HAJJ also spelt hadjdj , or hadj , in Islam, the pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, which every adult Muslim of either sex must make at least once in his or her lifetime. Fifth of the fundamental Muslim practices and institutions known as the Five Pillars of Islam, the pilgrimage rite begins on the seventh day of Dhu al-Hijjah (the last month of the Islamic year) and ends on the twelfth day.
The hajj is incumbent on every Muslim who is physically and financially able to make the pilgrimage, but only if his absence will not place hardships on his family. A person may perform the hajj by proxy, appointing a relative or a friend going on the pilgrimage to "stand in" for him or her. The Prophet Muhammad established the pattern of pilgrimage rites, but variations have arisen in it, and the stringent formal itinerary is not strictly adhered to by the mass of pilgrims who frequently visit the various Meccan sites out of their proper order.
When the pilgrim is about 10 km from Mecca, he enters the state of holiness and purity known as ihram and dons the ihram garments, consisting of two white seamless sheets that are wrapped around the body. Neither cutting his hair nor his nails until the pilgrimage rite is over, the pilgrim enters Mecca and walks seven times around the sacred shrine called the Kabah, in the Great Mosque, and kisses or touches the Black Stone (Hajar al-Aswad) in the Kabah. He prays twice in the direction of the Maqam Ibrahim and the Kabah, and runs seven times between the minor prominences of Mount Safa and Mount Marwah. On the seventh of Dhu al-Hijjah the pilgrim is reminded of his duties. At the second stage of the ritual, which takes place between the eighth and the twelfth days of the month, the pilgrim visits the holy places outside Mecca - Jabal ar-Rahmah, Muzdalifah, and Mina - and sacrifices an animal in commemoration of Abraham's sacrifice. The pilgrim's head is then usually shaved and after throwing seven stones at each of the three pillars (that exemplify various devils) at Mina on three successive days, he returns to Mecca to perform the farewell tawaf, or circling, of the Kabah before leaving the city.
About 2,000,000 persons perform the hajj each year, and the rite serves as a unifying force in Islam by bringing followers of diverse backgrounds together in religious celebration. Once a believer has made the pilgrimage he may add the title haji to his name.
Sunday 30 June 2013
