It is compulsory for every Muslim to make at least one journey in their lifetime to Makkah for Hajj if they can afford it. The teachings of Hajj are very significant to a Muslim's daily life. During Hajj, we learn to establish our prayers five times a day and stay clean and pure at all times. Prayer is mandatory during the period of Hajj as well as throughout one's life. Praying near the Ka'ba rewards a Muslim more then 100,000 times the reward of praying anywhere else in the world.
Sacrificing a lamb or goat during Hajj teaches us to share and to give to the poor. It teaches us generosity, kindness, and the ability to share with others less fortunate. In Mina, when we throw pebbles at the three pillars representing shaitaan, we learn that we should be truthful and clean and live a life free of sins. We learn to try to reject and avoid the evil whispers of shaitaan and stand against him. Apart from kindness and generosity, Hajj teaches us that Allah (SWT) has blessed us greatly. The water from Zam Zam is a special gift from Allah (SWT) to Muslims till the Day of Judgement. It is that anyone who drinks the water of Zam Zam will be granted a cure from all the illnesses and diseases. Some of the scholars say that Zam Zam is whatever you make it to be, so for instance, if you drink Zam Zam water and supplicate to Allah (SWT) that He make it a source of healing from a sickness, it will indeed play that role, insha'Allah. Supplicating at Arafaat is also a blessing. All duas are answered and all wishes are made true.
This pilgrimage helps us learn the history of Islam and see how it has been held up over the past centuries. We should remember the work of our Beloved Prophet Muhammad (S). We should learn the patience and the sacrifices made by our Prophet at this very time and place many centuries ago. The gathering of Muslims all around the world helps us to remember that we are all Muslims and worshippers of Allah (SWT) and that we are all brothers and sisters in Islam. We learn the different nations and we see that Muslims are not joined together on the basis of color or race. They are joined together on the basis of belief in Allah (SWT) and his messenger (S). The pilgrimage brings Muslims of all countries, colors, and races to one place -- the Ka'ba. This strengthens the spirit of unity, equality and brotherhood. These are the values on which Islam builds the human society and it will continue this way till the Day of Judgment insha'Allah.
The Hajj (Arabic: ??? ?agg "pilgrimage", also spelled haj) means "pilgrimage". It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is thefifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so.[1] The Hajj is a demonstration of the solidarity of the Muslim people, and their submission to God (Allah in the Arabic language).[2]
The pilgrimage occurs from the 8th to 12th day of Dhu al-Hijjah, the 12th and last month of the Islamic calendar. Because the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, eleven days shorter than the Gregorian calendar used in the Western world, the Gregorian date of the Hajj changes from year to year. Ihram is the name given to the special spiritual state in which Muslims live while on the pilgrimage.
The Hajj is associated with the life of Islamic prophet Muhammad from the 7th century, but the ritual of pilgrimage to Mecca is considered by Muslims to stretch back thousands of years to the time of Abraham (Ibrahim). Pilgrims join processions of hundreds of thousands of people, who simultaneously converge on Mecca for the week of the Hajj, and perform a series of rituals: Each person walks counter-clockwise seven times around the Kaaba, the cube-shaped building which acts as the Muslim direction of prayer, runs back and forth between the hills of Al-Safa and Al-Marwah, drinks from the Zamzam Well, goes to the plains of Mount Arafat to stand in vigil, and throws stones in a ritual. The pilgrims then shave their heads, perform a ritual of animal sacrifice, and celebrate the three day global festival ofEid al-Adha.[3][4][5]
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