INDEPTH: ISLAM
What is the Islamic hajj?
CBC News Online | January 12, 2006
The Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca known as hajj is attended by about two million Muslim men and women each year. Located in what is now Saudi Arabia, Mecca is significant because it is considered the birthplace of the prophet Mohammed and the site where Muslim tradition holds that God spoke to the prophet Abraham.
Because of this significance Muslims consider Mecca the holiest place on earth and all are expected to make at least one pilgrimage during their lifetime unless hindered physically or financially from making the journey. As well, all Muslims are expected to pray in the direction of Mecca several times every day.
There are three forms of performing hajj, but all require wearing a special white garment called the Ihram. The three forms differ in the degree and scope of the pilgrimage rituals. The main differences are the order and number of the rituals, when the Ihram is worn and when, or whether hair is shorn. After hajj is complete Muslims are considered cleansed of all sin.
The pilgrimage is also considered a uniting event for Muslims from around the world. Believers of Islam from all cultures come together over several days to show reverence for Allah and the founding prophets of the faith. Even though some Muslims stay in tents while others stay in posh hotels, the rituals associated with hajj are intended to bring all Muslims together equally under Allah.
After Malcolm X performed hajj, the controversial African-American leader rejected radical anti-white rhetoric and was subsequently ostracized by the leaders of the American Black Muslim movement. It was his trip to Mecca that helped him understand that Islam is not a religion exclusive to people of colour and the pilgrimage was a watershed leading him towards a more moderate political perspective on race.
When pilgrims arrive they will attend a ceremony at Mount Arafat, where Mohammed is said to have given his last sermon in 632 AD.
On the second day, prayers will be held until nightfall. The third day includes a ritual sacrifice of sheep or camel and a symbolic stoning of Satan at Mina, just outside Mecca.
The stoning ritual has attracted world attention several times – not for the ritual, but because panic has raced through the huge crowds on several occasions, leading to stampedes and mass casualties.
The worst of the stampedes was in 1990, when 1,426 pilgrims were trampled or asphyxiated in a tunnel in Mina. On Feb. 1, 2004, 244 pilgrims were crushed to death at Mina's Jamarat Bridge, where people stand to throw stones at the three pillars representing the devil and the rejection of temptation. It's the same place where 362 people died in a stampede on Jan. 12, 2006. Panic ensued after some pilgrims tripped over dropped luggage amid people rushing to carry out the ritual stoning of the devil.
The Saudi Arabian government has spent around $500 million to upgrade the Mina area in an attempt to avoid the deadly stampedes. The bridge, which handles as many as 200,000 pilgrims an hour, has been turned into a four-storey structure and more emergency exits have been added.
Part of the problem has been the growth of the hajj. In 1950, approximately 250,000 pilgrims made the trek. By 2004, that number had grown to more than 2,000,000.
Pilgrims will conclude the pilgrimage on the fourth day with the ritual of circling the holy Black Stone enshrined by the temple of Kaaba. Hajjee pilgrims are required to circle the temple seven times, three times fast and four times slowly. The circling is called Tawaf.
After circling Kaaba, pilgrims will drink water from the Zamzam spring, said to have nourished Ishmael, the son of Hagar and Abraham. Hajjees are encouraged to take leftover water home after the trip.
Pilgrims may also decide to walk seven times between the hills Safaa and Marwah, about 300 metres apart, and ending the ritual by cutting their hair or shaving their heads. However, this portion of the ritual can be deferred.
The entire pilgrimage is patterned on trips taken by Mohammed throughout his life.
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