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The Islamic Bulletin

Issue 4

Page 7

The Islamic Bulletin

Issue 4

H

ajj

: T

he

F

ifth

P

illar of

I

slam

Hajj demonstrates the essence of Islam which is belief in one God,

alone. All the ceremonies a pilgrim performs, all the places through

which he goes during Hajj remind him of a great deal of history of

this belief, Tawhid.

The performance of Hajj becomes obligatory (fard) upon those

Muslims 1) who have the means to afford the journey and 2) are

physically able to do it and 3) if the way is safe and free from dan-

gers. Hajj is obligatory once in a lifetime. The Prophet (pbuh) said,

“He who performs (Hajj) with no obscenity or evil practices will

come out as a newly born baby - free from all sins.” (Bukhari

& Muslim)

B

lessings

and

E

ffects of

H

ajj

The pilgrim’s mind which pulsates with the desire to visit the

House of God, learns to retain only virtuous thoughts. He re-

pents for his past sins and seeks forgiveness from people whom

he might have wronged. He is careful that nobody is harmed

by him while he tries to render whatever service or help he

can do to others.

He desists from abuse, indecency, dishonesty, squabbles and bicker-

ing. Thus the entire journey constitutes Ibadah. This is the journey

which continuously purifies man’s nafs (soul).

Every year, in each of the different parts of the world, hundreds of

thousands of Muslims get prepared for Hajj with a newly kindled

spark of the love of God; their influence will improve the moral

state of vast numbers of people.

When these people, filled with the thrill of Hajj return from the

center of their religion to their cities and villages all around the

world, and meet thousands of individuals, and relate to them

their Hajj experiences, it causes an awareness, an awakening

and God-consciousness throughout the whole Muslim Ummah

(nation).

Hajj demonstrates the real and practical unity and brotherhood of

mankind. Pilgrims belonging to hundreds of countries and commu-

nities, languages and colors, flock to one center through a thousand

and one routes. They remove their national dress and everybody

without exception puts on Ihram, nothing more than two sheets of

unsown cloth and a pair of slippers.

Pride and vanity are given up. Poor and rich, black and white, Arab

and non-Arab, American and African, rulers and ruled, are all clad

in similar dress, moving simultaneously in the same direction, raising

one slogan, Talhiya. In this way, the differences of nationalities and

races and colors are obliterated and a universal group of God-wor-

shippers is constituted.

The month of Hajj is the season of peace, Mecca is the place of

peace; Hajj is the greatest conference of peace known in the history

of mankind.

Hajj is a declaration of strong rejection of all kinds of shirk (wor-

ship of any other than God). The pilgrim rejects all concepts of

special holiness related to man or place or even prophets. In

Islam, nothing is holy other than God, The Almighty. He alone

is Quddus (holy); it is His name. He has no partner in any of

His Attributes.

H

ajj

in

O

utline

8th Zul- Hijjah

- Enter Ihram from Miquat or from the staying place at Mecca.

- Crying out of Talbiya (“Labbayk Allahumma Labbayk, Labbayk

la sharika laka Labbayk, Innal hamda, wanni’ mata laka walmulk

La sharika lak.”

- “Here I am, O Allah, (in response to Your call), here I am. Here

I am, You have no partner, here I am. Indeed all the Praise, Grace

and Sovereignty belong to You. You have no partner.”)

- Set out for Mina the same day and stay there at night (offering the

five prayers: zuhr, asr, mahgrib, isha and fajr)

9th Zul-Hijjah

- Leave Mina for Arafat before midday.

- Stay at Arafat plain praying to God until sunset. This is the most

important part of Hajj (pray zuhr and asr prayers together at zuhr

time)

- Return to Muzdalifa, pray mahgrib and isha together, sleep, offer

fajr prayers and leave before sunrise.

10th Zul-Hijjah

- Come back to Mina and throw seven pebbles at Jamrat ul-Aqaba

(the last pillar).

- Sacrifice of animals, usually cattle, camels and goats.

- Go to Mecca and perform Tawaf and Sa’ee.

- Return to Mina and stay 2 or 3 nights there.

11th and 12th Zul-Hijjah

- Throw seven pebbles at each pillar each day.

Before Leaving

- Come back to Mecca and perform Tawaf.

One who arrives in Mecca on the 9th of Zul-Hijjah must go

straight to Arafat and perform the rest of the rites. His Hajj is

completed.

H

ajj

V

ocabulary

Tawhid

- belief in one God, alone.

Ka’aba

- a cubic structure, the most ancient structure dedicated to

the worship of God; first built by the Prophets Ibrahim and Isma’il

(peace be upon them.)

Al-Masjidul Haram

- the large star-shaped mosque around the

Ka’bah, also called Haram for short.

Mecca

- the ancient city in Arabia where the Haram and the Ka’bah

are situated.

Qibla

- the direction of the Ka’bah which all Muslims face when

they pray from any place on earth.

Hajj

- to set out for the Ka’bah and perform specific rites during

8th through 13th ZulHijjah, the 12th month of the Islamic cal-

endar.

Umra

- to set out for the Ka’bah and perform some specific rites at

any time during the year.

Ihram

- to take off usual clothes and put on two seamless sheets;

to enter into a state of devotion with the intention of Hajj or Umra.

The dress and the intention are both called lhram.

Miqat

- the place for lhram.

Talbiya

- the devotional calls to be recited loudly, “Here I am, here

I am, O God!” frequently during the Hajj period.

Tawaf

- to circumambulate the Ka bah.

Al-Hajarul Aswad

- the Black Stone, a remainder of the original

Ka’bah built by the Prophets Ibrahim and Isma’el (pbut)

Muqamu-Ibrahim

- the stone on which lbrahim (pbuh) stood while

building the Ka’bah, now situated about ten yards from the Ka’bah

covered with a glass box. Also called Muqamu for short.

Zamzam

- the ancient well about thirty yards east of the Ka’bah,

first found by the Prophet Isma’el (pbuh).

Safa & Marwa

- two hills near the Ka’bah now enclosed by the

Haram buildings.

Sa’ee

- to walk between Safa and Marwa.

Mina

- a town five miles east of Mecca.

Arafat

- the plain about fourteen miles east of Mecca.

Muzdalifa

- a place between Mina and Arafat where the Masha’rul

Haram mosque is located.

Jamrat

- three pillars of stone at Mina.

Ramy

- to throw pebbles at Jamrat.

Nahr

- to slaughter a camel, sheep, goat or cow, etc.

Wuqoof

- to stay at Arafat from midday to sunset of the 9th of

Zul-Hijjah.

Mabit

- to stay nights, first in Muzdalifa, later on in Mina.

Masjid an-Nabawi

- the mosque of Medina.

Masjid Quba

- the mosque near Medina.

Ibadat

- complete acceptance of God’s will, of which formal wor-

ship is a part.

Q: 1. Who was the first man to embrace

Islam?

Q: 2. Is it OK to talk during the Khutbah of

the Friday prayers?

Q: 3. If you started Prayers (Salah) and re-

membered that you did not have Wudhu

(ablution), what should you do?

Q: 4. How many times does a Muslim have

to make a pilgrimage (Hajj)?

Q: 5. What was the name of Prophet Ishma-

el’s mother?

A: The first man to embrace Islam was Abu Bakr

Siddiq.

A: No, it is not OK to talk during the Friday prayer

Khutbah.

A: If you started the prayer (Salah) and remembered

that you did not have the ablution (Wudhu) then

stop performing the prayer (Salah), make Wudhu and

repeat the Salah.

A: A Muslim is supposed to make the pilgrimage (Hajj)

at least once a lifetime.

A: Hagar (Hajar) was the name of Prophet Ishmael’s

mother.

I

slamic

V

ocabulary