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 12 th 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 10 th of Dhul Hijjah. On the 9 th, 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 10 th 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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