AN INTRODUCTION TO
HAJJ
WHAT IS THE HAJJ?
• The Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam
• It is mainly based around the story of the Prophet Abraham (pbuh*)
• It is done in the 12th Month of the Islamic Calendar called Dhul Hijjah
• It is performed in Makkah (Mecca) in Saudi Arabia
• Every Muslim is obliged to undertake this pilgrimage once in a lifetime
• Millions of Muslims from all over the world make this pilgrimage every year
*pbuh = Peace be upon him
• The Ka’aba is a cube shaped building in Makkah
• Muslims believe that the place of the Ka’aba was where prophet Adam (pbuh) used to worship God
• It was then rebuilt by Prophet Abraham with his son Ishmail (pbuh)
WHAT IS THE KA’ABA
• Muslims face in the direction of the Ka’aba, although not to the Ka’aba, whenever they pray their daily prayers
• The Ka’aba is covered by a special black cloth hand-embroidered in gold called the Kiswah
SPECIAL CLOTHES
• For Hajj, Muslims wear special clothes called Ihram
• For women, it is their normal Islamic clothes although they should not cover their face
• For men, they wear two plain white unstitched sheets
• All people, from all races and nations, rich or poor, kings or beggars wear the same clothes and stand side by side, all equal in the sight of God
• When in Ihram, it is not permitted to cut nails or hair, curse or fight. There are also other restrictions.
GOING AROUND THE KA’ABA
• The Hajj is performed by going around the Ka’aba seven times
• At one corner of the Ka’abah is The Black Stone
• After completing the seven circuits, the pilgrims pray, drink Zam Zam water and complete the Sa’ee
THE RITUAL OF SA’EE AND ZAMZAM
• When the prophet Abraham left his wife Hagar in the plains of Makkah, she was without water
• She ran between the mountains of Safa and Marwa seven times
• Angel Gabriel then indicated to her a place in the ground. From that place sprung the well of Zam Zam
• Muslims drink the Zam Zam water and re-enact the journey between the mountains seven times. This is called the Sa’ee
THE DAY OF ARAFAT
• The main days of Hajj are the 9th and 10th of Dhul Hijjah. On the 9th, the pilgrims leave their camp at Mina and head towards the Mountain of Arafat
• At Arafat, they pray directly to God until sunset and then leave to spend the night, out in the open fields of Muzdalifah
• On the morning of the 10th they continue with the remaining rituals of Hajj.
THE STORY OF ABRAHAM (PBUH)
• God commanded Abraham, in his dream, to sacrifice his son Ishmail
• Although Abraham was deeply saddened by this, he knew he must do what His Lord had commanded
• He told his son about the dream and the son, Prophet Ishmail, agreed that they should complete the sacrifice
• On the way, Satan appeared three times to dissuade Abraham. These places are marked by pillars called Jamarat at which pebbles are thrown on certain days.
THE STORY OF ABRAHAM (PBUH)
• When Abraham came to do the sacrifice, God replaced Ishmail with an animal!
• That is why Muslims sacrifice an animal on that day and distribute the meat to family, friends, and the poor
• This day is known as Eid-ul Adha to Muslims all over the world
• It is one of the main festivals of the Islamic Calendar.
WHAT DOES HAJJ TEACH US?
• Equality
We are all equal in the sight of God (Allah)
• Sacrifice
We should be willing to give up what we have for God and to help others
• Trust
We should always trust in God, like Hagar did when looking for water
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