entered a state of holiness.
☪ They have left their usual lives behind, in order to concentrate totally on Allah.
☪ The Ihram clothes are similar to those that a new born child is wrapped in. They can therefore remind a Muslim of the day he or she first came in to his world baby. Also the Ihram wraps will be kept for the pilgrim’s burial. Wearing them reminds the pilgrim that they come before Allah stripped of all material good’s and status.
☪ White symbolises purity. It reminds them not to sin.
☪ Muslims are all dressed the same because in the eyes of Allah they are all equal.
From the moment they change into Ihram the pilgrim’s recite, at every opportunity they get, the Talbiyah. The words they will deliver throughout Hajj are as follows;
"Here I am at Thy service O Lord, here I am. Here I am at Thy service and Thou hast no partners. Thine alone is All Praise and All Bounty, and Thine alone is The Sovereignty. Thou hast no partners."
