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Hajj: What is the significance for the individual
Hajj: What is the significance for the individual
Differences and similarities in pilgrimages
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Oxford 2017 describes pilgrimage as “a journey to a place of particular interest or significance.” In a religious sense, pilgrimages are sacred journeys used as a rite of passage to transcend one’s current spiritual position. A pilgrimage may be undertaken to have an emotional or holy experience or strengthen and further understand one’s faith in their beliefs. The profane form of pilgrimage is considered ritual tourism, which is to experience culture and recreate on a pilgrimage, but not as an actual religious pilgrim.
Islam is a monotheistic religion, this means that the adherents of the faith have one deity, namely, Allah. The Islamic tradition was created from Allah’s revelations received by a Prophet named Muhammad in Saudi Arabia in
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The particular place of significance is Mecca, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Mecca is considered the holiest Muslim city, so holy in fact, that non-Muslims are not permitted entry under most circumstances. Therefore, ritual tourism does not exist on Hajj. Hajj is essentially a re-enactment of the rituals and prayers of previous prophets. Muslims use Hajj as a means to strengthen their faith. As he says in his book, Pilgrimage in Islam, Huseyin Yagmur see that “[The Hajj is a] blessed voyage, during which the heart and soul, rather than the rational mind will be discovered” As the largest mass gathering in the world, participants travel from all over the world to Mecca. The world-wide Muslim community are referred to as …show more content…
Muhammad paved the way for the modern version of the Hajj, but the beginnings of Hajj date back to 2000BC, in the time of Abraham. God prophesised to Abraham that he must leave his wife and son in the desert of what is now Mecca. From there he was commanded to build what is known as the Ka’ba. The Ka’ba is the building in the centre of Mecca, it was believed to be the crash site of a sacred black stone, a meteorite. Due to Hajj’s and the Ka’ba’s rich history, it now holds great sacred significance for Muslim people. In the era before Arabia was Islamic, Jahiliyyah, the Ka’ba was home to pagan idol statues, in 630 CE, Muhammad spiritually purified the Kaaba by destroying all the pagan idols, and then reconsecrated the building to Allah and the Islamic
After the fall of the Roman Empire, no one imagined that the next great world power would emerge from Saudi Arabia. Especially, because ancient empires thought that the land was worthless but they didn’t know that it had great trade routes. Trade brought them in connection with other civilizations and that’s how the city of Mecca, located in Saudi Arabia became known. The city of Mecca was a mix of religious beliefs, they used to worship many gods and had their own rituals. The world of Islam took place in Mecca where Muhammad was born in 570 CE. He became known as “the Prophet,” he was meant to be God’s final prophet. The main two groups of Islam are the Shia and Sunni; which they were created after Muhammad’s death. The Islam religion as
Rituals are held as a very important part of any society, including ours. They go back to ancient times or can be as simple as maintaining one’s hygiene. Non-western societies have rituals that may seem very foreign to us, but they have been engrained in their communities and are essential to their social structure. This interpretation will focus on the Great Pilgrimage, a ritual performed by Quechuan communities. We will be looking specifically at a community in the area of Sonqo.
The act of pilgrimage is scared to the devoted followers of any faith as it requires a commitment to religious obligations and the utmost sacrifice to an unseen deity. As one takes part in a religious journey, he or she renounces worldly obligations in efforts to fulfill the greatest form of piety.
Islam is a monotheistic religion which is originated from the Middle East or more specifically in the Arabian Peninsula early in the 7th century. This religion was founded on the teachings of the Prophet Mohammed who named this religion after the Arabic word acceptance. Islam has 2 major sects the Sunni and Shi’a. This split occurred when Mohammed died. The Sunni believed that the new leader of Islam should be determined through election but the Shi’a thought that the new leader should be Imam Ali a cousin and son in law of Mohammed. Another branch of Islam is Druze but only a small minority of Muslims who live in Lebanon, Syria and Palestine are followers of this sect (3 Faiths with One God - Islam, Arab American National Museum).
In the seventh century, a new faith arose in the Middle East known as the Islamic religion. Just like Christianity and Judaism, the Islamic religion believed in one God known as Allah. The founder of Islam was a very unique individual known as Mohammad. Mohammad had an amazing spiritual experience that transformed his life and made a great impact in history. He experienced visions and revelations from Allah which he accepted as messages. Mohammed
Some people believe that trade routes were most important reason in Islam expansion.People travel through Mecca and trade there while on their way to other cities such as Aden, Medina, and Petra.(Document A) This shows that Mecca is in the middle of many trade cities, as a result of this trade moves through the city. Trade allows people to interact and move around, when they move around they bring their religious beliefs with them. Mecca was also the home to the most famous pagan shrine, the Ka’ba(Document A).This proves that many people come to Mecca, they came seeking the Ka’ba for their own religions that were important to them. , while they were in the city they began to trade. The people came seeking the Ka’ba but they may hear some Islamic people talking about their own religion. While they listen they might like what they hear. This is not an important reason for the quick spread of Islam because the trade routes themselves don’t make people
may not always be seen to be a good thing as pilgrims spend much of
Islam is a religion that is based on the submission oneself to the will of God, who is called Allah. Muslims are the people believe in that, regardless of their culture, background or ethnicity. It is believed that God’s prophets brought a message for the people to worship one God without intermediaries and that prophet Muhammad was the end of G...
When people think about Mecca one of the first things that might come to their heads is the pilgrimage or the black stone. Muhammad is one of the reasons that Mecca is what it is today. Muhhamad was a prophet born 570 in Mecca. He was orphaned as a child and sent to ended up living with his uncle. Muhhamad would get away from everything by going to the desert to meditate. One night while alone at Mt. Hira he was visited by an angel named Gabriel. After this Muhhamad began to accept Allah and started to believe. Some of the things Muhhamad believed was Jihad, holy struggle. He also began to believe you live for Allah. He believed all those who did would be rewarded and the rest punished. Not everyone believed the way Muhammad did. People at first thought that his teachings were a threat to the religious and material order. He was accused of making up what the Angel Gabriel had told him. He got followers from the poor and people who thought they were being unequally treated. Muhhamad took these people and then left and went to Medina to find more followers. He then returned to Mecca later and took over the city and converted everyone to Islam.
In popular Sufism, a pilgrimage is the “ritual that orients the cosmos around a holy place and provides a way for participants to integrate themselves around symbols of transcendence” (Ernst). Pilgrimages to holy places is commonly practiced in South Asian countries. Sufis believe when they visit the tombs, they would receive spiritual blessings from the saint, who rests in the shrine. According to Ala’al-Dawla, a Sufi master of Kubrawi order in central Asia, “pilgrimage to tombs increase one’s spiritual concentration through contact with the earthly remains of a saint” (Ernst). Additionally, the individual seeks the path of enlightenment because they realize the importance of the pilgrimage by experiencing its struggles throughout. Once the pilgrims reach the shrine where the saint rests, they “express their love and respect for them by kissing and touching their eyes to the tombs” (Ernst). Whenever an individual travels to cities near a holy place, they often visit the tomb to kiss the saint’s feet. In fact, the essence of the pilgrimage can be felt by the individual at that moment because they have received the spiritual blessings from the saint. In addition, Sufis are usually very eager to receive the saint’s blessing because they believe the “spirits of the faithful are near their tombs” (Ernst). The pilgrimage to the tombs of saints forms an
Motives for Pilgrimage Many questions are raised when flipping through the history of the religion of Christianity. Why did Christians fight so long against Pagan rulers? Why did their religion mean so much to them, they would risk their lives for it? Maybe by narrowing the questions down, possible answers can be developed.
The word sacred has a variety of different meaning to different people depending on what context “sacred” is used. So for definition purposes according to the Oxford English Dictionary (2013) sacred is “Regarded with a great respect and reverence by a particular religion, group or individual” this is just one of the example of the definition as it hold many more but this one incorporates the meaning of a sacred place or space. Sacred Places are found in different countries and cultures, past and present. Such places are marked or embellished by architectural structures and art, therefor having the ability to appeal to a multitude of different people, but still being sacred to each individual person or group in its own specific way. The question is how much of a places sacredness or character is directly linked to the human activity that the place attracts
In some religions pilgrimage is not an important commitment for all believers, but in Islam it is essential. The word pilgrimage means to set out with a purpose or journey to a sacred world. The world is a world. For Muslims this sacred place is Mecca and the purpose is to follow in the footsteps and actions of the prophet Muhammad as he entered Mecca and to show complete submission to Allah. Unlike the minor pilgrimage to Mecca (Umrah), which can be performed.
Mecca is/was well connected to the caravan routes to Syria, Egypt and Yemen. Mohammed began to earn a living as a businessman and trader, and became known as Al-Ameen meaning honest, reliable and trustworthy.