There are seven rituals in Hajj. I have selected three to write about.
When arriving at Makkah, pilgrims perform Tawaf. Pilgrims go to the sacred mosque in Makkah. This involves moving around the Ka’ba in an anti clockwise direction, running the first three, and walking the last four. The Ka’ba is set in the sacred mosque’s courtyard. It is 15.25 metres high, made of large stone blocks, and cube shaped (Ka’ba means ‘cube’). It was originally built by Adam and Eve and late rebuilt by Isma’il. It is covered by a large, black, silk, cloth called the Kiswah. This is made in Makkah and has the words of the Qur’an embroidered on it in gold thread.
They start and finish counting the circuits from the corner where the Black Stone is. If at all possible, they should kiss or touch this stone because Muhammad did so. That is why it is so holy. If they can’t do this they should try to salute it as they walk by it.
Circling the Ka’ba demonstrates the unity of the Muslims as they move together around their central shrine, each reciting an individual verse of the Qur’an.
Stoning the devil happens the day after the stand on the plain of Arafat where the pilgrims collect small pebbles. At Mina, on 10 Dhul Hijja, the pilgrims throw pebbles at the pillar known as the ‘Great Devil’. The ritual continues on 11 and 12 Dhul Hijja, when they throw seven pebbles at each of the three pillars (49 pebbles in all). Some pilgrims continue the ritual on 13 Dhul Hijja (70 pebbles in all). This ritual reminds Muslims of the story of Ibrahim and his son Isma’il, in which Allah tested their faith by asking Ibrahim to sacrifice his son for him. Three times the devil tried to tempt Ibrahim into not doing it and Isma’il to run away, but both of them drove the devil away by throwing stones at him. They were prepared to go ahead with the sacrifice when Allah gave them a ram to sacrifice instead.
This is a very dangerous ritual as pilgrims risk being hit by stones or knocked over in the crowds. The police are well in attendance at each pillar just in case.
Muslims do this to show Allah that they are willing to reject the devil and resist to temptations. It is also showing trust in Allah. Muslims believe that this improves their spiritual values and makes them better Muslims.
If they can afford it, pilgrims on Hajj are obliged to offer an animal as sacrifice towards Allah. This is done at Mina, where the meat is roasted and eaten by the pilgrims. However, at least a third of it must be donated to those who are too poor to buy their own animal, although there is too much meat to distribute at once.
This sacrifice is another reminder of the story of Ibrahim and Isma’il, since a ram was given to Ibrahim to sacrifice rather than his son. The sacrifice teaches Muslims to recognise that the meat we eat is a gift from Allah which should not be taken for granted. Also, due to the expense of buying a whole live animal, Muslims show that they are prepared to give up things for their religion.
After the sacrifice, pilgrims are allowed to change out of their Ihram (the clothes that the pilgrims are required to wear) and relax for a while before changing back into the Ihram and completing the rituals of the Hajj.
It is quite obvious that once a person has been on such a large, religious pilgrimage such as Hajj then their personality and attitude to life will change. For example, as is the case of Malcolm X, a pilgrim may have been racist or a separatist before going on Hajj. However, once at Hajj they will see all different races working and worshipping Allah together. Once they have returned home they will have a different attitude and should be anything but racist. This also goes for other forms of prejudice such as sexism.
When a Muslim returns from Hajj they should have a greater respect for life. Although a Muslim should feel that issues such as suicide, abortion and euthanasia are wrong already, once they have completed Hajj they should feel even more strongly about them. If they were an unorthodox Muslim and thought these things were okay then their opinions should have changed after returning from Hajj.
Also, Muslims should realise that the way they dress is not important. Since at Hajj everybody will have been wearing the same style of clothing (Ihram) whether they are rich or poor, the pilgrims at Hajj will realise that personality is far more important than the way you look and that you don’t go to heaven just for looking good.
The pilgrims should realise that having a lot of money is not important to life. Therefore, they should give more of their money away to charity. Doing this is the third pillar of Islam, Zakah. This means Muslims must give at least 2.5% of their wages to the less fortunate if they can afford it. When returning from Hajj, Muslims may decide to pay an extra percentage. This is called Sadaqah and can be any amount of money you wish.
Muslims will realise the importance of family and children. They should realise the many advantages of having a family and should respect every member of theirs, especially the elders as these are usually the people who hold the most knowledge and wisdom in the family. They should learn to love their children and care for them well because they are the next generation and it is up to them to continue with any family traditions that the pilgrims may have. They should also feel more strongly about issues of marriage and divorce.
The pilgrims should also realise the role of women and their treatment in the family and by society. On Hajj, women are treated equally to men. This is expressed by the Ihram clothing.
The Ihram clothing expresses the equality of everybody on Hajj. When the pilgrims return they should treat everyone with the equal amount of respect, no matter what their race, sex, religion or position in society.
When the Muslims have returned from Hajj they will have been enlightened by the whole experience. They will have much more respect for everything as they will realise that Allah created everything and he is responsible for everything.
Hajj stresses equality. There are thousands of Muslims worshipping Allah regardless of their age, sex, colour, nationality and wealth in the same place. This equality is shown by the special clothing, the Ihram. This Ihram is worn to symbolise that everyone is equal in the eyes of Allah.
On Hajj there are two million Muslims of different genders, nationalities, ages, abilities, wealth, races and so forth, and everyone performs the same rituals and actions and all share the experience. They also share the same language of Arabic.
There are also some rituals that emphasise the equality in Hajj. The Tawaf symbolises the unity of Muslims in the worship of God. The ritual involves all the pilgrims walking around the Ka’ba seven times in a clockwise direction.
A non-Muslim, however, might argue that Hajj does not stress equality because they are not allowed into Makkah. I think this is an unfair opinion.
One of the reasons I think this, and as do many others, is because I think it is fair to let Muslims have a place to worship for themselves. I think that if non-Muslims were to enter Makkah then it would turn into more of a tourist resort than a holy city for a religious pilgrimage. The Muslims may also feel very insecure if they were being watched by tourists as this would be very humiliating for them. The Muslims may also feel as if the spiritual atmosphere has gone if there are non-Muslims watching.
I think it would be very unfair and inconsiderate if Hajj allowed non-Muslims in. It is a holy city and would contradict the Muslim beliefs. I think it would make the Muslims feel very uncomfortable. Muslims treat Hajj as a very special place and if tourists were to intrude then it would be like strangers walking into their own homes uninvited.
Even if non-Muslims don’t think Hajj stresses equality, Makkah is a special place for Muslims and if they think it stresses equality then it doesn’t matter as it is their pilgrimage and so it is their opinion that counts.
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