Hajj being one of the fundamental five pillars of Islam, is an obligation for every Muslim to performs once in life. However, the muslims who have any kind of disability or are not financially able are spared from this obligation. Millions of Muslims gather every year at Mecca in the Islamic month of Zil-Hajj. It involves a number of rituals that Muslims undergo to become pure and rise in the sight of Allah. The duration of Hajj involves about 5 to 6 days. And after a Muslim is done performing Hajj, he becomes as pure of sins as a new born baby. This journey provides peace to your heart and soul. Anyone who performs Hajj is considered fortunate as any dua he makes does Hajj is accepted. How do I prepare for Hajj?Wearing Ihram from Meeqat: The first and foremost ritual is wearing Ihram when Muslims reach the Meekat. One can not proceed towards rest of the rituals before wearing Ihram. Ihram is a sacred two piece attire that Muslims have to wear after getting Ghussal, perfuming beard and head and getting moustache trimmed. They then perform two Rakats of Salah al-Ihram and repeatedly pronounce Talbiyah. What do you do at Hajj?Hajj involves a series of rituals that are performed sequentially. You cannot go out of the way and perform the rituals in a sequence that suits you. Here are the outline of those rituals: Tawaf around the Kaaba: Muslims perform Tawaf around Kaaba i.e. taking seven rounds of Kaaba. This is done both in Hajj and Umrah. Travel To Mina: After performing morning prayer Muslim start travelling towards Mina which is a small town in Mecca. Where they stay for a day and observe all the prayers there. Night Stay At Arafat: On the second day of Hajj, Muslims travel to Arafat from Mina while reciting Astaghfar. On reaching Arafat, pilgrims are instructed to observe ac combined prayer of Duhr and Asr along with Qasr. They do this between noon to sunset. This whole ritual is called Waquf. Offering Prayers In Muzdalifah: After the sunset the pilgrims start moving toward Muzdalifah where they offer the evening prayers and stay the night until Fajr. The ritual of 3rd day of Hajj is throwing pebbles at the devil. Each pilgrim collects 49 pebbles of similar size from Muzdalfah and heads toward Mecca to perform Tawaf Al-Ifadah and Sa’i. For more knowledge about islam and deen click here Sa’i between Safa and Marwah The act of walking a distance of 450m between the two mountains Safa and Marwah is called Sa’i. A pilgrim has to take seven such trips to complete this ritual. It is a reminder of Bibi Hajra’s act of running back and forth seven times between the mountains in search of water for Hazrat Ismail. Throwing Pebbles at Jamrat al-Aqabah: After performing Sa’i pilgrims return to Mina. Here they perform the ritual called Rami or “Stoning The Devil”. Using the 49 pebbles collected from Muzdalifah every Pilgrim has to throw seven pebbles at each of the three Jamrats. The three Jamraats are named - Jamrat al-Sughra (the smallest one), Jamrat al-Wusta (the middle one), and Jamrat al-Aqabah (the largest one). This ritual is carried out in the noon of 4th and 5th day of Hajj. Sacrificing a Goat or Cow After the Rami, Muslims are to sacrifice an animal for which they buy a coupon on their names. The animal is either a lamb or a camel. After the animal is sacrificed the meet is send to other Middle-Eastern or Poor Countries. Shaving the head Or Clipping Hair: After the sacrifice the men either get their heads completely shaved or get a part of their hair clipped. While women only get one of their locks clipped. What is the main purpose of the Hajj?The first purpose of performing a Hajj is the fulfillment of the obligation. Since it is one of the five pillars of Islam. Other purpose may include Uniting all Muslims at one place in the same clothes and performing the same rituals. No racial, national, castiel, economical, or even sectual difference between any Muslim. All are equal. It brings us closer. It also revoked a new sense of purpose and a new perspective of the world. When Muslims stand in a uniform they realise that their markers of wealth, all the materials are meaningless. And this is the only thing that is important. They get a sense of Humility. Hajj also shows the world how a million of people can gather at one place in peace despite their different mindsets. It gives a message of peace. It provides Muslims with a chance to start fresh. As the slate of sins is cleared with the grace of Allah. How is the Kaaba important in Hajj?Kaaba is considered as Islam’s most sacred site. In Hajj and Umrah, the tawaf is performed around Kaaba seven times in counter-clockwise direction.
The important thing to note is that Muslims do not worship the Kaaba, they respect it as it is told to be Allah’s house on Earth (Bayt Allah). It is also the Qibla, toward which muslim direct their bodies while observing Salah. So, Hajj is incomplete without the existence of Kaaba. Performing Hajj has a lot of significance in Islam and also provides a different perspective to a Muslim about the importance of his life. How the worldly life and treasures are unimportant. And the only true purpose to their lives is serving the humanity, standing united with their brothers and pleasing Allah. Hence, every Muslim must and should perform Hajj once in their life if they are physically and financially able.
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