1. Significant Practices in Islam
HAJJ

2. Introduction…
The rituals of Islam are the practical expressions of a Muslim’s desire to display his or her devotion to God, and achieve God’s pleasure and acceptance.
They are not restricted only to actions to glorify God in prayer; rather, they have been extended to include all sectors of human activity.
In Islam, ‘ibada (worship) is everything one says or does for the will of Allah.
All the ‘observances’ connected with the five pillars are classified at rites – a formal or ceremonial act that is customary in religious use.

3. The rules regarding rites represent an important part of the worshipping conduct in the daily life of a Muslim.
Islamic law – Shari’ah – sets down the prescriptions for the right conduct of prayer and pilgrimage.

4. Essentially worship represents the relationship between the person and God.
Islamic law has often linked ritual practices to people in order to enhance and share their spiritual experiences.
In congregational prayer, the individuals prayer becomes a groups worship and so deepens the spiritual links among them through their unity in practicing the rituals.
Hajj has definite timings and
places, and each participant has
to perform the pilgrimage within
those timings and in those places;
hence, performing Hajj evolves as
a great social activity.

5. Hajj
Hajj is a once in a life time obligation upon adult men and women whose health and means permit it, or, in the words of the Quran, upon ‘those who can make their way there’.
Hajj is a visit to the Kabah in Mecca during the 12th Month of the Islamic calendar – Dhul Hijjah
It is the last responsibility found in the Five pillars of faith.
It is not an obligation on children, though some children do accompany their parents on this journey.
It is an essential part of Muslims’ faith and practice.

6. The rites of Hajj symbolise the essential concepts of Islam and commemorate the trials of the prophet Abraham and his family.
Over two million Muslims perform the pilgrimage annually, and all Muslims celebrate the ‘Eid-al-Adha festival in conjunction with Hajj- (commemorates the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son Ismail as an act of obedience to God)
Before setting out, the pilgrim should redress all wrongs, pay all debts, plan to have enough funds for their own journey and for the maintenance of their family while they are away.
They must prepare themselves for the good conduct that is expected throughout the Hajj.

7. Insight…
According to the Quran, it was Abraham who, together with Ismail, built the Ka’ba, ‘the house of God’, the focal point towards which Muslims turn in their worship five times a day.

8. Muslims believe that the rites of Hajj were designed by God and taught by the prophet Muhammed.
The Hajj is designed to develop God consciousness and a sense of spiritual rebirth.
It is also believed to be an opportunity to seek forgiveness of sins accumulated throughout life.
Prophet Muhammed had said that a person who performs Hajj properly ‘will return as a newly born baby [free of all sins]’.
It is also an opportunity for Muslims from all over the world to come together to worship the One God as a community.

9. Embarking on the Hajj requires Muslims to don white garments after a ritual bath, to abstain from sexual relations and to refrain from cutting their hair or clipping their nails.
This consecrated state is known as ihram.
The state of ihram indicates that pilgrims have separated themselves from worldly concerns and are now dedicated exclusively to the worship of God and the observance of his commandments.
The pilgrimage, then, is the supreme prayer for forgiveness of sins committed and the ultimate preparation for eternity.

10. The Hajj is a demanding exercise
The Hajj is a demanding exercise. In addition to the expense of the journey to Mecca, the pilgrim must contend with the sheer physical demands of the pilgrimage rituals.
These are exacerbated by the immensity of the crowds (literally millions) and the extremes of temperature – which in Mecca itself may be over 40 degrees in summer and rarely below 30 degrees during winter.

11. The focus of the pilgrimage is the Ka’ba, the cube shaped structure in the centre of the Sacred Mosque in Mecca. The Ka’ba is revered as the house of God. The pilgrims come, announcing their presence to God, the lord of the Ka’ba with the cry ‘At your service, Lord God’. They make a seven fold circumambulation (movement around Holy object) of the Ka’ba before setting out to perform the prescribed rituals at the sacred sites outside of Mecca.

12. Once these and other ceremonies in Mecca itself are completed, the return to the Ka’ba and bid farewell to the house of God, once again by circumambulation.
Muslims making the Meccan pilgrimage regularly include Madina in their itinerary, and visit the mosque and tomb of the prophet Muhammed.
The Shi’a regularly make pilgrimages to the tombs of the Imams, especially on the anniversaries of their deaths.
The Wahhabi tradition of Saudi Arabia, however, regards such devotions as tantamount to idolatry.

13. The Symbols of Hajj
Ihram: the white garments are symbolic of human equality and unity before God, since all pilgrims are dressed similarly. Money and Status are no longer a factor for the pilgrims – the equality of each person before God becomes foremost.
Tawaf: While performing the initial tawaf (circumambulation of the Ka’ba) pilgrims recite: ‘Here I am at your service, O God. Here I am!’. This is meant to awaken each Muslims consciousness that God is the centre of their reality and the source of meaning in life, and that each persons self identity derives from being part of the community of Muslim believers (umma)
Sa’y: performing sa’y re-enacts the biblical and Quranic story of Hagar (Ismails mother/Abrahams wife) and her desperate search for life-giving water and food. It refers to going back and forth between Safa and Marwa like she did in search for food and water for her son.
Jamra: (stoning of the pillars): this symbolises Abrahams stone throwing at Satan when he tried to dissuade Abraham from sacrificing his son.
Nahr: This is a re-enactment of the story of Abraham who, in place of his son, sacrificed a sheep that God had provided. The meat from the slaughted sheep is distributed to family and friends and the poor and needy people in the community. Money given for Nahr is distributed to charity.

14. Significance and philosophy
Every nation and society has a center of unity where they get together to worship God. They see prosperity and culture as relics of unity. People of the society get to know each other and understand each other’s difficulties. They form a unified front to remove these difficulties and achieve their goals. Allah says in the Holy Quran: “And to every people We appointed rites of sacrifice, that they might mention the name of Allah…” (22:34)
With this idea, Hajj has been made a pinnacle of worship in order that Muslims who gather to perform Hajj can praise their Lord and Master, be thankful for His blessings, and humbly pray to Him for the removal of their difficulties.
Muslims living in various parts of the world get to know each other, lay the foundation of social culture, give advice to each other, and provide opportunity for collective struggle.