What Is Hajj In Islam And Why It's Important?

Hajj refers to the pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. When translated the Hajj means ‘To Set out for a place’.Every healthy and able Muslim should complete at least once in their lifetime. Tradition holds that the pilgrimage dates back to 2,000 B.C. and was initiated by Prophet Abraham. According to the Quran, the holy city of Mecca began from a story in the Quran where Abraham was instructed by God to leave his wife and child in the desert. The angel Gabriel made a spring of water in the middle of the desert for Abraham's wife after she ran seven times between the hills of Safa and Marwah in search of water. From this point onwards this settlement in the desert subsequently become the source of Zam Zam water.

Five-stage ritual framework can be used to analyse the Mecca Pilgrimage. The entering, which marks the shift from the attitude of the modern world to that of the spiritual yearing. Shortly after arriving the pilgrims change into the holy state of ihram which they have to maintain till the very end of their pilgrimage. Next step is to circle the Ka’ba anti clockwise as it is widely believed that there is a Ka’ba in the skies which is circled by numerous angels thus the prayers of the pilgrims are directly heard. Before venturing into Mina pilgrims pray on Mount Arafat then they head to mina where they stay in tents therefore the purpose is to stone the jamrat which is symbolic of satan who tried to beguiled Prophet Abraham from the Almighty’s path, each and every stone which hits the jamrat produces a wound on Satan. At the final stage they return to Mecca where men shave their head and everyone perform Tawaf shortly after that pilgrims perform Animal sacrifice that signals the end of pilgrimage thus all the restrictions are lifted.

But the question is Hajj only about a physical journey which earn pilgrims title of Haji or Hajjan, no it is more about restraining away from the path of hate, injustice or anything that corrupts the soul again. Performing hajj at times can be a physically and mentally demanding task but it is to teach pilgrims endurance, perseverance and persistence. These tedious task are an ode to the prophets who endured the most excruciating punishments for their Ummah,they were the ones who taught pagans about the beauty of Islam , about the Almighty.

The hajj is designed to accumulate god consciousness and a notion of spiritual rebirth therefore it is an opportunity to seek forgiveness for the past sins as Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) said that a person who performs Hajj “will return as a newly born baby “, i.e to say that a pilgrim will be as pure and sinless as a baby. Hajj is the best opportunity for the muslim to Ummah to pray together in the holy shrines and portray a pictures of muslims that is dissimilar to the one portrayed by western world. Mecca and Medina both cities are engulfed in vibes of love, devotion, spirituality, sanctity as Hajj is the grand display of muslim brotherhood and unity. In undertaking this pilgrimage a muslin seeks peace, peace with his fellow muslims and ultimately peace with the creater of this universe , the Almighty.

Islam is idolatrous religion this means that idol worship is prohibited and pilgrims should always keep in their mind that any kind of amulet or idol or any other other shirk article is prohibited inside the divine boundaries therefore if any one found with any suspicious article will be asked to remove it by Mutaween. Mutaween is the religious police force of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is responsible for enforcement of religious norms and laws.

In conclusion Hajj is a very profound experience for a pilgrim. One important aspect of Hajj is to return to one’s normal life but retain the experience of Hajj along with its spiritual learnings. To be able to internalize the fact to abstain from sinning or any other deed that corrupt’s the soul. Most importantly encapsulate the simplicity if the religion and respect those who have collectively ameliorated Islam as the second most followed religion of the World. if this year you are planning to perform Hajj contact TALBIYA UMRAH PVT LTS and visit our website www.talbiyaumrah.com and have a look on our newly launched Hajj packages, most probably you will find your perfect match.