As some finish others begin so it does not get too crowded and everybody gets to perform Tawaf. The final thing that is done on a Muslims first day of Hajj is called Sa’y, which is where they run between the two mountains Safa and Marwah. One S’ay is from Safa to Marwah and it has to be done seven times. Before running this all must drink some water taken out of the ZamZam well.
After the first day is complete Muslims head to Mina, where people stay in tents, and stay there during the Tarwiah day (8th Zul Hijjah). Whilst there they gather to perform all five prayers, beginning with the Zuhr prayer and, ending with the Fajr prayer.
Day 2
The next morning (9th Zul Hijjah) pilgrims gather on the plains before Mount Arafat, and stand there from noon till sunset in prayer and meditation. During this they glorify Allah and beg for his forgiveness. This is the most important part of Hajj and must be done.
Soon after the sunset they all go to Muzdalifah to pray. On the journey 49 small pebbles are collected to throw at the 3 stone pillars later on. When they make their destination they perform the prayers Maghrib and a shortened version of the Isha prayer. Then they stay overnight, in the open air, and do the Fajr prayer and sleep.
Day 3
Shortly after sunrise Muzdalifah is left and they begin to make the journey back towards Mina. When arrived Muslims go to the Jamrats and stone them with the pebbles picked up on the journey earlier, starting with the smallest first and ending with the tallest. This symbolises their rejection of the devil.
After this the pilgrims who could afford it slaughter a sacrifice, normally a sheep or a goat. With this sacrifice a feast is eaten known simply as Eid-Ul-Adha, which is often also performed by many Muslims around the world. Now this has been done the men shave or trim their hair, leaving restrictions of Ihram lifted. This means they can now take off their garments but one rule still remains, sexual intercourse.
The Tasheeq days are spent in Mina and you are allowed to leave on the 12th aslong as the Jamrats have been stoned.
Now all pilgrims head back to Mekkah and perform the farewell Tawaf. This is the same journey again done seven times as was earlier on during Hajj. The farewell Tawaf should be the final thing done during Hajj. Afterwards many people visit the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, but this is only preferable and is not a part of Hajj. Also another drink is taken from the ZamZam well, aswell as dipping their white clothes in it. So the Hajj journey stays with a pilgrim for his or her whole life their names are changed. Men are now Hajji and women are now Hajja.
Part B- Explain the importance of Hajj for Muslims and the ways in which it may affect their lives.
Hajj is extremely important to Muslims. They try to live a good life so they can go to paradise, because they believe their good and bad deeds will be weighed up by Allah on judgement day. For a Muslim performing Hajj it is like a new beginning and they feel cleansed. This would be a great weight added to the good scales on judgement day. Also as Hajj is one of The Five Pillars, they feel as if they must do it to be let into paradise. If it is never done then their religion is not complete
The stand of Arafat, where Muslims have to stand in the heat and pray for forgiveness, learns Muslims patience and perserverance, which they can take back and use in their everyday life. Also the physical strength needed to complete Hajj makes the performers physically and mentally strong.
Also Hajj helps Muslims feel closer to God because they are taking the same steps as Muhammed once did many years ago. Being closer to God is what all Muslims seek for via prayer day in and day out so this is a major leap. Because they now feel closer to Allah and have endured this hard trip many pilgrims come out feeling wiser and more self-disciplined. This feeling is taken back to their local communites and they are looked up to.
As well as all the personal reasons Hajj is important, it also has a long and powerful historical background. Now not only will they have heard of historical happening but will be able to see and perform many of them. It makes them become aware of the changing world and learn what life was like for Mohammad. This would greatly help them during prayer and when reading the Qur’an because they would be able to sympathise what life was once like and how lucky they are nowadays.
Also historical facts are learnt during the pilgrimage. They do not only learn by hearing, which is what is done in their communities, but also learn by seeing many of the historic features. Once again this will strengthen their knowledge of the religion.
Even though Hajj is mainly about the connection between the pilgrims and God, it also helps the pilgrims realise what their ancestors would have done. This would bring back many memories and make everybody feel more connected.
What pilgrims do in Hajj is also often transferred back into their regular lives, the most noticeable being the change in name. The males names are now Hajji with the females now being Hajja. Along with the changed names comes the change in their attitudes. They now are more peaceful and happier due to their close felt interaction with God.
People in a Muslim community also respect people who have pilgrimed and taken Hajj, leaving them better thought. People often show them more respect and appreciation towards these people, which will also higher their self-esteem.
Part C- State your opinion and the opinions of others on this statement
‘A true pilgrimage is really a journey within’
A pilgrimage is often debated between people as to whether it is a journey from within or a physical journey.
Those who believe it is a spiritual journey believes it can be reached through your mind. The main way this is saw of working is during meditation. Many different religions use meditation as a way to reach peace within, and for this reason they would argue it is a journey within. It is argued that a pilgrimage should baffect the heart, soul and mind. This would happen to Muslims for example when they stand at Mount Arafat. Although that is a very physical journey it puts their mind into perspective and feel at peace and pure love towards their God. Muslims also come out of Hajj with deeper religious beliefs and stronger feelings. This is another sign of a spiritual journey.
Others believe that a true pilgrimage is a physical journey. All pilgrims have a journey to get to their intended place, and even travel more whilst there. To reach the goals of a pilgrimage these people have to see sight where their God once was and witness hard challenges to make them realise to whom they are praying. They also believe that they need to physically show their submission to God to prove their full faith.
Most pilgrimages have one thing in common, prayer. Almost every pilgrim prays during their
journey, normally for forgiveness. This shows the spiritual side of the pilgrimages.
Overall I believe that for a true pilgrimages to happen, it must be a mixture of both a spiritual and physical journey. This is agreed by most religions as their pilgrimages contain both.
I disagree with meditation being a form of pilgrimage. It is a form of inner peace but it would not have the same effect as seeing the historical facts, and performing the challenging tasks.
SOUrCE:
