The Hajj: Islamic Pilgrimage to Mecca Explained

Introduction

Islam is a religion organized around one man, Mohammed, who lived from 570 to 632 CE, and centered in the ancient city of Mecca in present-day Saudi Arabia. Mohammed's teachings were revealed to him through God, and his recommendations to humanity include five essential pillars. Every Muslim, or follower of Islam, is told to follow these five pillars in order to best achieve success in the afterlife. One of the crucial elements of these five pillars is the Hajj, or the pilgrimage to Mecca, to be undertaken by every Muslim once in his or her lifetime. The Hajj has been integral to the sharing of knowledge and custom among the various Muslim communities around the world, and has indeed been a key factor in the development of the Arab people themselves. This paper discusses the Hajj — the pilgrimage to Mecca — describing its evolution as well as its present-day ramifications.

Brief Description of the Pilgrimage

The Hajj is not simply the gathering of Muslims in the city of Mecca, but rather a series of ritualistic events re-enacting the steps Mohammed took on his way to Mecca in the year 631 CE — the first and only time Mohammed completed the Hajj. The difficult journey to Mecca has been made much easier with modern transportation; however, some pilgrims still travel the ancient desert routes that the Bedouin tribes took in Mohammed's time.

The Hajj culminates with the arrival of Muslim pilgrims at the Kaaba, the cube-shaped structure at the center of Muslim prayer. Each person is to walk counter-clockwise seven times around the Kaaba, then proceed to Mount Arafat to throw stones at a representation of the devil. The culmination of these rites is an animal sacrifice and the three-day celebration of Eid al-Adha. This process may seem extremely unfamiliar to a non-Muslim, but following in the ancestral path of Mohammed holds special significance for the Muslim faithful who follow his teachings.

Importance of the Hajj

Another important aspect of the Hajj is its expense for the individual. For most of history, the average peasant Muslim could never afford the dangerous voyage to Mecca, as it demanded guides, protection, supplies, and camels — not an easily acquired combination of resources. For many centuries, the pilgrimage was seen as an activity intended for the merchant and upper classes of Muslim societies. This meant that Muslim leaders and influential people could meet on a yearly basis to conduct business and diplomacy in a neutral atmosphere. Merchants and artists were also able to reach many types of clientele through the pilgrimage, perhaps staying in Mecca or passing through to conduct trade.

Even though Islam spread throughout North Africa, into Europe, and east to Central Asia, the Quran and the religion remain centered on the Arabic language. This ensures the long-term cultural influence of the Arab people, who stand at the heart of the Islamic world. The early empires of the Muslim world in Baghdad and Turkey were content to adopt an inherently Arab religion as the faith of their empires, as it provided a strong historical foundation as well as access to the accumulated knowledge of the Arab people. Even the conquering British and French empires, Christian in their own beliefs, were willing to maintain the Muslim status quo in the Middle East, since the economic benefits of empire were attainable without interfering with Islam. One can therefore see how the religion empowers the people, and the people empower the religion, through a millennium of historical bonds that are well recorded and academically understood.