The Five Pillars Of Islam

1) A. What is the hajj pilgrimage?

The hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and is a highly significant practise within the tradition of Islam. Hajj means “to set out with a definite purpose”.

The hajj is the ultimate form of worship; it involves the spirit of all the other rituals and demands of the believer great sacrifice. The hajj pilgrimage is a ritual that is designed to promote the bonds of Islamic brotherhood and sisterhood by showing that everyone regardless of ethnic group, colour and social status, everyone is equal in the eyes of Allah. The hajj is designed to make Muslims believe and feel the importance of life on earth and the afterlife. The hajj is a pilgrimage to Mecca (during the 12th month) that each Muslim is expected

Since the pilgrims visit and redo the sacred tasks they are seen to be remembering and acknowledging them. Hajj is a reminder of the Hereafter when all the people gather in one place in Arafah and elsewhere, without differentiations. All of them are equal in this place and no one is better than another. The purpose of Hajj is to bring unity, pilgrims wear the same clothes, perform the same rituals, have got the same Qiblah and they visit the same places. Thus, the sense of authority does not exist. The purpose of Hajj is to also strengthen bonds, as represented in the words of the Muhammad “Your blood, your honour and your wealth are sacred to you as this day of yours in this month of yours in this land of yours is sacred.” Narrated by Bukhari, 65; Muslim, 3180. The main purpose of Hajj is to go back to Allah SWT, to detach one’s heart from everything and devote oneself completely to Allah. As well as that the purpose of Hajj is to also remind us of the Day of Judgment, of death, and our meeting with Allah

These are expressed through the rituals that are performed which highlight these Islamic beliefs. The Hajj is a significant practice of Islam as Muslims express their submission to Allah, walk in the footsteps of the Prophet Muhammad and fulfil the fifth pillar of the Islamic faith. Muslims go on the journey to communicate with God through being in his presence and worshipping him, washing away of their sins, and to understand their faith better as well as sharing the experience with millions of Muslims. The Hajj also develops spiritual awareness and understanding of what it means to live as a Muslim and to follow the faith. “And pilgrimage to the House is incumbent upon men for the sake of Allah” – Surah 3:96. During the pilgrimage steps the pilgrims learn lessons, for example during the Mikat – the arrival and the change of clothes the pilgrims learn to leave their selves behind and engage in submission. During Mecca the individuals become one within the community, they walk in counter clockwise direction as a symbol of walking the righteous path of god. Sipping water from the Zamzam is also another deed as the Zamzam is believed to have miraculous powers. “Zamzam water is what one intends to drink it for. When one drinks it to be healed, Allah heals him; when one drinks it to be full, Allah makes him full; and when one drinks it to quench his thirst, Allah