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HAJJ
The annual pilgrimage to Makkah - the Hajj - is an obligation only
for those who are physically and financially able to perform it.
Nevertheless, about two million people go to Makkah each year from
every corner of the globe providing a unique opportunity for those
of different nations to meet one another. Although Makkah is always
filled with visitors, the annual Hajj begins in the twelfth month
of the Islamic year (which is lunar, not solar, so that Hajj and
Ramadan fall sometimes in summer, sometimes in winter).
Pilgrims wear special clothes: simple garments which strip away distinctions
of class and culture, so that all stand equal before God.
The rites of the Hajj, which are of Abrahamic origin, include circling
the Ka'ba seven times, and going seven times between the mountains
of Safa and Marwa as did Hagar during her search for water. Then
the pilgrims stand together on the wide plain of Arafa and join in
prayers for God's forgiveness, in what is often thought of as a preview
of the Last Judgment.
In previous centuries the Hajj was an arduous undertaking. Today,
however, Saudi Arabia provides millions of people with water, modern
transport, and the most up-to-date health facilities.
The close of the Hajj is marked by a festival, the Eid al-Adha, which
is celebrated with prayers and the exchange of gifts in Muslim communities
everywhere. This, and the Eid al-Fitr, a feast-day commemorating
the end of Ramadan, are the main festivals of the Muslim calendar.
Completing the Hajj
Plains of Arafat on the day of Hajj
Enlarge
Plains of Arafat on the day of Hajj
The route the pilgrims take during the Hajj
Enlarge
The route the pilgrims take during the Hajj
The greater Hajj (al-hajj al-akbar) begins on the eighth day of the
month of Dhu al-Hijjah. Pilgrims again put on ihram. They leave Mecca
for the nearby town of Mina, where they spend the rest of the day.
The next morning, on the ninth of Dhu al-Hijjah, the pilgrims leave
Mina for Mount Arafat. They must spend the afternoon within a defined
area on the plain of Arafat until after sunset. No specific rituals
or prayers are required during the stay at Arafat, called the wuquf,
although many pilgrims spend the time praying, talking to Allah,
and thinking about the course of their lives. After sunset they leave
for Muzdalifah, an area between Arafat and Mina, where pebbles are
gathered for the stoning of the jamarat.
Having spent the night in Muzdalifah, the pilgrims now go back to
Mina. It is now the 10th of the month, the day of Eid ul-Adha. As
the first part of the stoning of the jamarat ritual, pilgrims throw
seven pebbles at the large jamrah (wall) in Mina. After this, an
animal is sacrificed. Traditionally the pilgrim killed the animal
himself or oversaw the killing. Today many pilgrims buy a sacrifice
voucher in Mecca before the greater Hajj begins; this allows an animal
to be slaughtered in their name on the 10th without the pilgrim being
physically present.
On this day pilgrims are released from most ihram restrictions; they
have their heads shaved and change out of the ihram garment. The
head shaving is a symbol of rebirth, signifying that the pilgrim's
sins have been cleansed by completion of the Hajj. On this or the
following day the pilgrims visit the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca for
a tawaf called the Tawaf az-Ziyarah (or Tawaf al-Ifadah) which is
an obligatory part of the Hajj. The night of the 10th is spent back
at Mina.
On the afternoon of the 11th, pilgrims must stone all three jamarat
in Mina. The same ritual must be performed on the following day.
Pilgrims must leave Mina for Mecca before sunset on the 12th. (If
they are unable to leave Mina before sunset, they must perform the
stoning ritual again on the 13th before going to Mecca.)
Finally, before leaving Mecca, pilgrims perform a farewell tawaf
called the Tawaf al-Wada. |
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