The Hajj lasts five days. In that time, each Muslim is expected to think of God constantly. When Muslims make the Hajj, they believe they are following they are following not only in the footsteps of the Prophet but also in those of Adam and of Ibrahim, whom they consider to be their forefathers. The annual observance of Hajj corresponds to the holy ‘Eid-al-Adhaa’, itself a commemoration of Ibrahim’s readiness to sacrifice his son on divine orders.
As the pilgrims approach Makkah, they stop to put on pilgrim dress. For a man, this is two pieces of white, unsewn cloth. Women veil their faces. The purpose of this clothing is to stress simplicity and equality: nobody’s wealth or status can be told from their dress.
On entering the courtyard of the Great Mosque, pilgrims walk seven times round the Ka’bah. Some pilgrims try to kiss it, as a sign of respect or in the hope it might bring them a blessing.
From the Ka’bah they walk briskly between the two small hills of Safa and Marwah. This is done in memory of the time when Hajar, mother of Isma’il (said to be an ancestor of all Muslim people) searched in this desert place for water for her baby son. It is said that God caused a spring (called ZamZam) to gush out of the rocky ground. Today the hills are linked by a broad corridor. Pilgrims take home water from the spring to those who didn’t manage to make the Hajj.
The pilgrims spend the night at Mina. At sunrise on the following day, they travel to the nearby Plain of Arafat where the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) preached his last sermon. It is about 20km from Makkah. Here, the pilgrims stand and pray in the heat from noon till sunset, asking God for forgiveness. After sunset, they all leave to spend the night at Muzdalif ah. Part of the evening is spent hunting or forty-nine small stones for the next part of the Hajj.
Returning to Mina on the tenth day, they set off for three stone pillars. Here they perform a ritual ‘stoning of the devils’. These mark the places where the devil tried to get Isma’il to disobey Ibrahim. Muslims believe that Isma’il drove the devil away by throwing stones at him. So today, Muslims throw their stones at these pillars seven times. It is a way of showing that they reject evil and wish to follow God.
After the first pillar is stoned, an animal is sacrificed. (this is part of the festival of Eid-al-Aldhaa held all over the world). His remembers that Ibrahim had been willing to sacrifice his son on God’s command. When God spared Isma’il, Ibrahim sacrificed a ram instead. So this is why today, pilgrims sacrifice a sheep, goat, cow or camel. This is a symbol of how they are willing to give up their lives and possessions for God. Pilgrims eat some of the meat, but much of it is given to the poor. The pilgrims will also shave their heads or cut their hair. Then they take off their ihrams and put on their normal clothes. In the following days, the other two pillars are stoned in the same way. Afterwards, they return to Makkah where they circle the Ka’bah once more. Then their pilgrimage is over.
AO2
Explain the meaning and significance of the events of Hajj for a Muslim
The male pilgrims’ garb of two unsewn white cloths must be worn upon entering the sacralised state of pilgrimage and it symbolises the weakness, dependence and equality of people. The Ka’bah symbolises God’s House and his nearness. The Black Stone embedded in one of the four corner of the Ka’bah symbolises God’s right hand, the kissing of the Black Stone symbolises one’s faith to Allah. The sevenfold anti-clockwise circling of the Ka’bah represents the orbiting of human hearts towards their spiritual centre. Drinking the delicious spring water from the well of ZamZam gives a foretaste of the pure waters of Jannah. The ensuing coursing back and forth between the hills of Safa and Marwah retrace the steps of Mother Hajar, looking for water in the desert to save the life of her son, Isma’il. The travel to the Plain of Arafat symbolises mankind awaiting judgment on the Day of Resurrection. The three stone pillars at the nearby Mina site renews the believers declaration of war against the enemy of mankind, Shaytaan.
What difficulties might there be for a Muslim performing Hajj?
There are many difficulties facing Muslims upon their pilgrimage to Hajj. At the month of Dhu’l-Hijjah, Makkah is so packed and crowded that it obviously presents some dangers; dedicated followers of Islam can be crushed beneath the mass of Muslims, the ritual that proposes this danger is the “stoning” of the Devil, where people crowd around and attempt to throw stones at the pillars in Mina; increasing the risk of crushing and the possibility of getting hit by a stone. In 2003 over 35 people died by crushing during this ritual. Another difficulty for a Muslim is the cost of the journey: the airline ticket, qurbani, travel insurance, transport and hotel is incredibly expensive and may come around £3000. Muslims believe that pilgrimage conditions as a whole gives clues as to the persons’ spiritual standing. For example, if someone feels extremely uneasiness this will indicate divine displeasure. If someone feels uncommonly at ease then this will indicate divine acceptance by Allah.
How might participating in Hajj affect the life of a believer?
When a believer participates in Hajj he/she may experience immediate or long term affects here are a few examples of the immediate affects, once a pilgrim has reached the Ka’bah they may feel a boundless joy or a feeling of increased intimacy at having reached “Allah’s House”. Practically everyone has a lack of sleep and eager to offer worship in its various forms, especially at night. Most people tend to forget all their problems and feel an inexpressible awareness of the invisible world in constant worship and will only think about Allah, they will feel a gratitude that they can ask anything from the Munificent Creator. At the end of the pilgrimage, Muslims will be sad for leaving, together with an insatiable desire to know Allah better and be with those who know Him. There are also long term affects as well once the pilgrim has returned home they will have a significant desire to fill their every moment with good deeds, and the result of this will be an increased consciousness of their actions in the success of the hereafter. Upon return from pilgrimage the pilgrim will find themselves making more frequent supplication, for example, praying five times daily, making du’aa more often. In Islamic countries, pilgrims are received with festivities and people visit them for three days asking for their prayers.
AO3
‘A true pilgrimage is really a journey within’
There are various reasons which support the statement but there are also various reasons which would support the idea that Hajj is a Physical Journey and so contradict the statement. There are a range of reasons why Hajj can be seen as a Journey within. Firstly, the focus of Hajj is about spiritual awakening and development and where Muslims must have the right niyyah to obtain the benefits of Hajj despite performing the physical Journey as the Qur'an states that Hajj must be 'in the service of Allah'. Secondly, most Muslims believe that Hajj is a migration away from bad manners to good manners and also a jihad against one’s ego. This means that they are confident about making pilgrimage, and that they have made this independent decision of confirming that they will try to stay away from committing sins, therefore going to Makkah and asking for forgiveness for the past sins which they have performed and promising Allah that they will be a better person. Some Muslims may say that by having so much determination and coming to this conclusion about their decision will not need travelling to Saudi Arabia to confirm it, as long as you believe in yourself and make the intention then that’s the most valuable thing.
On the other hand some people may argue that Hajj is not only a journey within, as each event proves to be both mentally and physically challenging, especially proceeding between the hills of Safa and Marwah seven times and “stoning” of the devil, most people say that as long as these events are involved, the pilgrimage is not only a journey within, and without them, you would not be following the example of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Furthermore, if there were no physical side to the Hajj experience, then how would it be possible for a pilgrim to remember? As the physical attributes of the journey leaves reminders upon the pilgrim’s body, such as scars, bruises and aching muscles etc. Some people say that the physical part of the events also helps to make a pilgrim realise the pain, suffering and effort that other Muslims before had to face.
To conclude I have shown both arguments as for why a true pilgrimage is really a journey within and also why a true pilgrimage is not a journey within. In my opinion I think that it IS a journey within oneself because anybody can go to Saudi Arabia to perform pilgrimage, but the real pilgrim is the person who intends and makes niyyah to go to Makkah. A true pilgrim is a person who has independently decided that this is the best choice and a true pilgrim is someone who will ask Allah for forgiveness for their past sins and once they have arrived home, they will be a new person and not make the same mistakes.
