All About the Hajj

Islam is a religion that is built on five pillars: the Shahadah (to bear witness that there is no God but The God, and that Muhammad (pbuh) is the Apostle of God), the Salat (to pray five times a day, in the early morning before sunrise, at noon time, in the afternoon, after sunset and after nightfall), the Zakat (charity, alms-giving, calculated at 2.5% of one's annual income), the Sawm (fasting in the month of Ramadan and other days it has been ordained to fast on the Muslim calendar)... and the Hajj. Of all five pillars, the Hajj completes the Muslim. Any Muslim can say the Shahadah, acquire the knowledge to perform Salat, acquire the wealth to perform Zakat, and forgo food and drink and all other worldly desires in order to perform Sawm. But the Hajj is one thing that many Muslims die without being able to carry out. The Hajj, while obligatory, is required mainly of able-bodied Muslims.

Yet, no pillar of Islam had as such a profound effect on Muslim's lives as the Hajj, owing more or less to the hardship associated with it. But what amazes most Muslims who go for Hajj is that they are accompanied by millions of other Muslims of all races, cultures and backgrounds who have the same purpose in mind over the week of Hajj: to worship God and spiritually rejuvenate themselves. During this week, several rites are performed, each with a historical significance.

The Hajj all occurs in the Holy City of Mecca. The first day of Hajj involves a tawaf, going around the Kaaba seven times, as well as the sa'i, going between two hills, the Safa and Marwa. Both are located within the mosque of Al Haram, in the heart of Mecca itself. The significance of the tawaf has to do with a custom that has passed down from generations ever since the Kaaba was built by the Prophet Abraham (pbuh) and his son, Ishmael (pbuh). Pilgrims have been walking around the Kaaba since the time it was built. The Safa and Marwa are two hills that Hagar, wife of Abraham (pbuh), scurried across 7 times in search of drinking water for her son Ishmael (pbuh). Muslims repeat this movement, emulating this historic search for rejuvenance.

And then, the "Greatest Pillar of the Hajj", the sojourn at Mount Arafat, begins, on the 9th day of the last month of the Islamic Calendar, one day after the beginning of the Hajj. This is the same mountain on which the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) gave his Farewell Sermon. During the whole day, Muslims stand on the Mount or one of its nearby foothills, within a defined boundary, and pray to God for forgiveness for all their sins and to bless them in this life and the Hereafter. Muslims elsewhere around the world usually fast on this day. After sunset, pilgrims head for Muzdalifah for the Jamarat (stoning) of the Devil. On this site, Abraham (pbuh) was believed to have been deceived by the Devil, who manifested himself in front of Abraham (pbuh). In response, Abraham (pbuh) stoned the Devil himself 21 times in 3 different locations. In imitation, Muslim pilgrims stone these pillars, purging themselves from evil, and casting all their sinful desires. According to Wikipedia,

If one is able to crush the al‑Nafs al‑Amarah during the stoning of the Jamarah al‑'Uqbah [the jamrah of Aqaba], then one has taken the next step in attaining closeness to Allah, and since between the servant and Allah there is no more than the distance of one step, if one has been able to take this step and make it past one's own low desires and wishes, then that which follows is the level of closeness to Allah.

During those two or three days after the Eid that one is in Mina, one must stone the three Jamarat, meaning that one must trample upon his internal despot (al-Nafs al-Amarah), the external despot of the Shaitan from the Jinn (Iblis and those like him), and the Shaitan from among the Humans (the enemies of religion and of humanity).
The stoning of the three Jamarat is in essence, the trampling upon the despots and waging war against all of them. When one focuses on them and the hatred for them, then one automatically focuses with complete attention upon one's self – and rightfully so – while stoning the Jamarat, one must focus entirely upon one's self. [3]

I point this out to explain the benefit of such a seemingly senseless ritual.

On Eid AL Adha, a lamb is sacrificed and its mutton and wool are distributed amongst needy people. This is significant as it is reminiscient of Abraham's failed sacrifice of his son Ishmael; a ram was put in his stead, but it has been ordained for Muslims to sacrifice a lamb: a lamb, after all, is more delicious.

At the end of the Hajj, people usually clip off their hair or shave them.

Honestly, I don't have much to tell you about this glorious pillar of Islam. But if you would like to find out more, here are some links to help you out:

Inside Mecca - Discovery Channel
Islamicity's Hajj page

And just to give you an idea of how the Hajj has affected people, take a look at what Malcolm X has to say.

And God knows best. Eid Mubarak and a Happy New Year to all.

Salaam, from Saracen