The Peculiarities Of The Hajj Ritual

A pilgrimage is an adventure to a new or foreign place when that person is looking for an expanded view on the world around them, usually with religious intent. Pilgrimages are important to many major religions as it gives followers a sense of purpose and allows them to feel as though they have developed spiritually. The Hajj, a major pilgrimage for Islamic people, takes place each year in corroboration to the lunar calendar. This pilgrimage is extremely important to all Muslims because it is stated in the Qu ‘ran that all Muslims must at one point in their lives, if they are financially able and healthy, go to Mecca and follow in the footsteps of Muhammad. Today I will explore the historical background, analyse the pilgrimage with Lovat’s theory of ritual, find the significance of the pilgrimage to the faith, and explain who embarks on this pilgrimage.

The tradition of the Hajj came about when the prophet Abraham left his wife, Hajira, and son, Ishmael in the desert of Mecca with limited food and water. After the water had run out Hajira desperately ran between the two hills of Safa and Marwah seven times. Returning with no water she saw Ishmael scratch at the ground with his foot and out of that spot sprang water. Eventually, tribes settled because of the water and Abraham came back. After his arrival Abraham built the Kaaba which is now the centre piece to the Hajj. (Wikipedia,2019)

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The Hajj is extremely significant to the Muslim pilgrims since their prophet Muhammad was the one to reinitiate the ritual. Many Muslims mark the Hajj as a life changing experience as it’s one of renewal and rebirth. As Kristiane Backer said, “Among the lessons I learned on Hajj was that I needed to be mindful and keep the inner connection with God at all times.”(Good Reads, n.d.). Further showing the spiritual connection and learning that the Muslims undergo. It is also stated in the Quran, the Muslim bible, “Proclaim that the people shall observe Hajj pilgrimage,” (Quran 22:27), this quote simply states the all people of the religion must observe the Hajj pilgrimage.

The Hajj is one of the biggest pilgrimages in the world since all Muslims who are able-bodied and financially able to must take part in it. Some Muslims are to walk thousands of kilometres through Saudi Arabia over a period of months just to get to Mecca. In 2017, according to Wikipedia, there were 1,752,014 Muslim pilgrims that came from out of Saudi Arabia and 600,108 from within all up being a total number of 2,352,122 (Wikipedia, 2019). Since the start of the Hajj there hasn’t been any changes to the actual rituals themselves, However, in earlier years the Hajj was a dangerous pilgrimage to undertake with many people losing their lives and being robbed by pirates. Astonishingly, people would still undergo the journey to take part in the ritual of the Hajj.

The Hajj pilgrimage follows the in the way of a ritual. Therefore, Terrence Lovat’s theory of ritual can be applied. Terence Lovat is an author that writes on the religion of Islam he also created the model for ritual analysis. Lovat’s theory of ritual has five parts to the ritual analysis, leaving the normal world, the preparation, the Climax, the celebration, and the return;

• Leaving the Normal World: Members leave the original or former world to enter the ritualistic space. Once in the space they are meant to enter a different physical and mental state.

Ihram is the point in the pilgrimage where the pilgrims are “cleansed” and don, for the men, white garments that all men must where. This is to show equality of every person in front of god.

• The Preparation: Participants take part in a preparatory rite. This is also where the participants begin preparation for the climax.

The Now cleansed Muslims travel into Mecca and go to the Kaaba which they are to circle seven times. Pilgrims then journey to the two mountains of Marwah and Safa to follow in Muhammad’s footsteps and Abraham’s wife’s footsteps.

• Climax: This is the central high point of the ritual. The participants feel a strong emotional connection and are at a high point.

After running between the two mountains Muslims get near the Kaaba to pray to Allah for forgiveness. They then gather around three pillars and throw stones at them to symbolise the rejection of Satan as Abraham did when he was asked to sacrifice his son.

• Celebration: this is where participants wind down from the ritual’s climax and prepare to enter the ordinary or mundane world.

Muslims now go out and celebrate in the streets. There are animal sacrifices made and food on offer.

• Return: the return is the point in the ritual that the participants exit the ritualistic space and enter back into the ordinary or mundane world.

This is where the Muslim pilgrims leave mecca and return to the normal world. (Chase-Currier, A, 2015).

The Hajj is an extremely important pilgrimage for Muslims because it is stated in the Qu ‘ran that all Muslims must, at one point in their lives if they are financially able and healthy, go to Mecca and follow in the footsteps of Muhammad. Since the Islamic prophet Muhammad had reinstated the ritual it had become one of the five pillars of Islamic tradition. The Quran also says that any financially and physically able Muslims must take part in the ritual. The Ritual and pilgrimage of the Hajj is going to continue to grow if there are new Muslims. Its spiritual significance makes it one of the greatest pilgrimages in the world.

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