The Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, is the fifth pillar of Islam, and, if possible and affordable, is required of all Muslims. The Hajj takes place during five days. It is during the 8th to the 12th of Zul-Hijjah1 (or Dhul-Hijjah).
1st Day, 8th of Zul-Hijjah – Yaum-Ut-Tarwiyah
Before anything, the pilgrim must pronounce their
intention to perform the pilgrimage. The pilgrim puts on the
Ihram2, and leaves for
Mina after Fajr prayers, or after
sunrise. Mina is a place nearby Mecca.
2nd Day, 9th of Zul-Hijjah – Yaum-Ul Arafah
After leaving Mina during sunrise, the pilgrim heads toward
Arafah. Arafah is a
desert location located about nine miles from Mecca. The pilgrims must stay within the
boundaries of Arafah which has in it, the
Mountain of Rahmah (
Mountain of Mercy). After
sunset the pilgrim goes to an area called
Muzdalifah. Muzdalifah is a desert location which is between Mina and Arafah. The pilgrim collects about 70 pea-size
pebbles, and then spends the entire night there. The pebbles should not be too big—they should be anywhere between 1-1.5 cm.
3th Day, 10th of Zul-Hijjah – Yaum-Un-Nahr
The pilgrims go to Mina before sunrise. Before
midday, the pilgrims stone the
Jamrat al-Kubra or the
Jamrat al-Aqabah. Stoning these pillars symbolizes stoning the
devil. These pebbles must touch the inside of the Jamrat’s (
pillars) fence. The pilgrim stones the the first Jamrah, then the middle, and finally the big one, hitting each with a total of 7 pebbles.
Then the pilgrim must
sacrifice an animal. The choices include a
sheep, 1/7
th of a
cow or a
camel, which may be shared by other people. One third of the meat can be consumed, one third must be offered as a
gift, and one third must be distributed to the
poor and
needy.. This sacrifice may take place any day between the 10
th and 13
th day.
Then, the pilgrim may
shave or
trim the
hair,
shower, remove the Ihram and change into everyday clothes.
Then comes the
joyous day for Muslims worldwide—
Eid-Al-Adha. It is celebrated during the 10
th day of Zul-Hijjah. It commemorates the story of the
Prophet Ibrahim (or
Abraham) willing to sacrifice his son
Ismael.
The pilgrim then returns to Mecca, and then later returns to Mina, where he/she stays until the 12
th or 13
th and throws more pebbles.
4th Day, 11th of Zul-Hijjah
The throwing of the pebbles continues.
5th Day, 12th of Zul-Hijjah
The same procedures as the 4
th day take place. The pilgrim may decide to stay until the 13
th day of Zul-Hijjah, which would require throwing the pebbles that day, as well.
The pilgrim then enters Mecca again, and performs a final
Tawaf3 al-Wada (
farewell Tawaf). The Hajj is completed at this point.
1. Zul-Hijjah is the 12th month in the Islamic calendar.
2. The Ihram is a white cloth which is worn and is the only covering of the body allowed when performing Hajj or Umrah. With the Ihram on, certain acts are prohibited, such as removing any hair, clipping nails, putting on any sort of perfume or fragrance, engaging in sexual intercourse, and more.
3. The Tawaf is a circumambulation where the pilgrim goes around the Ka’aba a total of seven times, while reciting some prayers.