The Meaning And Significance Of The Hajj

The Hajj is the pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. When translated the Hajj means ‘To Set out for a place’. The journey consists of a five-day pilgrimage that every healthy and able Muslim should complete at least once in their lifetime. The pilgrimage is claimed to be started in the time of Abraham and according to tradition, dates back to 2,000 B.C. The holy city of Mecca began from a story in the Quran where Abraham instructed by God to leave his wife and child in the desert and in the desperate search for water Abraham’s wife ran seven times between the hills of Safa and Marwah until the angel Gabriel came and created a spring of water in the middle of the desert. From this point on Mecca, a settlement in the desert and later become the site of the House of Allah, also known as the Ka’ba.

The Pilgrimage to Mecca can be broken down into a five-stage ritual theory. Terrance Lovat is an Australian religious educator that developed a structure that fits all rituals. The ritual structure begins with the entry, which is the transition from the modern world into the mindset of the ritual, this is then followed by the preparation, climax, celebration and return. The Entry of the Hajj is traveling to Ihram also known as the holy state for pilgrims, shortly after the arrival in Ihram pilgrims travel to the holy mosque and pray to Mecca whilst moving anti-clockwise circles around the house of Allah. the preparation is the next step to the ritual and the preparation of the Hajj happens when pilgrims venture to Mina to pray. The climax of the hajj happens when pilgrims venture to Mt Arafat, where prayers and reflection are performed. At Mt Arafat, pilgrims pray to Allah for the forgiveness of sins and pray for strength in the future. During the celebration of the Hajj pilgrims return to Mina to stone the Jamrat also known as the stone pillars are represented as the devil and throwing stones at the pillars is seen as a deterrent against the devil himself. The final stage in Lovat's theory, the return is when pilgrims travel back to Mecca to perform tawaf at Ka’ba Shortly after the Tawaf participants shave their heads and an animal is sacrificed as a sign that the ritual has ended, and all restrictions are lifted.

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A pilgrimage, a journey undertaken for a religious motive and the Hajj is a significant journey for Muslim believers and pilgrims as it represents equality for all mankind. The Hajj welcomes pilgrims from all over the world irrespective of their race, colour, and culture. The Hajj is seen as a chance to wipe clean and start afresh future sin-free after participating in the five-day ritual. A quote from the Quran states that [Quran 22:27] 'And proclaim that the people shall observe Hajj pilgrimage. They will come to you walking or riding on various exhausted (means of transportation). They will come from the farthest locations.' This quote from the Quran explains that the Hajj is a time of uniting as one of the pilgrimages to Mecca.

Although the Hajjis considered a religiously driven journey, pilgrims come from all over the world with different motives for participating in the ritual. Majority of pilgrims participating in the sacred journey are Muslim believers, following a strict structure of prayers and reflections. A short clip from the British Museum shares an insight of what happens on the Hajj, the Women in the video described that despite who you, all you do on the Hajj is eat, sleep and pray. Pilgrimages are generally taken for a religious motive or belief, the pilgrimage to Mecca is no different being a religiously advised trip to be taken at least once in your life time if you are Muslim. The Hajj is a structured journey that eradicates equality in mankind and unifies everyone together to pray.

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