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Hajj
literally means to travel (towards God) and it also means an
effort to dominate something (the self, in this connection).
Conventionally this term is translated as "pilgrimage,"
although this is far from giving the exact significance of the
word Hajj. This is the fifth of the religious duties of a Muslim.
It is obligatory on every adult, man or woman, to go once in his
or her lifetime to Makkah in order to perform there the great
effort to train himself or herself to comply with the commands of
Allah and submit willingly to His Will. Those who do not possess
the material means of travel are exempted from it. The Qur'an
(3:96) does not exaggerate when it says that this is the oldest
house in the world dedicated by mankind to Allah and to the creed
of monotheism. If one were to think only of Ibrahim (Abraham-peace
and blessings be upon him) who, according to some reports, was but
the restorer of the edifice erected originally by Adam- it would
still be older than the temple of Jerusalem constructed by
Sulayman (Solomon). No other place of worship older than the
Ka`bah of Makkah is known to be still functioning.
The
Rites of Hajj
At
the borders of the sacred territory around Makkah, the pilgrim
puts off the ordinary dress and puts on by way of a religious
uniform two sheets of cloth-a waist cloth and a shoulder cover-a
dress required only of men, not of women. The male pilgrim is
bare-headed. The pilgrim goes to `Arafat in the suburbs of Makkah
to pass there the day in meditation. Towards evening, the pilgrim
returns, passes the night at Muzdalifah, and early next morning
arrives in Mina, which is on the outskirts of Makkah. There the
pilgrim passes three days, during which he or she symbolically
stones Satan every morning, sacrifices a goat or other animal, and
pays a short visit to the Ka`bah to perform the ritual sevenfold
circumambulation and running between the hills of Safa and Marwah
in front of the Ka`bah.
The
Stoning of Satan
When
Ibrahim claimed to love Allah above everything else, Allah
demanded of him as a proof the immolation of his beloved son. To
add to this trial, Satan went first to Ibrahim to dissuade him
from his resolution-and they say that this happened at Mina-but
Ibrahim chased Satan away by pelting stones at him. So the pilgrim
repeats the acts symbolically and resolves to fight diabolic
temptation.
Circumambulation
(Tawaf)
The
visit of the House of Allah is self-explanatory. To give evidence
of obedience, the pilgrims go there with respect and in humility.
They manifest their devotion to this religion by circumambulating
around the Ka`bah, the symbol that represents the unity of Muslims
all over the world.
The
Black Stone
The
Black Stone (Al-Hajar Al-Aswad) requires a particular mention on
account of the many misunderstandings on its score. This stone is
not worshiped, nor do Muslims even prostrate in the direction of
this stone, prostration being done towards any and every part of
the building of the Ka`bah. It may be recalled that when the
Qaramitah ravaged Makkah in 318 a.h. 930 c.e., they carried the
Black Stone to their country as booty and it remained there for 21
long years. In the course of this absence of the Black Stone, no
Muslim turned to the place where it was kept (in `Uman), but
continued to turn towards the Ka`bah in Makkah. Even the building
of the Ka`bah is not essential: if it is demolished, for instance
for repairs and new construction, Muslims turn to the same spot,
whether the Ka`bah with its Black Stone is there or not.
Running
between Safa and Marwah
As
to the act of covering the ground between Safa and Marwah seven
times, it is related that when Ibrahim left his wife Hajar and the
suckling Isma`il in the desolate and uninhabited site of Makkah,
the provision of water was soon exhausted. So Hajar ran hither and
thither, driven by maternal affection, to search for some water
for the thirst-stricken baby. Then the spring Zamzam gushed forth.
So the pilgrim repeats this act in the same place where Hajar did
it, to pay homage to maternal love and to give thanks for the
mercy of Allah.
Social
Aspects
The
social aspect is not less striking. The world brotherhood of
Muslims manifests itself there in the most vivid manner. The
believers, without distinction of race, language, birthplace or
even class, feel the obligation to go there and to mix with one
another in a spirit of fraternal equality. They camp together in
the desert and perform their religious duties in common. For
several days, at fixed hours, they march, make a halt, pass the
night under tents or in bivouac-all this, to a greater extent than
the five daily Prayers-trains the soldier of Allah for a life of
discipline.
The
Last Sermon
When
the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed his own
Hajj, a few months before his demise, he then uttered from above
the Mount of Mercy (Jabal Ar-Rahmah) a sermon which constitutes
the Charter of Humanity in Islam. Some 140,000 Muslims came that
year from all parts of Arabia to listen to this testament of their
Prophet, the main points of which are as follows:
(1)
the basic elements of Islam, viz., belief in the One God, Allah,
with no icons or other material representation;
(2)
equality of all Muslims without discrimination on account of race
or class, and there being no superiority to one over any other
except by the individual excellence in the matter of piety and
fear of Allah;
(3)
sacrosanct character of the three fundamental rights of each and
every human being concerning his or her person, property, and
honor;
(4)
prohibition of transactions involving interest, large or small;
(5)
prohibition of vendetta and private justice;
(6)
obligation of treating the womenfolk well;
(7)
constant redistribution and circulation of the private wealth to
avoid accumulation in the hands of a few (by means of the law of
obligatory inheritance, restrictions on wills and prohibition of
interest, etc.);
(8)
emphatic restatement that the Divine Revelation alone should be
the source of law for our conduct in all walks of life.
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