The dress code is extremely important as it symbolises equality. All Pilgrims should dress equally before the eyes of Allah. This enables Muslims not to be distinguished between the rich and poor. Poor and rich people unite together. It reminds Muslims that they have left behind life at home and should only think about God. Glasses and hearing aids are allowed and unintentional breaking of the restrictions are excused. The items that follow are not allowed;
- No perfume, no soap, nor in food.
- No jewellery, except women's wedding rings.
- No wearing of gloves, though hands may be wrapped in cloth.
- No deliberate cutting of hair, fingernails, so as not to interfere with nature.
- No uprooting plants or cutting down of trees on the journey.
- No hunting nor bloodshed, except in dealing with bedbugs, fleas, snakes and scorpions.
- No carrying weapons.
- No sexual relations, no kissing or flirtatious thoughts.
- No engagement or taking part in weddings.
As pilgrims to Allah, they must forget about everything that would lead to dishonesty, arrogance and aggression. They must also forget the worries and pleasures of normal life. Pilgrims must be single-minded and not let anything distract them. They shouldn’t argue or lose their tempers or be irritable. Peace should be in their hearts and minds and accepting the troubles that they are faced with on the journey shouldn’t be complained about. During the journey of Hajj pilgrims should be thinking about Allah all the time.
From the moment pilgrims have changed into their ihram they should recite the Talbiyah, the words which are recited all through Hajj.
'Labbayka Allahumma Labbayka- Here I am, O Allah, here I am!'
Muslims believe that just outside Adam (the prophet) and his wife Eve first met on earth on the mount of Arafat after having been banished from paradise. The plain of Arafat is where Muslims meet on the day of Hajj. The rituals of Hajj remind pilgrims of the cycle of life from the beginning to the end. The gathering at Arafat symbolises the gathering on judgement day
Makkah
The pilgrims start their journey at Makkah, here they walk 7 times around the Ka'bah. The Ka'bah is the building in the centre of the great mosque in Makkah. It is a cube shaped structure made from granite stone, covered with a black cloth and it is inscribed with verses from the . The cloth covering is renewed every year. It is believed that the Ka'bah was built by Adam the Prophet. and his son rebuilt the first place dedicated to the worship of .
They then jog between two small hills Safa/ Marwa. They do this in memory of Hagar, the mother of Ishmael. There is a story behind this; She ran between the hills, searching for water. During that the baby dug his heels into the sands and found a spring of water.
Arafat
Muslims believe this is the most important day of Hajj. It is some way out from Makkah, in the desert. Thousands of tents a put up to protect the Muslims from the immense heat of the sun. Muslims spend the whole day in devotional prayers and listening to sermons. Muslims believe that there is no day when Allah is more likely to listen to prayers than the day of Arafat. Muslims that are not on pilgrimage like to spend the day fasting. The pilgrims spend part of the time on a small hill called Mount of Mercy. Here they ask God to forgive their sins. From Arafat pilgrims move on in the afternoon to Muzdalifah, this is where they spend the night and gather pebbles for the 'stoning of the devil' in Mina, which happens at the end of Hajj.
The pilgrims take off their sandals and stand on hot sands to get rid of all their sins this is called Wuquh. The reason for this is to go through a pain threshold to show that they are devoted to Allah. Pilgrims are trying to overcome pain with power over mind. This means that their sins are forgiven.
Mina
At the pilgrims throw pebbles at stone pillars representing the devil who tried to tempt Abraham away from the command to sacrifice his son Ismail. In memory of Allah's mercy of allowing Abraham to bribe the sacrifice of his son with the slaughter of a ram. Muslims sacrifice animals at Mina to show they have achieved Hajj. Nowadays, however, most pilgrims pay selected officials to do the slaughter for them. Some of the meat is eaten and the rest is then loaded quickly onto refrigeration trucks, which is then distributed to the poor.
After these rituals have been completed the pilgrims take off the Ihram and put on ordinary clothes. On this day Muslims all over the world celebrate the festival of sacrifice ''. The pilgrims pay another visit to the Ka'ba and can spend another two days at Mina stoning the devil, this isn't always possible for the Muslims as some are in a hurry to return to their jobs.
After Muslims have done their final farewell visit to the Ka'ba, pilgrims can go back home, but it is traditional that they first travel to to pay a visit to the mosque and the tomb of Prophet Muhammad.
Here is a diagram of the Pilgrimage Route;
b) Q; Explain the importance of Hajj to Muslims and ways in which it may affect their lives.
Hajj is extremely important to Muslims. Muslims try to live a good life, as their aim is to reach paradise. Judgement day is the day on which Allah decides if they are allowed into paradise. The good and bad deeds are weighed out on scales and the decision of whether they go into paradise depends on which way the scales tip. Muslims enter paradise if the scale tips on the good side. Hajj is a way of being cleansed; it is like a new beginning. Like in Christianity, Christians show their commitment of faith by getting baptised and having their sins 'washed away'. In this way Hajj is very similar to being Baptised as the believer is going before God and asking for their sins to be forgiven. Hajj is known as a rehearsal for judgement day.
Hajj is 'fard' compulsory as it is one of the five pillars- many Muslims feel that if they do not carry out Hajj they will let Allah down and not enter paradise. Muslims are taught about Hajj and Hajji's talk about their experiences of Hajj and how it changes their life. Muslims are reminded every day of their aim as everyday Muslims turn towards Makkah and pray. Muslims hear about the wonderful journey inside and outside at the mosque and read about it in the Q'uran. Their religion focuses on Hajj, their life as a Muslim has been devoted to preparing for Judgement day and Hajj helps the Muslims get into paradise as it is like a bonus on the good side of the scales. It takes many years to prepare for Hajj, as it is not just the physical journey that is important, it is also important to prepare yourself mentally. As Hajj is physically and mentally strenuous as you are devoting your complete time to Allah. It is important that complete concentration is on Allah as some of the tasks are extremely hard and Muslims believe that it is Allah that gets them through it.
The activities, which take place on Hajj, have great significance to Muslims. Muslims are able to feel closer to Allah than ever before. The journey of Hajj is very important as Muhammad once took the very steps that Muslims take whilst on Hajj. It makes them feel near to him. It is what they have dreamed about since a young child and all through life. Touching the sacred buildings and standing upon the ground that Muhammad (their role model) has once stood on, is extremely important to them. They are reliving Mohammed's footsteps; pilgrims are able to relive events that happened in Mohammed's life. We cannot begin to understand how important it is for Muslims to carry out the tasks that he once did. They have prepared, heard stories about how wonderful Makkah is and the journey of Hajj is. But nothing is as wonderful as doing it for yourself. Pilgrims are visiting the heart of the religion and this is extremely moving for many devoted Muslims.
The pilgrim's faith becomes stronger as they feel closer to Allah and feel like he can take you through all the hard times. It reminds Muslims what they take for granted, their family, friends, job, and belongings. Being out in the desert doing hard tasks brings Muslims closer to Allah as they look to him for help and support to stay focused on the task and him.
Hajj is extremely important to Muslims as it purifies them, this prepares Muslims for Judgement day. Muslims return to their homes changed people, as they give more to the community and don’t take for granted what they own. Pilgrims become wiser because of the tasks mentally and physically they have over come. They go back to their mosques and teach Muslims about their wonderful experiences and talk about how Hajj has changed their lives for better. They tell Muslims how they have become closer to Allah.
By carrying out Hajj it could determine whether they get into paradise. So Hajj is extremely important as it almost secures your place in paradise. This is how it can change a Muslims life for better.
c) Q; 'A true pilgrimage is really a journey within'; do you agree or disagree with this statement? Explain your reason for your answer.
Pilgrimage is definitely a mental and physical journey. Without the other the journey cannot happen. I am trying to determine which one is more important. In most cases it is nessarcary for both a physical and mental journey. The Islam faith does however make an exception for Muslims that die before carrying out the journey or if they are to ill to make the journey. If they had the intention of carrying out the journey and they have prepared themselves mentally for the journey. It is then seen that they have carried out the journey. In many cases of a Muslim dying before they have carried out Hajj a Hajji will go in place of the deceased or ill. The Muslim has to have carried out Hajj for themselves first. The Muslim will do Hajj in the role of the person they are doing it for. This is one very important reason for why I believe that the journey within is more important.
I agree with this statement, as pilgrimage is possible to accomplish just mentally. I think that it is the purifying of your heart, body, mind and soul that prepares Muslims for Judgement Day. The aim for a Muslim is to feel the connection with Allah and prepare them selves for Judgement day. If a Muslim goes on Hajj with the intention that it is just the physical side that is important, he/ she will have not completed Hajj properly. The activities that Muslims carry out are to the point of physical exertion so pilgrims become close to Allah. It is important that pilgrims connect mentally with Allah as the help and guidance whilst doing Hajj is important
I realise that some people would disagree with the statement 'A true pilgrimage is a journey within'. Many people believe that you have to physically do Hajj as there are tasks to do whilst carrying out Hajj. Some people cannot see that if you don’t carry out the strenuous tasks then it isn't possible for you to have completed Hajj. I can understand why they believe this because it isn't the same if you do not go as you have not undertaken the task you cannot begin to understand what the task is like. If you don’t go to Makkah you haven touched the ground that Muhammad stood on. This is extremely important for Muslims to experience. The sermons are extremely important to be involved in. People could disagree that you cannot begin to understand how close you become with Allah. Or the tasks and atmosphere could make the pilgrim a better person. You could argue that seeing, touching and carrying out the tasks is a seriously important part of Hajj.
I do agree that seeing the spectacular sights, being in the atmosphere with all the other Muslims, carrying out the hard tasks. Helps reinforce your strong belief and helps you become closer to Allah. I feel that the journey of Hajj is important mentally and physically. I do feel that it is possible to do the journey without visiting Makkah if under certain circumstances such as death or illness. I feel that the experience as a whole mentally and physically is important. The feeling of having accomplishing Hajj will be more definite. If the journey isn't possible because of illness or death then Hajj can be performed within.
