| 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.
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| 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 so
journing 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."
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