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The significance of Hajj in Islam

Published : Thursday, 23 July, 2020 at 12:00 AM  Count : 501
Md Zillur Rahaman
Hajj is celebrated every year when Muslims perform the required activities of devotion in the pilgrimage to Mecca. It takes place on the eighth day of Hijjah on the Islamic calendar. Hajj has been taking place for over 1,400 years. All Muslims try to go to Mecca at least once in their lifetime. Mecca marks the direction in which all Muslim's pray; it is the birthplace of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), the last prophet of Allah. Hajj is not a single event, it takes place over many days and has many rites.

But the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia recently announced that the Hajj pilgrimage, which usually draws up to 2.5 million Muslims from all over the world, will only see a "small and very limited" number of devotees- even as low as just 1,000 from inside the kingdom - will be allowed to perform the pilgrimage to ensure social distancing and crowd control amid the global virus outbreak. The ritual, scheduled this year for the end of July, is the most important event on the Muslim calendar. Though someone say this year Hajj is symbolic but its spiritual value and belief among the Muslims are unlimited and never-ending.

The Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam, and all able-bodied Muslims are required to perform it once in their lifetime. The Hajj is seen as a chance to wipe clean past sins and start fresh. Many seek to deepen their faith on the Hajj, with some women taking on the Islamic hair covering known as "hijab" upon returning.

Despite the physical challenges of the Hajj, many people rely on canes or crutches and insist on walking the routes. Those who cannot afford the Hajj are sometimes financed by charities or community leaders. Others save their entire lives to make the journey. A few even walk thousands of miles by foot to Saudi Arabia, taking months to arrive.

While following a route the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) once walked, the rites of Hajj are believed to ultimately trace the footsteps of the prophets Ibrahim and Ismail. Muslims believe Ibrahim's faith was tested when Allah commanded him to sacrifice his only son, Ismail. Ibrahim was prepared to submit to the command, but then Allah stayed his hand, sparing his son. In the Christian and Jewish versions of the story, Abraham is ordered to kill his other son, Isaac.

Pilgrims also trace the path of Ibrahim's wife, Hagar, who Muslims believe ran between two hills seven times searching for water for her dying son. Tradition holds that Allah then brought forth a spring that runs to this day. That spring, known as the sacred well of Zamzam, is believed to possess healing powers, and pilgrims often return from the Hajj with bottles of its water as gifts.

The Well of Zamzam is a well located within the Masjid al-Haram in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, 20 metter east of the Kaaba, the holiest place in Islam. According to Islamic religion, it is a miraculously generated source of water from Allah, which sprang thousands of years ago when Ibrahim's (Abraham's) infant son ?Ismail (Ishmael) was left with his mother Hajar in the desert, where he was thirsty and kept crying. Millions of pilgrims visit the well each year while performing the Hajj or Umrah pilgrimages in order to drink its water.

In pre-Islamic times, the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine, was used to house pagan idols worshiped by local tribes. Islamic tradition holds that the Kaaba was built by Ibrahim and Ismail as a house of monotheistic worship thousands of years ago. Over the years, the Kaaba was reconstructed and attracted different kinds of pilgrims, including early Christians who once lived in the Arabian Peninsula. In pre-Islamic times, the Kaaba was used to house pagan idols worshiped by local tribes.

Muslims do not worship the Kaaba, but it is Islam's most sacred site because it represents the metaphorical house of Allah and the oneness of Allah in Islam. Observant Muslims around the world face toward the Kaaba during their five daily prayers.

Pilgrims enter into a state of spiritual purity known as "ihram" that is aimed at shedding symbols of materialism, giving up worldly pleasures and focusing on the inner self over outward appearance. Women forgo makeup and perfume and wear loose-fitting clothing and a head covering, while men dress in seamless, white terry cloth garments. The white garments are forbidden to contain any stitching - a restriction meant to emphasize the equality of all Muslims and prevent wealthier pilgrims from differentiating themselves with more elaborate garments.

Muslims are forbidden from engaging in sexual intercourse, cutting their hair or trimming their nails while in ihram. It is also forbidden for pilgrims to argue, fight or lose their tempers during the Hajj. Inevitably, though, the massive crowds and physical exhaustion of the journey test pilgrims' patience and tolerance. Muslims from across the world are gathering in Mecca in Saudi Arabia for the annual Hajj pilgrimage, one of the five pillars of Islam.
The Hajj traditionally begins in Mecca, with a smaller "umrah" pilgrimage that can be performed year-round. To perform the umrah, Muslims circle the Kaaba counter-clockwise seven times while reciting supplications to Allah, then walk between the two hills traveled by Hagar. Mecca's Grand Mosque, the world's largest, encompasses the Kaaba and the two hills.
Before heading to Mecca, many pilgrims visit the city of Medina, where the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is buried and where he built his first mosque. After spending the night in the massive valley of Mina, the pilgrims head to Mount Arafat, some 12 miles east of Mecca, for the pinnacle of the pilgrimage. They scale a hill called Jabal al-Rahma, or Mountain of Mercy. It is here where Muhammad (PBUH) delivered his final sermon, calling for equality and for Muslim unity. He reminded his followers of women's rights and that every Muslim life and property is sacred.

During sunset, pilgrims head to an area called Muzdalifa, 5.5 miles west of Arafat. Many walk, while others use buses. They spend the night there and pick up pebbles along the way that will be used in a symbolic stoning of the devil back in Mina, where Muslims believe the devil tried to talk Ibrahim out of submitting to Allah's will.

A Saudi security officer stands among Muslim worshipers as they perform prayers around the Kaaba. The last three days of the Hajj are marked by three events: a final circling of the Kaaba, casting stones in Mina and removing the ihram. Men often shave their heads at the end in a sign of renewal.

The final days of Hajj coincide with Eid al-Azha, or the festival of sacrifice, celebrated by Muslims around the world to commemorate Ibrahim's test of faith. During the three-day Eid, Muslims slaughter livestock and distribute the meat to the poor. All the rituals of the Hajj have distinct historical background. And the rituals have evolved to teach man how purify their soul, to be a good man and surrender to the almighty Allah.
The writer is a banker and
freelance contributor





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