Select, Describe and Explain those rituals of the Hajj which will be of spiritual value to the pilgrim
Select, Describe and Explain those rituals of the Hajj which will be of spiritual value to the pilgrim
There are five main rituals, which hold a spiritual value to the pilgrim on Hajj. These are Ihram, Tawaf, Sa’y, at the Plain of Arafat and Jamras (Mina).
These are not all of the rites of Hajj, but they are the main ones. Each rite holds a symbolic meaning and spiritual value to the pilgrim.
Ihram is a physical state and a spiritual one. Wearing Ihram puts the pilgrim in a frame of mind ready for worship and total worship, not thinking about worldly things. Ihram, for men, is two sheets of unsown white cloth, one draped around the waist, one over the left shoulder. For women, there is nothing specified but it must cover the whole body except for the hands and it must not touch the face. Therefore, women usually wear white burqa and drop the veil. It is sown cloth normally. The spiritual value behind it is that it symbolizes purity of the soul and equality between all since everyone there is wearing basically the same. No one is considered more important than anyone else and does not have to wear ihram. It is a cloak of Allah- it takes you away from worldly things so that your mind will be focused primarily on Allah and Allah only. It creates a sense of single-mindedness on Allah. Ihram makes a worshipper give up his personality and becomes just a soul with Allah on its mind. It symbolizes self-sacrifice and the willingness to endure pain and suffering for the cause of Allah. Ihram also covers up any trace of wealth, rank and appearance. Since everyone looks the same, one cannot tell who is rich and who is poor. Ihram is put on as soon as the pilgrims arrive outside Makkah.