The hajj coursework A) Describe what happens when Muslims perform the hajj. Before entering Mecca during the hajj Muslims pilgrims must follow certain requirements. Muslims should first say the Talbiya, recited Arab words used for centuries. Then they should first take a bath as this symbolises purity. Then they should change into the required clothing for the hajj, for men this is two sheets of unsown white material and for women it is a clean plain dress, this symbolises equality for all Muslims, by all wearing the same clothes the differences of wealth between all Muslims during the Hajj becomes irrelevant. Muslims performing the hajj have to follow certain rules while performing the hajj: They must not use any perfume. No animals or insects should be killed during the hajj. No plants should be damaged or destroyed. Nothing dishonest or unkind should be done during the hajj. No weapon should be carried. The head must be covered. Hair and nails should not be cut while in the state of ihram and finally no sexual intercourse is allowed. When these rules have been carried out, the pilgrim has entered a state of ihram, they must follow these rules to stay in ihram. As soon as Muslims arrive in Mecca for the hajj they should perform wudu in preparation to perform tawaf, once wudu is done they will begin tawaf and circle the Kaaba seven times. If it is the first time the pilgrim has performed the hajj the pilgrim will enter through a gate called Bab Al Salam which translates roughly as "the gate of peace". When performing tawaf the pilgrims will hold hands to keep the crowd moving, they will also recite the following, "O lord, grant this house greater honour, respect and awe; and grant those who respect it and make pilgrimage to it, peace and forgiveness. O lord! Thou art the peace. Peace is from thee. So greet us on the Day of Judgement with the greetings of peace." When the pilgrim has completed tawaf they will make their way across to the well of Zamzam. This is where Hagar and her son Ishmael found water walk is they are not able to, between the two mountians of Marwa and Safa. These are the mountains which Hagar ran between seven times to search for water to quench her thirst after she was left by Abraham. This process which the pilgrims will do is called the sa'y, many Muslims will recite prayers as they jog. There is now a walkway there to make it easier for pilgrims and for safely numbers due to the large number of people performing the hajj each year. Disabled pilgrims performing the hajj as there are now two passageways for wheelchairs. When the pilgrims have completed sa'y they will then focus their attention to the next significant stage of the hajj. This will occur on the ninth day of the pilgrimage and if the pilgrim does not complete it, he cannot be considered as having don’t the hajj. The plain of Arafat itself is about 13 miles away from Mecca, to the East, it is 8 miles from Mina. The plain itself is about two and a half square miles. In the middle of the plain of Arafat lies a hill known as the mount of mercy, this is where Muhammed preached his last sermon to his followers. Most pilgrims will not be able to get up and close with it due to the sheer numbers of pilgrims each year, around two million at a time could be present. However there is a mosque near where you can hear a sermon being given to commemorate the sermon given by Muhammed on his last visit to Arafat. This part of the hajj is considered to be the most important, in Muhammeds in words he says "the hajj is Arafat", so it is more important than circling the Kaaba or even kissing the black stone. The pilgrims will then be taken back along the road leading to Mecca but only as far as the hill of Muzalifah which is 4 miles from Arafat. Here pilgrims will say prayers and gather pebbles. On the tenth day of the month Dhu-el-hijja, which is known as Eid-ul-Adha, there will be celebrations of the completion of the hajj and observe special ceremonies.
Then, as part of the ritual of the hajj all the pebbles that the pilgrims have collected (seven) will be thrown at the great pillar. The sacrifice of an animal will also be performed on the day of Eid, this will usually be a goat or a sheep. This is to commemorate Abrahams sacrifice of a ram, Bedouin tribesmen will lead hordes of animals in the area to be sold to pilgrims, pilgrims often share the cost of an animal if they cannot afford one on their own, the animal will then be slaughtered either by an employed butcher or ...
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Then, as part of the ritual of the hajj all the pebbles that the pilgrims have collected (seven) will be thrown at the great pillar. The sacrifice of an animal will also be performed on the day of Eid, this will usually be a goat or a sheep. This is to commemorate Abrahams sacrifice of a ram, Bedouin tribesmen will lead hordes of animals in the area to be sold to pilgrims, pilgrims often share the cost of an animal if they cannot afford one on their own, the animal will then be slaughtered either by an employed butcher or a pilgrim themselves. Some of the meat will be eaten at Mina while the rest will be given to the poor. After this men will have their heads shaved and then they will return to Mecca to Circle the Kaaba once again to complete the hajj. They will perform tawaf once again before they bid farewell to Mecca, it is actually called the tawaf al-wada, which means it is a farewell tawaf. B) Explain the importance of the hajj for Muslims and the ways it affects their lives. The hajj is important for many Muslims as it is one of the five pillars of Islam which were written in the Koran, so it is a very important part of their life for them, most Muslims will aim to do the hajj once in their life. The running around the of the hills seven times is important for them because they are re-living Hagar's search for water , the two hills then became known as Safa and Marwa and the well in which she found water she named Zamzam. There are also several rules which are important for them for their own reasons, they do not wear perfume so they can forget the luxuries of everyday life. They will not harm animals or insects to remind them Allah is the creator and everything belongs to him, they do not even uproot plants so as to show love to the world Allah has created. They will not do anything dishonest or be unkind to anyone so they can aim at being a true servants of Allah. They will not carry weapons to symbolise giving up aggression, their heads must be covered as this is an expression of humanity. Hair and nails will not be cut so as not to interfere with nature and no sexual intercourse is allowed so they can forget the worldly pleasures on concentrate on being spiritual. They will also do several procedures before entering mecca (ie. having a bath) to show their true purity. It is important to try and see, and even kiss if they are lucky enough, this is because Hagar had tried to kiss and touch the stone as it had come from heaven. It is said that it used to be in the garden of Eden but it turned black when Adam sinned, it is said that it had been on the grave of Adam on mount Abu Quasis. The plain of Arafat is very sacred to them and it is important for them to visit it because it is where Muhammed performed his last sermon with his followers while making the pilgrimage. It will affect their lives greatly as peoples perspectives on life often changes, for example Malcom X went on the hajj and converted to mainstream Islam when he saw many different races all coming together for Allah on the hajj, many people take a different look on life now they have experienced life without luxuries during their time on the hajj. Muslims can also learn about Islam as they will meet many people on their time on the hajj and it is very likely they will leave more knowledgeable on Islam, and perhaps they will leave as more committed Muslims. C) I disagree I don’t think the hajj is a journey within because one of the main aims is to visit the sites which are important to Islam and Muslims and perhaps even recreate what figures like Muhammed and Hagar did in their time there. It is a pillar of Islam and almost a requirement for Muslims so they should perform it or have someone perform it on their behalf if possible during their lifetime. However it could be argued it is a journey within as it is very spiritually based, someone can perform it on your behalf but it still counts as you doing it, as no physical journey is commited a journey within must take place. If you die trying to get to the hajj Allah will look kindly upon you and it will be counted as if you perform the hajj, similarly if you perform selfless actions like give the money for travelling to the hajj to the needy it will be counted as if you done the hajj, this shows aspects of the hajj are not physical and are spiritual. It could also be said that events like the stoning of the pillar is a symbol of the fight within yourself against the devil and the time is spent as a learning experience within yourself in which you will leave a better Muslim. However I think this is a physical exercise in recreating what the leading figures in Islam done in their time near Mecca., it is these recreations that make the hajj so important, these recreations make up the hajj so in my view it is a physical journey.
