Hajj Info

Once a year, Muslims of every ethnic group, color, social status, and culture gather together in Makkah and stand before the Kaaba praising Allah together.
It is a ritual that is designed to promote the bonds of Islamic brotherhood and sisterhood by showing that everyone is equal in the eyes of Allah.

The Hajj makes Muslims feel real importance of life here on earth, and the here after, by stripping away all markers of social status, wealth, and pride. In the Hajj all are truly equal.
The Hajjis or pilgrims wear simple white clothes called Ihram. During the Hajj the Pilgrims perform acts of worship and they renew their sense of purpose in the world.

For Muslims, the Hajj is the fifth and final pillar of Islam. It occurs in the month of Dhul Hijjah which is the twelfth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. It is the journey that every sane adult Muslim must undertake at least once in their lives if they can afford it and are physically able.

Four thousand years ago the valley of Makkah was a dry and uninhabited place.

Muslims believe the Prophet Ibrahim (AS) (Abraham) was instructed to bring his wife, Hajira (Hagar) and their child Is'mail to Arabia from Palestine to protect them from the jealousy of Ibrahim's first wife Sarah.

Allah told the Prophet Ibrahim to leave them on their own, and he did so, with some supplies of food and water. However the supplies quickly ran out and within a few days Hajira and Is'mail were suffering from hunger and dehydration.

In her desperation Hajira ran up and down two hills called Safa and Marwa trying to see if she could spot any help in the distance. Finally she collapsed beside Is'mail and prayed to Allah for deliverance.

Is'mail struck his foot on the ground and this caused a spring of water to gush forth from the earth called ZamZam. Hajira and Is'mail were saved. Now they had a secure water supply they were able to trade water with passing nomads for food and supplies.

After a while the Prophet Ibrahim returned from Palestine to check on his family and was amazed to see them running a profitable well.

The Prophet Ibrahim was told by Allah to build Kaaba dedicated to him. Ibrahim and Is'mail constructed a small stone structure - the Kaaba or Cube - which was to be the gathering place for all who wished to strengthen their faith in Allah.

As the years passed Is'mail was blessed with Prophethood and he gave the nomads of the desert the message of surrender to Allah.

After many centuries, Makkah became a thriving city thanks to its reliable water source, the well of Zam Zam.

Gradually, the people began to adopt polytheistic ideas, and worship spirits and many different gods. The shrine of the Prophet Ibrahim was used to store idols.

After many years, Allah told the Prophet Muhammed that he should restore the Kaaba to the worship of Allah only.

In the year 628 the Prophet Muhammed set out on a journey with 1400 of his followers. This was the first pilgrimage in Islam, and would re-establish the religious traditions of the Prophet Ibrahim.

It's best to travel light, so only take essentials.

Many pilgrims fly to Jeddah, and then travel to Makkah by bus.

Once you get to Makkah, there are two rituals which you can perform; the lesser pilgrimage or Umrah, and the main pilgrimage or Hajj.

The Umrah is an extra, optional pilgrimage and does not count as the once-in-a-lifetime Hajj. Although it includes some of the rituals of the Hajj, they are shortened and there are fewer of them.

Most pilgrims who come for the Hajj arrive a few days before it actually starts and perform Umrah first. Combining the Hajj with the Umrah is called a Hajji-Tamattu.

To carry out the pilgrimage rituals you need to be in a state of Ihram, which is a special state of ritual purity.

You do this by making a statement of intention, wearing special white clothes (which are also called ihram) and obeying the regulations below.

Engage in marital relations
Shave or cut their nails before Hajj (between 1 to 10 Zilhajja)
Use cologne or scented oils
Kill or hunt anything
Fight or argue.
Women must not cover their faces, even if they would do so in their home country
Men may not wear clothes with stitching.
Bathing is allowed but scented soaps are frowned upon.

The Hajj is a real pilgrimage - a journey, with rites and rituals to be done along the way.

You begin at a place just outside Makkah called the Miqat, or entry station to the Hajj.

There you bathe, put on the Ihram (the special white clothes), make the intention for Umrah and begin reciting the Talbiya Du'a (prayer).

Here I am at Your service, O Allah, here I am at your service! You have no partner. Here I am at your service. All praise and blessings belong to you. All dominion is yours and You have no partner. Talbiya Du'a

Labbayk Allahumma Labbayk,
Labbayka La Sharika Laka Labbayk,
Innal Hamda, Wa n-Niyamata, Laka wal Mulk,
La Sharika Lak

Then you go to the Masjid al Haram and walk around the Ka'ba seven times repeating du'as and prayers. This is called the Tawaf. Afterwards you should sip some Zam Zam water.

Zam Zam water is water from the Zam Zam well, the sacred well which opened in the desert to save Hajira and Is'mail from dying of thirst.

Next you go to the walkway between the hills of Safa and Marwa and walk back and forth between them seven times.

This completes the Umrah portion of the Hajj rituals and some of the Ihram restrictions are relaxed.