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Islam Muslim Islamic Sunnah
Five Pillars of Islam
All Muslims at least once in their lives perform a Hajj pilgrimage to Makkah, if their health and finances allow.
The annual Hajj begins in the twelfth month of the Islamic lunar year, the month of Dhu Al-Hijjah when the greater Hajj must take place. The lesser Hajj may be performed anytime of the year.
The Hajji (pilgrim) performs a series of ritual acts which symbolize the life of Prophet Muhammad. Before they make the journey to Makkah, pilgrims strip away class and cultural distinctions by wearing the ihram, a simple garment comprised of two sheets of white unhemmed cloth draped over the body along with a pair of sandals.
Of Abrahamic (Ibrahim) origin, the rites of the Hajj, include a tawaf where pilgrims circle the Kaaba seven times in a counterclockwise direction. Ibrahim was in the habit of standing at Maqam Ibrahim which was opposite the only door of the Kaaba called the Multazam.
Then the pilgrims walk seven
times back and forth between the hills of Safa and Marwa reenacting the search
of Hagar for water and the revelation of the Zamzam spring by Allah.
Depiction of Route Taken by Hajj Pilgrims
This completes the umrah or lesser Hajj. Afterwards the pilgrims may remove the ihram and put on regular clothing. Most of them also drink from the Well of Zamzam. Many pilgrims then travel to Madinah to visit the Mosque of the Prophet before returning to Makkah.
The pilgrims then put on the ihram once more and begin Al Hajjul Akbar or the greater Hajj. Pilgrims undertake a three to five day journey to the Hill of Arafat and spend an afternoon there.
On the wide plain of Arafat, the pilgrims stand together from afternoon until sunset. Although no specific prayers are required, many pilgrims pray for God's forgiveness, talk to Allah, and think about the course of their lives.
Next they travel to the city of Mina which is just outside of Makkah where they throw around fifty to seventy pebbles at the three pillars of Mina which symbolize the devil. Then, they perform a second tawaf around the Kaaba.
After this is done, the
pilgrims have completed the requirements of Hajj, and, they have been cleansed
of their sins... Go back
Read Islam Sunnah Articles
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Glossary Terminology,
Islam Quran and Archangel Gabriel,
Islamic Calendar and the Black Stone,
Muslim Purification by Zakat and Swam,
Muslim Spiritual Beliefs,
Muslims Make the Pilgrimage of Hajj,
Shahadah and Muslim Salah Prayers,
Six Articles of Islamic Faith,
Sunnah Hadith Figh and Islamic Law,
The Holy Kaaba and Makkah of Islam
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Muslim Islamic Sunnah Copyright © 2002-2008 Maureen Grace Burns, Blessings Cornucopia. All Rights Reserved.
Public Domain Image Depiction of Route Taken by Hajj Pilgrims Courtesy of the University of Texas Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Hajj1.gif.] Accessed November 24, 2006.
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