Pilgrimage

The fifth pillar of Islam is to make a pilgrimage (Hajj) to Makkah, in Saudi Arabia, at least once in one's lifetime. This pillar is obligatory for every Muslim, male or female, provided that he/she is physically and financially able to do so.

Prerequisites for performing the Hajj are to be a Muslim, to be free, to be an adult or mature enough, to be of sound mind, and to have the ability to afford the journey and maintain one's dependents back home for the duration. The reward for the Hajj is nothing less than Paradise.

The Hajj is the ultimate form of worship, as it involves the spirit of all the other rituals and demands of the believer great sacrifice. On this unique occasion, nearly two million Muslims from all over the globe meet one another in a given year. Regardless of the season, pilgrims wear special clothes (Ihram) - two, very simple, unsown white garments - which strips away all distinctions of wealth, status, class and culture; all stand together and equal before Allah (God).

The rites of Hajj, which go back to the time of Prophet Abraham who built the Ka'bah, are observed over five or six days, beginning on the eighth day of the last month of the year, named Dhul-Hijjah (pilgrimage). These rites include circumambulating the Ka'bah (Tawwaf), and going between the mountains of Safa and Marwah, as Hajjara (Abraham's wife) did during her search for water for her son Isma'il. Then the pilgrims stand together on the wide plain of Arafah and join in prayers for God's forgiveness, in what is often thought of as a preview of the Last Judgment. The pilgrims also cast stones at a stone pillar which represents Satan. The pilgrimage ends with a festival, called 'Id al-Adha, which is celebrated with prayers, the sacrifice of an animal, and the exchange of greetings and gifts in Muslim communities everywhere.
 

Submission to the One and Only God

In Islam, God should be the goal of the human heart. Since Allah has attributed the Ka‘bah to Himself, this connection is enough in itself to make one yearn for this blessed location and its surrounding space.

The pilgrim should always be aware that the moment he leaves his family and homeland behind, his resolve should be purely for the sake of Allah, untarnished by hypocrisy and desire for any personal material gain. He should be fully aware that only what is sincere in his intention and action will be accepted and cherished by Allah.

The Bond of Faith

If the pilgrim hopes his visit is to be accepted, he should carry out God’s commands, cast off iniquities, repent for all acts of disobedience, and sever his heart’s connection from all worldly concerns during Hajj. Then he can turn to Allah as he turns his face in the direction of the Ka‘bah in each prayer. Unless the pilgrim does so, he will get nothing from his journey except trouble and hardship at the outset, and dismissal and rejection at the end.

Leaving his house, the pilgrim should know that he has now left hearth and home, bound for God on a journey unlike any worldly voyage. The seamless garments worn in the state of ihram (consecration) remind him of the shroud he will wear after death. The pilgrim should be conscious at heart of what he wishes, where he is heading, and Whom he intends to reach. Allah is the Host of the visitors to His House who have been summoned and have answered the call, in whom a great longing has been awakened.

The diversity of the pilgrims reflects the diversity of all humankind at the assembly point on the Day of Resurrection. The separation from family and relatives should put the pilgrim in mind of the desolation and solitude of the tomb, where he will find nothing to relieve his agony but his hope in God’s love and mercy.

Observing Ihram

Responding to the summons of Allah, one should recall that mankind will be summoned and gathered together at the site of resurrection, responding to Allah’s call. They will be divided into the favored and the abhorred, the accepted and the rejected.  Exactly like the pilgrims at the assembly point, they will be oscillating initially between fear and hope, when they do not know whether or not they will be enabled to complete their pilgrimage and whether their deeds have been accepted by Allah.

As the pilgrim reaches Makkah, he should remember that he has arrived safely at the Sanctuary of Allah. Allah has chosen to attribute the Ka‘bah to His own Self because it was the first place established on earth for devotion of the One God.  Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) and his son Isma‘il (Ishmael) once shared in building it, long before the time of Prophet Muhammad. Entering the Holy Sanctuary, the pilgrim should naturally dread not being worthy to approach Allah. Yet his hope should be uppermost, for Allah is Generous and Compassionate, the honor of the House is tremendous, the visitor’s right is respected, and protection is assured for all who seek refuge.

The pilgrim’s heart should be filled with reverence, fear, hope and love, especially during tawaf (circumambulation of the Ka‘bah). One should not suppose that the purpose of it is the physical circumambulation of the House. It is not a body rotating around another physical body. The true purpose is the circling of the heart around remembrance of the Lord of the House, making Allah (God) the center of his life. The heart should reach a point when consciousness begins with Allah alone and ends with Him alone, just as the circumambulation starts from a point around the House and ends at that same point.

Supplication at the Mount of Arafat

Standing at Arafat, pilgrims gather for supplication with their different tongues and different ethnic backgrounds, which recalls the site of resurrection. When their aspirations are joined, their hearts become devoted exclusively to humble supplication and entreaty, their hands raised to Allah, their necks outstretched, and their eyes turned heavenward as they aspire of one accord in quest of mercy.

They should not suppose that God will disappoint their hopes, frustrate their endeavor, or begrudge them an overwhelming mercy. It is said that it is a grievous sin for a Muslim to attend the standing on Arafat and to imagine that Allah has not forgiven him, as it would be doubting Allah’s infinite compassion and generosity. The conjugation of aspirations and the strength derived from contiguity constitute the secret of pilgrimage and its ultimate purpose. There is no way to obtain Allah’s mercy in such abundance as by the conjugation of aspiration and the simultaneous mutual support of all hearts.

Visiting the City of God’s Messenger

Muslims regard Prophet Muhammad to be the moral example and chosen guide for mankind. He is the last prophet who received the last Testament to complete the revelation of the Old and New Testaments that were revealed to the Prophets Musa (Moses) and ‘Isa (Jesus). Visiting his tomb at Madinah is not an essential obligation to make Hajj valid or complete. Honoring him remains a matter of the heart, and a Muslim proves his love towards the Prophet by following his path of Islam.

However, it is strongly recommended that whoever can reach Madinah should visit the Prophet’s burial place to pay his respect to the greatest teacher that the world has ever known. Remembering his struggle for justice and equality, the Muslim knows in his heart that Muhammad was a humble human being. His message was sacred, but he died like any other human being and the ultimate sacredness and divinity remains for Allah only.

Aware that Prophet Muhammad’s precious steps have trodden in every place around Madinah, the pilgrim ought to walk with dignity and caution, recalling the Messenger’s humility and graceful gait. The purpose should be pure love for the Prophet and longing to behold his city of refuge and early Islamic society.

Visiting the tomb should be controlled by the most decent manners, for visiting a Prophet in death should be as visiting him in life. One should approach the tomb as he would approach the noble person of the Prophet if he were still alive. Touching and kissing the tomb is not allowed. Muslims’ respect and love is not for the walls or stones of any tomb, not even that of the Prophet, but should be for the great message and the noble person who strived to convey it throughout his life.

To conclude, throughout Hajj, the pilgrim should watch the duties of his heart at all stages. He will realize if he has been accepted or not by watching his heart and its conduct. If he finds his heart adverse to this world and inclined to be intimate with Allah, then he may count on acceptance, for Allah accepts only those whom He loves.

Throughout the performance of Hajj, the pilgrim can easily observe that it is a course of spiritual enrichment and moral rearmament, a journey of intensified devotion and disciplinary experience, a course of humanitarian interests and inspiring knowledge, all put together in one single Pillar of Islam.

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