Hajj
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The Hajj or Haj (Arabic: حَجّ Ḥaǧǧ) is the Pilgrimage to Mecca (or, "Makkah") and is the fifth of the "Five Pillars of Islam" in Sunni Islam and one of the ten Branches of Religion in Shi'a Islam. Every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so is obliged to make the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lifetime.
The government of Saudi Arabia issues special visas to foreigners for the purpose of the pilgrimage, which takes place during the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah. Entrance to the city itself is forbidden to non-Muslims, and the entire city is considered a holy site to Islam.
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Preparations
Many people go to Mecca in groups with their friends or family, or friends from the local mosque, in order to save money. Some airlines have special package holidays for Muslims going to Mecca. A woman is encourged to go to Mecca in the company of a male relative (father, husband, or brother), but the Saudi government permits an unaccompanied woman to go provided that she travels in a group with other women and has written permission to do so from a male relative.
While in Mecca for the Hajj, male pilgrims are required to dress only in an ihram, a garment consisting of two sheets of white unhemmed cloth, the top draped over the torso and the bottom secured by a belt; plus a pair of sandals. The ihram is intended to show the equality of all pilgrims in the eyes of Allah, as there is no difference between a prince and a pauper when everyone is dressed equally. The ihram also symbolizes purity and absolution of sins. Many female pilgrims traditionally wear a simple white or black dress with a headcovering.
While the pilgram is wearing the ihram, he may not shave, cut his nails, or wear jewelery. An invocation known as the talbiyah should be chanted as the pilgrim is donning the garment.
Performing the Hajj
Umrah
Upon arrival in Mecca, the pilgrim ('Hajji') performs a series of ritual acts symbolic of the life of the prophet Abraham (Ibrahim) and his wife Hagar (Hajarah), and of solidarity with Muslims worldwide. These acts of faith are:
- Perform a tawaf, which consists of circling the Kaaba four times at a hurried pace, followed by three times, more closely, at a leisurely pace, in a counter-clockwise direction.
- Rapidly walk seven times back and forth between the hills of Safa and Marwah. This is a re-enactment of Hagar's frantic search for water, before the Zamzam Well was revealed to her by Allah.
These rituals complete the umrah, sometimes called the "lesser hajj". Although not a part of the ritual, most pilgrims drink water from the Well of Zamzam when the umrah is completed.
At this point, the pilgrim can change from the ihram to regular clothes, that is known as Mut'ah of Hajj.
Optional journey to Medina
Though it is not required as part of the Hajj, after the Umrah, pilgrims often travel to visit the city of Medina and the Mosque of the Prophet. Muhammad's tomb is enclosed by the mosque, as are the tombs of Abu Bakr and 'Umar.
Completing the Hajj
After spending a night or more in Medina (Although this is not part of the Hajj ritual), the Hajj continues. The pilgrim dons the ihram once again and performs the final three acts of faith. This is known as the Al Hajjul Akbar, or "greater hajj." The duties of the greater hajj are:
- Journey to the hill of Arafat and spend an afternoon there. The journey usually takes three to five days for the full round trip. At the plain of Arafat, the pilgrim stays from afternoon until sundown. No specific rituals or prayers are required during the stay at Arafat, though many pilgrims spend the time praying, talking to Allah, and thinking about the course of their lives.
- Upon returning from Arafat, pilgrims travel to the city of Mina just outside of Mecca, and participate in the stoning of the devil. This requires collecting a number of pebbles from the ground on the plain of Muzdalifah (various Hajj accounts list the number of pebbles as between 49 and 70), and throwing the pebbles at the three pillars at Mina, which represent the devil. All three pillars represent the devil: the first and largest is where he tempted Abraham against sacrificing Ishmael, the second is where he tempted Abraham's wife Hagar to induce her to stop him, and the third is where he tempted Ishmael to avoid being sacrificed. He was rebuked each time, and the throwing of the stones symbolizes those rebukes.
- Perform a second tawaf around the Kaaba. This completes the requirements of the Hajj.
After stoning the devil, many male pilgrims will then shave their head; women may cut off a lock of their hair. This is a symbol of rebirth, signifying that their sins have been cleansed by completion of the Hajj.
The "lesser hajj" can be performed at any time of the year, but the "greater hajj" must take place during the month of Dhu al-Hijjah and is one of the five pillars of Sunni Islam. Most pilgrims will perform the "greater hajj" because of the difficulty and expense of traveling to the city of Mecca. For many pilgrims (especially ones who had difficulty travelling due to health or finances), the journey to Mecca is a once in a lifetime event.
Spiritual aspects of the Hajj
The pilgrimage structures the entire life of the sincere Muslim. A believer is required to make the pilgrimage at least once in his or her life time. A devout Muslim's whole life is directed towards this spiritual goal; all of life becomes a pilgrimage.
The pilgrim, the haji, is honoured in his or her community. For some, this is an incentive to perform the Hajj. In some communities, a person that has done the hajj can be nicknamed "haajji" or "haajjaah" - which can be translated as "honorable pilgrim".
Some Islamic teachers would say that this is a wrong incentive, as the Hajj should be an expression of devotion to God, not a means to gain social standing. The talbiyah prayer reflects this sentiment. The believer should be self-aware and examine his or her intentions in performing the pilgrimage. This should lead to constant striving for self-improvement.
The Hajj rituals have a deep psychological significance for Muslims. The pilgrimage is usually a very profound experience for those who participate in it. When life is lived according to the precepts of the religion and the mind is in a suitable condition, the pilgrimage can spiritually transform the individual.
In spite of the physical hardships for some, pilgrims who complete the Hajj consider it one of the greatest spiritual experiences of their lives. Many Muslims regard the Hajj as one of the great achievements of civilization, because it brings together people from one-fifth of the population of the entire world and focuses them upon a single goal: completing the Hajj.
Incidents during the Hajj
There are an estimated 1.3 billion Muslims living today. Modern jet travel also makes Mecca and the Hajj more accessible to pilgrims from all over the world. As a consequence, the Hajj has become increasingly crowded. During the month of the Hajj, the city of Mecca must cope with as many as four million pilgrims. City officials are consequently required to control large crowds and provide food, shelter, and sanitation for millions. Unfortunately, they have not always been able to prevent disasters. Some of the worst incidents include:
Failures in crowd control
Sometimes the surging crowds, trekking from one station of the pilgrimage to the next, stampede. Panic spreads, pilgrims jostle to avoid being trampled, and hundreds of deaths can result.
- On February 1, 2004 251 Muslim pilgrims were killed and another 244 injured in a stampede during the stoning of the jamaraat (pillars) ritual.
- On April 9, 1998, at least 118 pilgrims were trampled to death.
- On May 23, 1994 a stampede killed at least 270 pilgrims at the stoning of the jamaraat (pillars) ritual.
- On July 2, 1990 a stampede inside a pedestrian tunnel leading to the holy sites led to the deaths of 1,426 pilgrims.
Fires
Protests and violence
- On July 9, 1989 two bombs exploded, killing one pilgrim and wounding a further sixteen. Saudi authorities beheaded sixteen Kuwaiti Shiite Muslims for the bombings after originally blaming Iranian terrorists.
- On July 31, 1987 Iranian pilgrims rioted, causing the deaths of over 400 people.
- On November 20, 1979 a group of approximately 200 militant Muslims occupied Mecca's Grand Mosque. They were driven out by French commandos (allowed into the city under these special circumstances despite their being non-Muslims) after bloody fighting that left 250 people dead and 600 wounded.
Disease
Mingling of visitors from so many countries, can lead to the spread of epidemics. This was more of a problem in the past.
Official response
Critics say that the Saudi Arabian government should have done more to prevent such tragedies. The Saudi government insists that any such mass gatherings are inherently dangerous and difficult to handle, and that they have taken a number of steps to prevent problems.
One of the biggest steps, one which is also controversial, is a new system of registrations, passports, and travel visas to control the flow of pilgrims. This system is designed to encourage and accommodate first-time visitors to Mecca, while imposing restrictions upon those who embark upon the trip multiple times. Pilgrims who have the means and desire to perform the Hajj several times have protested what they see as discrimination, but the Hajj Commission has stated that they see no alternative if further tragedies are to be prevented.
Non-Muslims in Mecca
The second caliph, Umar, is believed by many Muslims to have expelled non-Muslims from Arabia. Non-Muslims were not to visit nor to live in the holy land. There is much evidence against this claim, at least so far as it relates to the early centuries of the Islamic empire, but it is well documented that by the 18th and 19th centuries, non-Muslims were emphatically unwelcome in most parts of Arabia. There were small colonies of merchants in various port and trading cities, as well as communities of Yemeni Jews, but ordinary travelers journeyed at risk of their lives. This was not so much imposed by the authorities as enforced by rioting crowds. The prohibition was most strictly enforced with regard to the Hijaz, and the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
As one might expect, the existence of "forbidden cities" and the mystery of the Hajj aroused intense curiosity in European travellers. A number of them pretended to be Muslims and entered the city of Mecca and then the Kaaba to experience the Hajj for themselves. The most famous account of a foreigner's journey to Mecca is A Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to Mecca and Al-Madina, written by Sir Richard Francis Burton. Burton traveled as a Qadiri Sufi from Afghanistan; his name, as he signed it in Arabic below his frontispiece portrait for "The Jew, The Gypsy and al-Islam," was al-Hajj 'Abdullah.
The prohibition on non-Muslims visiting Mecca still exists, and is enforced by Saudi Arabian law. However, the penalty is no longer death by rioting crowd. There is less curiosity these days, since photographs of Mecca, the Grand Mosque, and the Kaaba are easily available. However, some may still want to experience the events of the Hajj first-hand.
See also
External links
- Hajj
- A Hajj Diary
- Protect Your Health during Hajj and Ziarat
- The Hajj - Al Hajj - Haji
- Description of and reflection on the tawaf around the Kaabaar:حج
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