The annual pilgrimage to Makkah - the Hajj - is an obligation only for those
who are physically and financially able to perform it. Nevertheless, about
two million people go to Makkah each year from every corner of the globe
providing a unique opportunity for those of different nations to meet one
another. Although Makkah is always filled with visitors, the annual Hajj
begins in the twelfth month of the Islamic year (which is lunar, not solar,
so that Hajj and Ramadan fall sometimes in summer, sometimes in winter).
Pilgrims wear special clothes: simple garments which strip away distinctions
of class and culture, so that all stand equal before God.
The rites of the Hajj, which are of Abrahamic origin, include circling the
Ka'ba seven times, and going seven times between the mountains of Safa and
Marwa as did Hagar during her search for water. Then the pilgrims stand
together on the wide plain of Arafa and join in prayers for God's forgiveness,
in what is often thought of as a preview of the Last Judgment.
In previous centuries the Hajj was an arduous undertaking. Today, however,
Saudi Arabia provides millions of people with water, modern transport, and
the most up-to-date health facilities.
The close of the Hajj is marked by a festival, the Eid al-Adha, which is
celebrated with prayers and the exchange of gifts in Muslim communities
everywhere. This, and the Eid al-Fitr, a feast-day commemorating the end
of Ramadan, are the main festivals of the Muslim calendar.
Completing the Hajj
Plains of Arafat on the day of Hajj
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Plains of Arafat on the day of Hajj
The route the pilgrims take during the Hajj
Enlarge
The route the pilgrims take during the Hajj
The greater Hajj (al-hajj al-akbar) begins on the eighth day of the month
of Dhu al-Hijjah. Pilgrims again put on ihram. They leave Mecca for the
nearby town of Mina, where they spend the rest of the day.
The next morning, on the ninth of Dhu al-Hijjah, the pilgrims leave Mina
for Mount Arafat. They must spend the afternoon within a defined area on
the plain of Arafat until after sunset. No specific rituals or prayers are
required during the stay at Arafat, called the wuquf, although many pilgrims
spend the time praying, talking to Allah, and thinking about the course
of their lives. After sunset they leave for Muzdalifah, an area between
Arafat and Mina, where pebbles are gathered for the stoning of the jamarat.
Having spent the night in Muzdalifah, the pilgrims now go back to Mina.
It is now the 10th of the month, the day of Eid ul-Adha. As the first part
of the stoning of the jamarat ritual, pilgrims throw seven pebbles at the
large jamrah (wall) in Mina. After this, an animal is sacrificed. Traditionally
the pilgrim killed the animal himself or oversaw the killing. Today many
pilgrims buy a sacrifice voucher in Mecca before the greater Hajj begins;
this allows an animal to be slaughtered in their name on the 10th without
the pilgrim being physically present.
On this day pilgrims are released from most ihram restrictions; they have
their heads shaved and change out of the ihram garment. The head shaving
is a symbol of rebirth, signifying that the pilgrim's sins have been cleansed
by completion of the Hajj. On this or the following day the pilgrims visit
the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca for a tawaf called the Tawaf az-Ziyarah (or
Tawaf al-Ifadah) which is an obligatory part of the Hajj. The night of the
10th is spent back at Mina.
On the afternoon of the 11th, pilgrims must stone all three jamarat in Mina.
The same ritual must be performed on the following day. Pilgrims must leave
Mina for Mecca before sunset on the 12th. (If they are unable to leave Mina
before sunset, they must perform the stoning ritual again on the 13th before
going to Mecca.)
Finally, before leaving Mecca, pilgrims perform a farewell tawaf called
the Tawaf al-Wada.
