EXTREMELY IMPORTANT: DO study the fiqh of Hajj & Umrah before you go, well in advance. (I mean really advanced, not the weeks before it'll be so hectic you won't be able to do it at your leisure. Think 2-3 months in advance.) Get some good books, tapes and videos. Look online and print everything out. Write all the Duas out on index cards. Try to memorize as many as you can BEFORE you go. Make flash cards whatever it takes!
DO NOT go there and expect to learn how to do everything from your guides/ppl with you. This is too important not to know for yourself. Remember if you do anything incorrect your umrah or hajj WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. There are many stories of the tour people taking people to do things too early or too late. Also, the crowd there is so enormous it is incredibly difficult when millions of people are all trying to do the same thing at the same time. This is where your fiqh of hajj knowledge comes in. It makes it much easier if you know things like you can pray your 2 rakats of Maqam Ibrahim all the way back in the Haram, or on the different levels or even anywhere in the Haram, or that you can do your Saiyy on the secod level or that you can throw your stones from after sunrise to anytime at night. If you know things like this you can avoid the crowds of people who will try to stick to only one thing because they don't know what else is allowed. Also if something happens you will know what you should do to compensate for it and you may save your hajj or umrah.
A NOTE about all the books and info. Everyone will tell you something a little different. Try to piece everything together so that you at least know what the required conditions you must fulfill are and what things would break your hajj or umrah absolutely or what things will necessitate compensation. Ask your Imam or local knowledgable people to help you understand the Fiqh and answer any questions you have.
Also VERY IMPORTANT: Learn the fiqh of praying a Janaza (funeral prayer). You will be doing it after every single prayer, no joke. (There was only one prayer in our entire 2 week stay that we didn't.) Learn the dua for it too. Praying at someone's janaza is a very good thing and you have ample opportunity of participating so take them. Also learn the different ways to send Salams on the prophet (saw) for the time you are in Madina. Another good suggestion is to draw a chart of the Kaaba (looking from above) and along each of it's walls (and along each of the special points), write the relevant duas.
The best times to visit the Haram of Makkah, do tawaf and saiyy, ibadah and to try to touch the black stone etc is from 1AM until Fajr and from about an hour after Fajr until 9 or so. A good schedule would be to sleep from Fajr until Dhuhr, pray Dhuhr in the Haram then go back to the hotel and eat and rest. (After Dhuhr about noon to 2 it is HOT.) Go back for Asr. Then go back for Maghrib and STAY there for Isha/Taraweeh. After you can take a few hours to go shopping if needed. Otherwise stay at the haram, alternating doing different things like Tawaf, reading Quran, praying until Qiyam which is about 1AMish Then stay until Tahajjud which is about an hour before Fajr. Then stay for Fajr. If you are going to Ziyara or doing multiple Umrahs and can't sleep after Fajr, take a few hours at night before Fajr to sleep. (You might say to yourself.. gee doesn't look like there is any time for sleep there! That's true.. don't waste your time sleeping.. you can always sleep when you come home :) But know when your body is tired and can't take it anymore. Don't make yourself sick. Naps of 3-4 hours worked for me.)The best spots in the Haram are right in front of the Kaaba on the marble surrounding it or on the second level at the front. If you want to be on the haram floor you have to go early and stake out a spot. Sisters should head towards the Zamzam area and sit right near there, otherwise you'll get kicked out of any other area after awhile. A really good spot I found for sisters is upstairs all the way in the front of the sisters section. You have an incredible birds-eye view of the entire haram and can still pray witht he Kaaba in sight. Remember to bring your prayer rug to sit on. This is so that people don't come and sit right in front of you or back of you so you'll have room to pray later. Two things that I wish I knew before hand about this.You can pray anywhere in the Haram without a sutrah ie people can walk in front of you without breaking your prayer. (This was extremely annoying to me at the beginning when people would walk right through my sutrah every time!) (But you should try your best not to do this to others). And you can also look at the Kaaba while you pray in the Haram.
PREPARE yourself mentally for alot of frustration, mental anguish, annoyance and anger. To obtain a Hajj Mabrur (one that is accepted and forgives all your sins) you must not let these things interfere with your goal.
PREPARE yourself physically for alot of walking and physical exercise. You may be walking back and forth from your hotel to the Haram at least 10 times a day, not to mention logging Tawafs and Sai'ys that come out to miles in the end.
DO NOT bring alot of clothes. All you need really is 3-4 jilbabs - mostly black for umrah time (lighter colors for hajj and summer season) and a few clothes underneath that you can mix and match. Bring enough socks and underthings. You can always wash clothes if you have to. But bringing alot of clothes just wastes your time and suitcase room. A regular travelling rule of thumb is to never pack more than you can carry for a trip!
It goes without saying that you should bring some comfy shoes/sneakers for when you go on Ziyara or shopping. Also bring some good chappals/shibshib for when you are going to the haram. Don't overpack your suitcase. You won't be able to get it all back home especially if you buy things. You can always give away some of your clothes/shoes while there or try this well-known travelling tip: bring an extra empty suitcase/bag with you or buy one there.
A NOTE for Madina. The weather there is very different from Makkah. Madina is much cooler. We were in 80-90 degrees everyday in Makkah and then in Madina we were at 60-70s and it was extremely COLD around Fajr, so bring a sweatshirt/sweater and a few warm clothes so you don't get sick.
DO NOT bother bringing anything expensive, like jewelry or electronic equipment. If it's lost or stolen you'll never see it again.
DO NOT change money before you go. There are tons of exchanges there that you can go to on the streets and you'll get a better rate than the usual bank rate too. Bring enough cash for what you want to buy. Don't rely on using your credit card. There are finance charges of at least 2-3% and the exchange rate of Visa sux.
DO bring alot of medicine - Tylenol, asprin, Theraflu, Tums, Pepto Bismol, Midol, Chapstick/Vaseline. Believe me you'll be glad you did and if by some miracle you don't get sick other people in your group will.
DO bring some snack food like granola bars, goldfish, dried fruit. You'll be glad when your stomach starts doing loops or you are starving in the haram. Not to mention sometimes getting stuck for hours on a bus during heavy traffic or waiting for clearance.
DO bring a cheap plastic bag/canvas bag to put your shoes and janamaz (prayer rug) and quran in when you go into the haram.
Don't bring a janamaz from home. Just buy a nice one there. You can also bring a small bag/purse you can wear under your jilbab for your money/passport. Don't bother with big handbags- you'll get searched every time you enter the haram and will have to watch it all the time.
DO NOT waste your time shopping. You're only in Makkah once in your life (anything could happen and due to life circumstances, being busy, illness etc you may never return again).
Make a list of what gifts you have to give to whom beforehand and write down what you need to buy and quantities. That way you won't waste alot of time trying to decide what to get for who.
Some common gifts include:
Dates (yes they have chocolate covered dates :))
Zamzam water
Tasbeeh Beads
Hijabs & Jilbabs
Prayer Rugs (called sajadahs there)
Jewelry (gold, fake and everything in between)
Metal work (tea sets etc)
Incense Perfumes & Perfume bottles
Thobes
Kufis
Cards
Desi (IndoPak) dresses
Books
Watches
DO NOT bother going any malls. They're usually WAY too expensive, but if you want to waste your time window shopping or looking at American and European designer stuff go ahead.
A NOTE about shopping, every shop owner and I mean EVERY (even those who are very nice and islamic and kind to you) will try to get every penny (riyaal) from you if they can. For your first time out just walk around and ask for prices of different things until you get a handle of how much things go for. (Brothers please ask your mothers/wives what a good price for gold/gram is before you try to buy anything there!)
DO NOT speak English or any foreign language in stores, just urduor arabic. . They will totally rip you off. Even if all you know is "Kam Hatha" and they know you don't speak Arabic as your native language because of your accent for some reason if you speak English they up the price 200% automatically. You must bargain for everything you buy. Everything is marked up as par for the course. A good trick is to offer half then work your way up. Remember to go to many stores to get an idea of price range. Sometimes they will tryto bully you into buying something by grabbing it and stuffing it into a bag. Don't let them.. take yourtime, get what you want and check it. If you feel that the guy is ripping you off but really want/need the stuff, buy it anyway because you'll regret it after. Anything there is cheaper than anywhere here. Don't let pride stand in your way :)
DO learn all the Arabic numbers (1 to 20, and every 5 after that till a hundred and you'll be set) and phrases like that "Kam Hatha?" - How much is that?, "BiKam?" How much?, "Shuayyeh" Move over, and "Laa..." No...
Don't tell them you're from America unless you're window shopping. Don't dress expensively, shop keepers there are extremely sharp. You can even wait a few days until everyone else has found the best places to buy things cheap - find out where they are and THEN save time and just get what you want.
SISTERS be careful about going shopping alone (as in, DON'T) always go with a bro (hate to say it but you're safer from harassment) or with a group of sisters.
DO be careful about taking pictures and bringing cameras.They don't let cameras into either of the Harams and they'll check your bags too.
DO agree on prices for cab rides, camel rides and any other service in between beforehand. A note about the camel rides. They will immediately go and take polaroids of you on the camel/horse and then force you to buy them. Tell them beforehand NO PICTURES please. (One guy cursed our group and made dua that Allah never answer our duas b/c someone refused to buy the pics !!)
BEGGARS - There are beggars everywhere. On the streets of Makkah, at historical sites like Uhud, Arafat etc. They'll even come up to you (to sisters too!) and tell you stories about how they lost all their luggage and possessions and need to get back to Jeddah/Makkah/Madinah. It's hard to figure out who is faking and who isn't. I would suggest deciding on an amount you would like to give as Sadaqah beforehandand. Then give that to a reputable Islamic relief agency or relatives you have in poor countries or even friends/ppl traveling back to their home countries.They would know better who is truly in need.
MAKE SURE to go to Ziyara. Ziyara is visiting the local historical sites in Makkah or Madina. It's extremely important to visit those sites, give your salams to the dead, to really get a feeling and understanding of how Islam began in this place. I would say it should be almost as important to you as making sure you do your Umrah. (But please don't think it's fard or anything else. :)) Don't go there thinking it's part of any worship practices. Many people do go to those sites and commit strange innovative practices (you'll see all the Saudi signs in Arabic, English, French, Urdu and Turkish!! telling ppl not to). This is where learning some Seerah (study of the life of Muhammad (saw) and the early Muslims) is extremely important before you go so you can actually feel where you are visiting. Just take one day after fajr and have some cab driver take you out to the different places. Get a map of Jannat al-Baqi` and make sure you say salam to all the sahaba/saliheen buried there. For both Ziyara's go immediately AFTER Fajr at the haram, come back BEFORE dhuhr, pray dhuhr at the haram and then rest at the hotel for awhile.
DO NOT forget what gate you enter the Haram from and the hotel you are staying at.
DO make multiple Umrahs. It's not hard to take theshort cab ride to TAN'IM sometime after Fajr. (The place you'll need to go to state your intention andre-enter Makkah in Ihram). Make ghusl and change into your ihram before you go. Then at Tan'im you just pray 2 rakats and make your intention for umrah again. Comeback before Dhuhr and perform your second (or third orfourth) umrah... Remember you can also make umrah on behalf of another person, a dead relative or someone back home who could not make it.
DO NOT look at pictures of the Kaaba before you go. From now until you see it with your own two eyes It RUINS the impact it has on your heart.
REMEMBER you are there to worship. Shopping, eating, etc are all just a waste of time. Food: it will be tempting to eat all this food there, but remember this much: the more you eat, the more tired you will get and in Makkah you will NEED your energy.
Take all this advice with a grain of salt. Every situation/time is different. Most of the information here is suitable for umrah. Hajj may be a completely different experience!
Some Tips from Br. Khalid:
HOTEL - Choose one within 5 mins walking distance of Haram if you can. When the crowds descend it will take you 20-30 mins to get to the Mosque.
JUMAH - Go EARLY!!!! Our first Jumah in Makkah the Adhaan was 12:05 or something and we got to Masjid Al Haram at 11am. BIG mistake. The concourse outside the Masjid was full let alone trying to get in there. We sat in the beating sun for over an hour and prayed. The next week we got there at 9 am !!!
TAWAF - There are large groups who perform Tawaf together and link hands. If you see them approach you, then let them pass or step aside and give them way. Also watch out for the elderly who are being carried around the Kabah and people taking their relatives around in wheelchairs. As a rule the nearer the Kabah you perform your Tawaf the more squashed you will get and I mean squashed. This is especially true when going around Maqam Ibrahim because of the people trying to pray.
ARAFAT - Make the most of this day as possible. Don't eat too much after Zuhur. The last thing you want to do is feel sleepy from having over eaten
MUZDALIFAH - You have to pray Fajr on the morning of Eid before you go back to Mina. Make sure you make a note of what time Fajr was when you were in Makkah. Some people make the Adhaan too early in an attempt to get to Mina early. Don't let them make you pray your Fajr before time.
MINA - For those of you who haven't been there are three Jamarat all in a line with each other separated by 200m or so. The Saudi authorities have created what I can only describe as a flyover so that you can perform your stoning from the above tier as well as the lower tier. There is also a one way system on the top tier so that everyone starts from one end and moves to the other. Each Jamarat is surrounded by a circular wall and it is this circle that your stones have to enter after you've thrown. We were very fortunate enough to be on the side of the mountain and we could see how the Hajjis were performing the stoning. On the top tier most Hajjis walk in a straight line and reach the front of the circle, consequently there is a HUGE crowd at the front of the circle as people wait for those in front to finish. Because of this you should walk at the sides hugging the fence and avoid the front entirely. Walk PAST the Jamarat and then double back on yourself and throw from the back of the circle.Alhamdulillah we were able to place our hands on the circle wall and throw from there using this piece of advice.
SHOPPING - Check out the many bookshops. Lots of good stuff out there
PATIENCE - You'll understand the meaning of that word when you encounter the crowds, the queues, the long waits etc etc etc
Source: Jannah.Org
Overview of Kaabah
The Hajj - A Journey of a Lifetime
This page was incorporated from an article in ARAMCO World, July-August 1992. The author, Ni'mah Isma'il Nawwab, writes on Arabian history, customs and crafts from Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.
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In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
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One fifth of humankind shares a single aspiration: to complete, at least once in a lifetime, the spiritual journey called the Hajj.
The hajj, or pilgrimage to Makkah, a central duty of Islam whose origins date back to the Prophet Abraham, brings together Muslims of all races and tongues for one of life's most moving spiritual experiences.
For 14 centuries, countless millions of Muslims, men and women from the four corners of the earth, have made the pilgrimage to Makkah, the birthplace of Islam. In carrying out this obligation, they fulfill one of the five "pillars" of Islam, or central religious duties of the believer.
Muslims trace the recorded origins of the divinely prescribed pilgrimage to the Prophet Abraham, or Ibrahim, as he is called in Arabic. According to the Qur'an, it was Abraham who, together with Ishmael (Isma'il), built the Ka'bah, "the House of God," the focal point toward which Muslims turn in their worship five times each day. It was Abraham, too - known as Khalil Allah, "the friend of God" - who established the rituals of the hajj, which recall events or practices in his life and that of Hagar (Hajar) and their son Ishmael.
In the chapter entitled "The Pilgrimage," the Qur'an speaks of the divine command to perform the hajj and prophesies the permanence of this institution:
And when We assigned for Abraham the place of the House, saying "Do not associate Anything with Me, and purify My House for those who go around it and for those who stand and bow and prostrate themselves in worship. And proclaim the Pilgrimage among humankind: They will come to you on foot and on every camel made lean By traveling deep, distant ravines.
By the time the Prophet Muhammad received the divine call, however, pagan practices had come to muddy some of the original observances of the hajj. The Prophet, as ordained by God, continued the Abrahamic hajj after restoring its rituals to their original purity.
Furthermore, Muhammad himself instructed the believers in the rituals of the hajj. He did this in two ways: by his own practice, or by approving the practices of his Companions. This added some complexity to the rituals, but also provided increased flexibility in carrying them out, much to the benefit of pilgrims ever since. It is lawful, for instance, to have some variation in the order in which the several rites are carried out, because the Prophet himself is recorded as having approved such actions. Thus, the rites of the hajj are elaborate, numerous and varied; aspects of some of them are highlighted below.
The hajj to Makkah is a once-in-a-lifetime obligation upon male and female adults whose health and means permit it, or, in the words of the Qur'an, upon "those who can make their way there." It is not an obligation on children, though some children do accompany their parents on this journey.
Before setting out, a pilgrim should redress all wrongs, pay all debts, plan to have enough funds for his own journey and for the maintenance of his family while he is away, and prepare himself for good conduct throughout the hajj.
When pilgrims undertake the hajj journey, they follow in the footsteps of millions before them. Nowadays hundreds of thousands of believers from over 70 nations arrive in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by road, sea and air every year, completing a journey now much shorter and in some ways less arduous than it often was in the past.
Till the 19th century, traveling the long distance to Makkah usually meant being part of a caravan. There were three main caravans: the Egyptian one, which formed in Cairo; the Iraqi one, which set out from Baghdad; and the Syrian, which, after 1453, started at Istanbul, gathered pilgrims along the way, and proceeded to Makkah from Damascus.
As the hajj journey took months if all went well, pilgrims carried with them the provisions they needed to sustain them on their trip. The caravans were elaborately supplied with amenities and security if the persons traveling were rich, but the poor often ran out of provisions and had to interrupt their journey in order to work, save up their earnings, and then go on their way. This resulted in long journeys which, in some cases, spanned ten years or more. Travel in earlier days was filled with adventure. The roads were often unsafe due to bandit raids. The terrain the pilgrims passed through was also dangerous, and natural hazards and diseases often claimed many lives along the way. Thus, the successful return of pilgrims to their families was the occasion of joyous celebration and thanksgiving for their safe arrival.
Lured by the mystique of Makkah and Madinah, many Westerners have visited these two holy cities, on which the pilgrims converge, since the 15th century. Some of them disguised themselves as Muslims; others, who had genuinely converted, came to fulfill their duty. But all seem to have been moved by their experience, and many recorded their impressions of the journey and the rituals of the hajj in fascinating accounts. Many hajj travelogues exist, written in languages as diverse as the pilgrims themselves.
The pilgrimage takes place each year between the eighth and the 13th days of Dhu al-Hijjah, the 12th month of the Muslim lunar calendar. Its first rite is the donning of the ihram.
The ihram, worn by men, is a white seamless garment made up of two pieces of cloth or toweling; one covers the body from waist to ankle and the other is thrown over the shoulder. This garb was worn by both Abraham and Muhammad. Women generally wear a simple white dress and a headcovering, but not a veil. Men's heads must be uncovered; both men and women may use an umbrella.
The ihram is a symbol of purity and of the renunciation of evil and mundane matters. It also indicates the equality of all people in the eyes of God. When the pilgrim wears his white apparel, he or she enters into a state of purity that prohibits quarreling, committing violence to man or animal and having conjugal relations. Once he puts on his hajj clothes the pilgrim cannot shave, cut his nails or wear any jewelry, and he will keep his unsown garment on till he completes the pilgrimage.
A pilgrim who is already in Makkah starts his hajj from the moment he puts on the ihram. Some pilgrims coming from a distance may have entered Makkah earlier with their ihram on and may still be wearing it. The donning of the ihram is accompanied by the primary invocation of the hajj, the talbiyah:
Here I am, O God, at Thy Command! Here I am at Thy Command! Thou art without associate; Here I am at Thy Command! Thine are praise and grace and dominion! Thou art without associate.
The thunderous, melodious chants of the talbiyah ring out not only in Makkah but also at other nearby sacred locations connected with the hajj.
On the first day of the hajj, pilgrims sweep out of Makkah toward Mina, a small uninhabited village east of the city. As their throngs spread through Mina, the pilgrims generally spend their time meditating and praying, as the Prophet did on his pilgrimage.
During the second day, the 9th of Dhu al-Hijjah, pilgrims leave Mina for the plain of 'Arafat for the wuquf, "the standing," the central rite of the hajj. As they congregate there, the pilgrims' stance and gathering reminds them of the Day of Judgment. Some of them gather at the Mount of Mercy, where the Prophet delivered his unforgettable Farewell Sermon, enunciating far-reaching religious, economic, social and political reforms. These are emotionally charged hours, which the pilgrims spend in worship and supplication. Many shed tears as they ask God to forgive them. On this sacred spot, they reach the culmination of their religious lives as they feel the presence and closeness of a merciful God.
The first Englishwoman to perform the hajj, Lady Evelyn Cobbold, described in 1934 the feelings pilgrims experience during the wuquf at 'Arafat. "It would require a master pen to describe the scene, poignant in its intensity, of that great concourse of humanity of which I was one small unit, completely lost to their surroundings in a fervor of religious enthusiasm. Many of the pilgrims had tears streaming down their cheeks; others raised their faces to the starlit sky that had witnessed this drama so often in the past centuries. The shining eyes, the passionate appeals, the pitiful hands outstretched in prayer moved me in a way that nothing had ever done before, and I felt caught up in a strong wave of spiritual exaltation. I was one with the rest of the pilgrims in a sublime act of complete surrender to the Supreme Will which is Islam."
She goes on to describe the closeness pilgrims feel to the Prophet while standing in 'Arafat: "...as I stand beside the granite pillar, I feel I am on Sacred ground. I see with my mind's eye the Prophet delivering that last address, over thirteen hundred years ago, to the weeping multitudes. I visualize the many preachers who have spoken to countless millions who have assembled on the vast plain below; for this is the culminating scene of the Great Pilgrimage."
The Prophet is reported to have asked God to pardon the sins of pilgrims who "stood" at 'Arafat, and was granted his wish. Thus, the hopeful pilgrims prepare to leave this plain joyfully, feeling reborn without sin and intending to turn over a new leaf.
Just after sunset, the mass of pilgrims proceeds to Muzdalifah, an open plain about halfway between 'Arafat and Mina. There they first pray and then collect a fixed number of chickpea-sized pebbles to use on the following days.
Before daybreak on the third day, pilgrims move en masse from Muzdalifah to Mina. There they cast at white pillars the pebbles they have previously collected. According to some traditions, this practice is associated with the Prophet Abraham. As pilgrims throw seven pebbles at each of these pillars, they remember the story of Satan's attempt to persuade Abraham to disregard God's command to sacrifice his son.
Throwing the pebbles is symbolic of humans' attempt to cast away evil and vice, not once but seven times - the number seven symbolizing infinity.
Following the casting of the pebbles, most pilgrims sacrifice a goat, sheep or some other animal. They give the meat to the poor after, in some cases, keeping a small portion for themselves.
This rite is associated with Abraham's readiness to sacrifice his son in accordance with God's wish. It symbolizes the Muslim's willingness to part with what is precious to him, and reminds us of the spirit of Islam, in which submission to God's will plays a leading role. This act also reminds the pilgrim to share worldly goods with those who are less fortunate, and serves as an offer of thanksgiving to God.
As the pilgrims have, at this stage, finished a major part of the hajj, they are now allowed to shed their ihram and put on everyday clothes. On this day Muslims around the world share the happiness the pilgrims feel and join them by performing identical, individual sacrifices in a worldwide celebration of 'Id al-Adha, "the Festival of Sacrifice." Men either shave their heads or clip their hair, and women cut off a symbolic lock, to mark their partial deconsecration. This is done as a symbol of humility. All proscriptions, save the one of conjugal relations, are now lifted.
Still sojourning in Mina, pilgrims visit Makkah to perform another essential rite of the hajj: the tawaf, the seven-fold circling of the Ka'bah, with a prayer recited during each circuit. Their circumambulation of the Ka'bah, the symbol of God's oneness, implies that all human activity must have God at its center. It also symbolizes the unity of God and man.
Thomas Abercrombie, a convert to Islam and a writer and photographer for National Geographic Magazine, performed the hajj in the 1970's and described the sense of unity and harmony pilgrims feel during the circling: "Seven times we circled the shrine," he wrote, "repeating the ritual devotions in Arabic: 'Lord God, from such a distant land I have come unto Thee.... Grant me shelter under Thy throne.' Caught up in the whirling scene, lifted by the poetry of the prayers, we orbited God's house in accord with the atoms, in harmony with the planets."
While making their circuits pilgrims may kiss or touch the Black Stone. This oval stone, first mounted in a silver frame late in the seventh century, has a special place in the hearts of Muslims as, according to some traditions, it is the sole remnant of the original structure built by Abraham and Ishmael. But perhaps the single most important reason for kissing the stone is that the Prophet did so.
No devotional significance whatsoever is attached to the stone, for it is not, nor has ever been, an object of worship. The second caliph, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, made this crystal clear when, on kissing the stone himself in emulation of the Prophet, he proclaimed: "I know that you are but a stone, incapable of doing good or harm. Had I not seen the Messenger of God kiss you - may God's blessing and peace be upon him - I would not kiss you."
After completing the tawaf, pilgrims pray, preferably at the Station of Abraham, the site where Abraham stood while he built the Ka'bah. Then they drink of the water of Zamzam.
Another, and sometimes final, rite is the sa'y, or "the running." This is a reenactment of a memorable episode in the life of Hagar, who was taken into what the Qur'an calls the "uncultivable valley" of Makkah, with her infant son Ishmael, to settle there.
The sa'y commemorates Hagar's frantic search for water to quench Ishmael's thirst. She ran back and forth seven times between two rocky hillocks, al-Safa and al-Marwah, until she found the sacred water known as Zamzam. This water, which sprang forth miraculously under Ishmael's tiny feet, is now enclosed in a marble chamber the Ka'bah.
These rites performed, the pilgrims are completely deconsecrated: They may resume all normal activities. According to the social customs of some countries, pilgrims can henceforth proudly claim the title of al-Hajj or Hajji.
They now return to Mina, where they stay up to the 12th or 13th day of Dhu al-Hijjah. There they throw their remaining pebbles at each of the pillars in the manner either practiced or approved by the Prophet. They then take leave of the friends they have made during the Hajj. Before leaving Makkah, however, pilgrims usually make a final tawaf round the Ka'bah to bid farewell to the Holy City.
Usually pilgrims either precede or follow the hajj, "the greater pilgrimage," with the 'umrah, "the lesser pilgrimage," which is sanctioned by the Qur'an and was performed by the Prophet. The 'umrah, unlike the hajj, takes place only in Makkah itself and can be performed at any time of the year. The ihram, talbiyah and the restrictions required by the state of consecration are equally essential in the 'umrah, which also shares three other rituals with the hajj: the tawaf, sa'y and shaving or clipping the hair. The observance of the 'umrah by pilgrims and visitors symbolizes veneration for the unique sanctity of Makkah.
Before or after going to Makkah, pilgrims also avail themselves of the opportunity provided by the hajj or the 'umrah to visit the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah, the second holiest city in Islam. Here, the Prophet lies buried in a simple grave under the green dome of the mosque. The visit to Madinah is not obligatory, as it is not part of the hajj or 'umrah, but the city - which welcomed Muhammad when he migrated there from Makkah - is rich in moving memories and historical sites that are evocative of him as a prophet and statesman.
In this city, loved by Muslims for centuries, people still feel the presence of the Prophet's spirit. Muhammad Asad, an Austrian Jew who converted to Islam in 1926 and made five pilgrimages between 1927 and 1932, comments on this aspect of the city: "Even after thirteen centuries [the Prophet's] spiritual presence is almost as alive here as it was then. It was only because of him that the scattered group of villages once called Yathrib became a city and has been loved by all Muslims down to this day as no city anywhere else in the world has ever been loved. It has not even a name of its own: for more than thirteen hundred years it has been called Madinat an-Nabi, 'the City of the Prophet.' For more than thirteen hundred years, so much love has converged here that all shapes and movements have acquired a kind of family resemblance, and all differences of appearance find a tonal transition into a common harmony."
As pilgrims of diverse races and tongues return to their homes, they carry with them cherished memories of Abraham, Ishmael, Hagar, and Muhammad. They will always remember that universal concourse, where poor and rich, black and white, young and old, met on equal footing.
They return with a sense of awe and serenity: awe for their experience at 'Arafat, when they felt closest to God as they stood on the site where the Prophet delivered his sermon during his first and last pilgrimage; serenity for having shed their sins on that plain, and being thus relieved of such a heavy burden. They also return with a better understanding of the conditions of their brothers in Islam. Thus is born a spirit of caring for others and an understanding of their own rich heritage that will last throughout their lives.
The pilgrims go back radiant with hope and joy, for they have fulfilled God's ancient injunction to humankind to undertake the pilgrimage. Above all, they return with a prayer on their lips: May it please God, they pray, to find their hajj acceptable, and may what the Prophet said be true of their own individual journey: "There is no reward for a pious pilgrimage but Paradise."
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In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
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One fifth of humankind shares a single aspiration: to complete, at least once in a lifetime, the spiritual journey called the Hajj.
The hajj, or pilgrimage to Makkah, a central duty of Islam whose origins date back to the Prophet Abraham, brings together Muslims of all races and tongues for one of life's most moving spiritual experiences.
For 14 centuries, countless millions of Muslims, men and women from the four corners of the earth, have made the pilgrimage to Makkah, the birthplace of Islam. In carrying out this obligation, they fulfill one of the five "pillars" of Islam, or central religious duties of the believer.
Muslims trace the recorded origins of the divinely prescribed pilgrimage to the Prophet Abraham, or Ibrahim, as he is called in Arabic. According to the Qur'an, it was Abraham who, together with Ishmael (Isma'il), built the Ka'bah, "the House of God," the focal point toward which Muslims turn in their worship five times each day. It was Abraham, too - known as Khalil Allah, "the friend of God" - who established the rituals of the hajj, which recall events or practices in his life and that of Hagar (Hajar) and their son Ishmael.
In the chapter entitled "The Pilgrimage," the Qur'an speaks of the divine command to perform the hajj and prophesies the permanence of this institution:
And when We assigned for Abraham the place of the House, saying "Do not associate Anything with Me, and purify My House for those who go around it and for those who stand and bow and prostrate themselves in worship. And proclaim the Pilgrimage among humankind: They will come to you on foot and on every camel made lean By traveling deep, distant ravines.
By the time the Prophet Muhammad received the divine call, however, pagan practices had come to muddy some of the original observances of the hajj. The Prophet, as ordained by God, continued the Abrahamic hajj after restoring its rituals to their original purity.
Furthermore, Muhammad himself instructed the believers in the rituals of the hajj. He did this in two ways: by his own practice, or by approving the practices of his Companions. This added some complexity to the rituals, but also provided increased flexibility in carrying them out, much to the benefit of pilgrims ever since. It is lawful, for instance, to have some variation in the order in which the several rites are carried out, because the Prophet himself is recorded as having approved such actions. Thus, the rites of the hajj are elaborate, numerous and varied; aspects of some of them are highlighted below.
The hajj to Makkah is a once-in-a-lifetime obligation upon male and female adults whose health and means permit it, or, in the words of the Qur'an, upon "those who can make their way there." It is not an obligation on children, though some children do accompany their parents on this journey.
Before setting out, a pilgrim should redress all wrongs, pay all debts, plan to have enough funds for his own journey and for the maintenance of his family while he is away, and prepare himself for good conduct throughout the hajj.
When pilgrims undertake the hajj journey, they follow in the footsteps of millions before them. Nowadays hundreds of thousands of believers from over 70 nations arrive in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by road, sea and air every year, completing a journey now much shorter and in some ways less arduous than it often was in the past.
Till the 19th century, traveling the long distance to Makkah usually meant being part of a caravan. There were three main caravans: the Egyptian one, which formed in Cairo; the Iraqi one, which set out from Baghdad; and the Syrian, which, after 1453, started at Istanbul, gathered pilgrims along the way, and proceeded to Makkah from Damascus.
As the hajj journey took months if all went well, pilgrims carried with them the provisions they needed to sustain them on their trip. The caravans were elaborately supplied with amenities and security if the persons traveling were rich, but the poor often ran out of provisions and had to interrupt their journey in order to work, save up their earnings, and then go on their way. This resulted in long journeys which, in some cases, spanned ten years or more. Travel in earlier days was filled with adventure. The roads were often unsafe due to bandit raids. The terrain the pilgrims passed through was also dangerous, and natural hazards and diseases often claimed many lives along the way. Thus, the successful return of pilgrims to their families was the occasion of joyous celebration and thanksgiving for their safe arrival.
Lured by the mystique of Makkah and Madinah, many Westerners have visited these two holy cities, on which the pilgrims converge, since the 15th century. Some of them disguised themselves as Muslims; others, who had genuinely converted, came to fulfill their duty. But all seem to have been moved by their experience, and many recorded their impressions of the journey and the rituals of the hajj in fascinating accounts. Many hajj travelogues exist, written in languages as diverse as the pilgrims themselves.
The pilgrimage takes place each year between the eighth and the 13th days of Dhu al-Hijjah, the 12th month of the Muslim lunar calendar. Its first rite is the donning of the ihram.
The ihram, worn by men, is a white seamless garment made up of two pieces of cloth or toweling; one covers the body from waist to ankle and the other is thrown over the shoulder. This garb was worn by both Abraham and Muhammad. Women generally wear a simple white dress and a headcovering, but not a veil. Men's heads must be uncovered; both men and women may use an umbrella.
The ihram is a symbol of purity and of the renunciation of evil and mundane matters. It also indicates the equality of all people in the eyes of God. When the pilgrim wears his white apparel, he or she enters into a state of purity that prohibits quarreling, committing violence to man or animal and having conjugal relations. Once he puts on his hajj clothes the pilgrim cannot shave, cut his nails or wear any jewelry, and he will keep his unsown garment on till he completes the pilgrimage.
A pilgrim who is already in Makkah starts his hajj from the moment he puts on the ihram. Some pilgrims coming from a distance may have entered Makkah earlier with their ihram on and may still be wearing it. The donning of the ihram is accompanied by the primary invocation of the hajj, the talbiyah:
Here I am, O God, at Thy Command! Here I am at Thy Command! Thou art without associate; Here I am at Thy Command! Thine are praise and grace and dominion! Thou art without associate.
The thunderous, melodious chants of the talbiyah ring out not only in Makkah but also at other nearby sacred locations connected with the hajj.
On the first day of the hajj, pilgrims sweep out of Makkah toward Mina, a small uninhabited village east of the city. As their throngs spread through Mina, the pilgrims generally spend their time meditating and praying, as the Prophet did on his pilgrimage.
During the second day, the 9th of Dhu al-Hijjah, pilgrims leave Mina for the plain of 'Arafat for the wuquf, "the standing," the central rite of the hajj. As they congregate there, the pilgrims' stance and gathering reminds them of the Day of Judgment. Some of them gather at the Mount of Mercy, where the Prophet delivered his unforgettable Farewell Sermon, enunciating far-reaching religious, economic, social and political reforms. These are emotionally charged hours, which the pilgrims spend in worship and supplication. Many shed tears as they ask God to forgive them. On this sacred spot, they reach the culmination of their religious lives as they feel the presence and closeness of a merciful God.
The first Englishwoman to perform the hajj, Lady Evelyn Cobbold, described in 1934 the feelings pilgrims experience during the wuquf at 'Arafat. "It would require a master pen to describe the scene, poignant in its intensity, of that great concourse of humanity of which I was one small unit, completely lost to their surroundings in a fervor of religious enthusiasm. Many of the pilgrims had tears streaming down their cheeks; others raised their faces to the starlit sky that had witnessed this drama so often in the past centuries. The shining eyes, the passionate appeals, the pitiful hands outstretched in prayer moved me in a way that nothing had ever done before, and I felt caught up in a strong wave of spiritual exaltation. I was one with the rest of the pilgrims in a sublime act of complete surrender to the Supreme Will which is Islam."
She goes on to describe the closeness pilgrims feel to the Prophet while standing in 'Arafat: "...as I stand beside the granite pillar, I feel I am on Sacred ground. I see with my mind's eye the Prophet delivering that last address, over thirteen hundred years ago, to the weeping multitudes. I visualize the many preachers who have spoken to countless millions who have assembled on the vast plain below; for this is the culminating scene of the Great Pilgrimage."
The Prophet is reported to have asked God to pardon the sins of pilgrims who "stood" at 'Arafat, and was granted his wish. Thus, the hopeful pilgrims prepare to leave this plain joyfully, feeling reborn without sin and intending to turn over a new leaf.
Just after sunset, the mass of pilgrims proceeds to Muzdalifah, an open plain about halfway between 'Arafat and Mina. There they first pray and then collect a fixed number of chickpea-sized pebbles to use on the following days.
Before daybreak on the third day, pilgrims move en masse from Muzdalifah to Mina. There they cast at white pillars the pebbles they have previously collected. According to some traditions, this practice is associated with the Prophet Abraham. As pilgrims throw seven pebbles at each of these pillars, they remember the story of Satan's attempt to persuade Abraham to disregard God's command to sacrifice his son.
Throwing the pebbles is symbolic of humans' attempt to cast away evil and vice, not once but seven times - the number seven symbolizing infinity.
Following the casting of the pebbles, most pilgrims sacrifice a goat, sheep or some other animal. They give the meat to the poor after, in some cases, keeping a small portion for themselves.
This rite is associated with Abraham's readiness to sacrifice his son in accordance with God's wish. It symbolizes the Muslim's willingness to part with what is precious to him, and reminds us of the spirit of Islam, in which submission to God's will plays a leading role. This act also reminds the pilgrim to share worldly goods with those who are less fortunate, and serves as an offer of thanksgiving to God.
As the pilgrims have, at this stage, finished a major part of the hajj, they are now allowed to shed their ihram and put on everyday clothes. On this day Muslims around the world share the happiness the pilgrims feel and join them by performing identical, individual sacrifices in a worldwide celebration of 'Id al-Adha, "the Festival of Sacrifice." Men either shave their heads or clip their hair, and women cut off a symbolic lock, to mark their partial deconsecration. This is done as a symbol of humility. All proscriptions, save the one of conjugal relations, are now lifted.
Still sojourning in Mina, pilgrims visit Makkah to perform another essential rite of the hajj: the tawaf, the seven-fold circling of the Ka'bah, with a prayer recited during each circuit. Their circumambulation of the Ka'bah, the symbol of God's oneness, implies that all human activity must have God at its center. It also symbolizes the unity of God and man.
Thomas Abercrombie, a convert to Islam and a writer and photographer for National Geographic Magazine, performed the hajj in the 1970's and described the sense of unity and harmony pilgrims feel during the circling: "Seven times we circled the shrine," he wrote, "repeating the ritual devotions in Arabic: 'Lord God, from such a distant land I have come unto Thee.... Grant me shelter under Thy throne.' Caught up in the whirling scene, lifted by the poetry of the prayers, we orbited God's house in accord with the atoms, in harmony with the planets."
While making their circuits pilgrims may kiss or touch the Black Stone. This oval stone, first mounted in a silver frame late in the seventh century, has a special place in the hearts of Muslims as, according to some traditions, it is the sole remnant of the original structure built by Abraham and Ishmael. But perhaps the single most important reason for kissing the stone is that the Prophet did so.
No devotional significance whatsoever is attached to the stone, for it is not, nor has ever been, an object of worship. The second caliph, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, made this crystal clear when, on kissing the stone himself in emulation of the Prophet, he proclaimed: "I know that you are but a stone, incapable of doing good or harm. Had I not seen the Messenger of God kiss you - may God's blessing and peace be upon him - I would not kiss you."
After completing the tawaf, pilgrims pray, preferably at the Station of Abraham, the site where Abraham stood while he built the Ka'bah. Then they drink of the water of Zamzam.
Another, and sometimes final, rite is the sa'y, or "the running." This is a reenactment of a memorable episode in the life of Hagar, who was taken into what the Qur'an calls the "uncultivable valley" of Makkah, with her infant son Ishmael, to settle there.
The sa'y commemorates Hagar's frantic search for water to quench Ishmael's thirst. She ran back and forth seven times between two rocky hillocks, al-Safa and al-Marwah, until she found the sacred water known as Zamzam. This water, which sprang forth miraculously under Ishmael's tiny feet, is now enclosed in a marble chamber the Ka'bah.
These rites performed, the pilgrims are completely deconsecrated: They may resume all normal activities. According to the social customs of some countries, pilgrims can henceforth proudly claim the title of al-Hajj or Hajji.
They now return to Mina, where they stay up to the 12th or 13th day of Dhu al-Hijjah. There they throw their remaining pebbles at each of the pillars in the manner either practiced or approved by the Prophet. They then take leave of the friends they have made during the Hajj. Before leaving Makkah, however, pilgrims usually make a final tawaf round the Ka'bah to bid farewell to the Holy City.
Usually pilgrims either precede or follow the hajj, "the greater pilgrimage," with the 'umrah, "the lesser pilgrimage," which is sanctioned by the Qur'an and was performed by the Prophet. The 'umrah, unlike the hajj, takes place only in Makkah itself and can be performed at any time of the year. The ihram, talbiyah and the restrictions required by the state of consecration are equally essential in the 'umrah, which also shares three other rituals with the hajj: the tawaf, sa'y and shaving or clipping the hair. The observance of the 'umrah by pilgrims and visitors symbolizes veneration for the unique sanctity of Makkah.
Before or after going to Makkah, pilgrims also avail themselves of the opportunity provided by the hajj or the 'umrah to visit the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah, the second holiest city in Islam. Here, the Prophet lies buried in a simple grave under the green dome of the mosque. The visit to Madinah is not obligatory, as it is not part of the hajj or 'umrah, but the city - which welcomed Muhammad when he migrated there from Makkah - is rich in moving memories and historical sites that are evocative of him as a prophet and statesman.
In this city, loved by Muslims for centuries, people still feel the presence of the Prophet's spirit. Muhammad Asad, an Austrian Jew who converted to Islam in 1926 and made five pilgrimages between 1927 and 1932, comments on this aspect of the city: "Even after thirteen centuries [the Prophet's] spiritual presence is almost as alive here as it was then. It was only because of him that the scattered group of villages once called Yathrib became a city and has been loved by all Muslims down to this day as no city anywhere else in the world has ever been loved. It has not even a name of its own: for more than thirteen hundred years it has been called Madinat an-Nabi, 'the City of the Prophet.' For more than thirteen hundred years, so much love has converged here that all shapes and movements have acquired a kind of family resemblance, and all differences of appearance find a tonal transition into a common harmony."
As pilgrims of diverse races and tongues return to their homes, they carry with them cherished memories of Abraham, Ishmael, Hagar, and Muhammad. They will always remember that universal concourse, where poor and rich, black and white, young and old, met on equal footing.
They return with a sense of awe and serenity: awe for their experience at 'Arafat, when they felt closest to God as they stood on the site where the Prophet delivered his sermon during his first and last pilgrimage; serenity for having shed their sins on that plain, and being thus relieved of such a heavy burden. They also return with a better understanding of the conditions of their brothers in Islam. Thus is born a spirit of caring for others and an understanding of their own rich heritage that will last throughout their lives.
The pilgrims go back radiant with hope and joy, for they have fulfilled God's ancient injunction to humankind to undertake the pilgrimage. Above all, they return with a prayer on their lips: May it please God, they pray, to find their hajj acceptable, and may what the Prophet said be true of their own individual journey: "There is no reward for a pious pilgrimage but Paradise."
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