A Muslim will not cut their hair or fingernails because they believe that while they are on Hajj they should not interfere with Nature and be how God intended them to. This will bring a pilgrim closer to God.
They will do Hajj barefoot, again to show that they are all equal and have to be pure before God. Plus the rules of Ihram will help to keep a Muslim on the straight path of life (Shariah).This means they will be able to set examples to other Muslims and become truly humble before Allah.
The Talbiyah is repeated as Muslims enter Makkah to keep their mind on God and their submission and mercy before him. This shows that they recognize he is responsible for the Earth, all that is great, that they are his servants and that he has no equal. These are the Key parts of Islam.
The Tawaf represents the eternity of God. A circle has no beginning or no end it is forever, like God. Muslims circle the Ka’bah in an anti clockwise direction because it is the example of Muhammad and Adam and Eve also circled this direction. It is believed that Adam and Eve saw angels circling in an anti clockwise direction when they were worshipping God’s throne. To Muslims this is important because they believe that if they behave like the angels did then surely they can pass into the kingdom of heaven. Everybody circling Together shows a oneness of the people, this again ties in with how an Islamic community should be together. The Ka’bah is circled seven times because the number seven is a number that represents eternity, again this links together with God being eternal. A Muslim who touches, kisses or salutes to the Ka’bah is showing their appreciation and love towards god.
Pilgrims wioll do the Sai because of Prophet Ibrahim. He was told by God to leave his wife and son in the desert where there was no water. Ibrahim’s ife and son were put against a great challenge and Hajar tried to find help for her child Ismael by running between the tops of two hills, Mount Safah and Mount Marwah. Though when all help was lost the angel Jibrael appeared and cracked his wing on the sand and a spring appeared from the ground. This shows a Muslim how to be patient in life and always try to persevere even at the worst of times like Hajr had. The Sai also represents life. Running is like life and trying to find the right direction, water symbolises God the saviour, bringer and keeper of life. The water in the desert brings life and God in living things brings life.
The Stand reminds pilgrims of the story of Adam and Eve when they had given into the Devil (Iblis) and his temptation of the forbidden fruit. They were thrown out of paradise, separated and wandered the Earth in loneliness and deep unhappiness. God did carefully watch over them waiting for them to one day return. When Adam and Eve had finally realised that life without God was torture they prayed on the top of the Mount of Mercy and begged to be restored to a relationship with Him again. God in his compassion forgave them. Adam and Eve in thankfulness built a shrine in the same spot as the Ka’bah and Muslims today still believe they worship God on Hajj at the exact same place.
Muslim do the stand to keep their relationship with God and to ask for his forgiveness for all the bad things they may have done in life, much like Adam and Eve. When the Stand is done and a Muslim is truly sorry with keeping the correct intention they are like a new born child who has committed no sin and is fresh in the eyes of Allah.
Muhammad also did his last sermon on the top of the mount of mercy. He told the people of Islam to respect their neighbours and to love all people and to follow Islam properly and with the correct intention. The Stand also reminds Muslim’s this is where Judgement Day will take place. So they will be reminded that they have to continue to be good in life to be able to enter heaven.
Muslims will stone the Jamaras because of its relation to a story about Ibrahim and his temptation by the devil. One day God decided to test Ibrahim’s faith and love towards Him. He aksed Ibrahim to sacrafice his only son Ismail in a dream. When Ibrahim woke, in extreme distress he told his son Ismail about the dream. Ismail told him “O father do what you are commanded to do, and do not worry about me.” They followed Islam well so they did not question why God had ordered this, they just accepted that it was his will and must be done. Ibrahim, Hajar (Ibrahim’s wife and mother of Ismail) and Ismail set out for Mina which was the place of scarafice. On the journey the devil appeared in human form, trying to make Ibrahim and the others change their minds. They were each tempted once
Ibrahim was told;
Only the devil would ask you to do something so wicked, not God.
Hajar was asked;
Don’t you love your son? Doesn’t Ibrahim love you? Will he not do anything you ask? How can you allow him to take the dream so seriously and kill your son?
Ismael was told;
Don’t’ you realise that your father has gone mad? He is being cruel and un-loving. You should run away and not get yourself killed like a fool.
All three rejected the devil’s temptations and picked up stones and drove the devil away. When they reached the place of sacrafice Ismael asked his father to place him face down so that he could not be stopped when he saw his face. Ibrahim laid his son on the altar and at the last moment God stopped Ibrahim and replaced Ismail with a ram. The rewars for Ibrahim’s obedience was that his first wife gave birth to a son, Isaac.
Muslims believe that if they follow God’s will that they will prevail and be rewarded in the after life. This also reminds Muslims to make sacrafices for God. A Muslim collecvting 49 pebbles and stoning the Jamaras shows that they are eternally fighting evil. They stone the Jamaras seven times with seven pebbles each time over the three days they spend there.
Id Ul Adha is when they clebrate and have a great feast is represented when Ibrahim replaced his son with a ram. It also shows great happiness and excitement God can bring. Also the sacrifice will remind Muslims that they have to continue to sacrifice themselves and their goods for God to enter the kingdom of heaven.
