#21 Hajj: the Fifth Pillar of Islam

Life is a journey towards our most important destination: meeting our Lord. Hajj–‎pilgrimage to the Kaaba in Mecca–‎is a journey of preparation towards this ultimate destination.

As the fifth pillar of Islam, hajj is a one-time requirement for all able-bodied Muslims. For those who do not have the means, then true yearning to make hajj is sufficient. Hajj occurs once a year, in the first two weeks of the lunar month of Zul-Hijja (this year, in approximately three months time).

Hajj is both personal worship and a collective ritual. The pilgrim begins by making intention to go on hajj solely to please Allah. The pilgrim must then settle all worldly responsibilities, making sure that those entitled to support–elderly parents, children, even needy neighbours–have been provided for. Before reaching Mecca, the pilgrim dons “ihram”, the pilgrim’s special garb. For women, this is any simple garment covering the head and body. For men, it is two unsewn pieces of white cloth, draped over the body much like the burial shroud that covers a Muslim, in preparation for meeting his Lord at the time of death.

The state of ihram requires one to refrain from all forms of harshness: even killing insects is forbidden in this ritual state. Other actions, such as marital relations and the trimming of hair or nails, are also prohibited. As an inner state, ihram is wholehearted submission to God’s will.

Hajj touches on the past experience of humankind, and incorporates the worship of previous Prophets (may peace be on them all). According to Islamic tradition, Prophet Adam circled the heavenly throne of the Almighty, reciting God’s praises together with the angelic hosts, even before his exile from Paradise. The first Kaaba, built by Adam, is seen as the earthly manifestation of the heavenly throne, the focus of Divine presence. Destroyed during the time of Prophet Noah, the Kaaba was rebuilt by Prophets Abraham and Ishmael, and later repaired with the help of Prophet Muhammad. Hajj commemorates the experiences of these holy figures.

Upon entering the Holy sanctuary, the pilgrims–like Prophets Adam, Abraham, Ismael and Muhammad–circle the Kaaba. They run between the hills of Safa and Marwa, as Ishmael’s mother Hajjar did when searching for water. Pilgrims can drink from the well of Zamzam, the desert spring which gushed forth in response to Hajjar’s prayers. The pilgrims throw pebbles at the pillars of Mina, re-enacting Abraham and Ishmael’s stoning of the Devil, who tried to dissuade them from following Allah’s command. The final sacrifice of an animal commemorates Allah’s acceptance of a ram in place of Abraham’s firstborn son.

The most important rite of hajj, however, is standing on the plains of Arafat, on the outskirts of Mecca; here the pilgrims assemble on the ninth day of Zul-Hijj, praying to God for forgiveness, guidance and mercy, and preparing for that inescapable day when all souls will be reassembled, and “no secret will remain concealed…”

Hajj is a chance for spiritual rebirth, consecrating one’s life to the service of God. Yet it also links the pilgrim to the larger community of faith: to those who have trod before him: to those who accompany him in this collective ritual free from all human divisions; and to those who will stand with him on a future day, when no secrets are concealed, when each soul will reach the destination for which it has–or has not–prepared in its journey of life.