Hajj (Pilgrimage)

Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam, the pilgrimage to the Holy Kaabah in Makkah.

Foundations

• Hajj was made obligatory for Muslims in 9 A.H.
• The Kaabah (Bait-Ullah) is located in the city of Makkah.
• The first Prophet to construct the Kaabah was Hazrat Adam (AS); it was later rebuilt by Hazrat Ibrahim (AS).
• The first Amir-ul-Hajj, appointed by the Holy Prophet (ﷺ), was Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA).
• The main objective of Hajj is Taqwah (God-consciousness).
• The minimum number of times Hajj is obligatory during a lifetime is one.
• The Holy Prophet (ﷺ) himself performed Hajj only once, in 10 A.H. — known as his last pilgrimage.

The Circles Around the Kaabah

• First (innermost) circle: Masjid-e-Haram.
• Second circle: Makkah Mukarma — this circle is forbidden to all non-Muslims.
• Third circle: Haram.
• Fourth circle: Mowaqeet.
• Hajj-e-Akbar refers to Hajj performed on a Friday.

Hajj vs Umrah

• The key difference: Umrah is a Sunnah and not Farz, while Hajj is obligatory (Farz) once in a lifetime for those who are able.

Faraiz, Wajibat & Sunnah of Hajj

• Hajj has three Faraiz (obligatory acts): Ihram, Tawaf-e-Kaabah, and Sayee.
• Hajj has six Wajibat (necessary acts).
• Hajj has ten Sunnah acts.
• The act of going around the Holy Kaabah seven times is called Tawaf.
• 'Shoot' in Hajj terminology means to move around the Holy Kaabah once.
• The Rukn-e-Azam (greatest pillar) of Hajj is Waqoof-e-Arfah (standing at Arafat).
• Pilgrims stay in the plain of Arafat during Waqoof-e-Arfah on the 9th and 10th of Zul-Hajj.
• The race pilgrims run between Safa and Marwa is called Sayee.
• Talbeeh means 'to say Labbaik.'
• The technical name for kissing the Hajar-e-Aswad is Istalam.
• Multazim is the name of the portion of the wall of Bait-Ullah lying between Bab-e-Kaabah and Hajar-e-Aswad.
• Halaq is the name given to the shaving of the head during Hajj.
• There are six types of circumambulation (Tawaf) of the Holy Kaabah, and Ihram literally means 'to wear the two white un-sewn sheets of cloth.'
• Females wear three pieces of cloth for Ihram; males wear two white un-sewn sheets.

Places, Distances, and Meeqats

• Pilgrims are required to wear Ihram at a designated place called Meeqat.
• There are five Meeqats fixed for pilgrims coming from different regions:
• Zul-Hanifah — for pilgrims from Madinah.
• Jaffah — for pilgrims from Syria.
• Yalmalam — for pilgrims from Pakistan and India.
• Others include Zaat-e-Arq and Qirn-ul-Manazil.
• Distance between Makkah and Yalmalam is 60 Km.
• Distance between Makkah Mukarma and Mina is 5 Km.
• Distance between Mina and Arafat is 10 Km.
• Distance between Makkah and the plain of Arafat is 15 Km.

The Days of Hajj

• Total days of Hajj: five.
• 8th Zil-Hajj — pilgrims assemble at Mina; this day is called Yaum-ul-Tarvia, and pilgrims spend the day at Mina.
• 9th Zil-Hajj (Yaum-e-Arafat) — pilgrims perform Waqoof-e-Arfah; two prayers are offered during Waqoof-e-Arafat.
• After Arafat, pilgrims move to Muzdalfah, where Maghrib and Isha prayers are offered together.
• From Muzdalfah, pilgrims proceed to Mina, where they throw pebbles at the Satans (Rami).
• Six prayers in total are offered at Mina across the days of Hajj.
• The place where Hazrat Adam (AS) and his wife Eve (Hawwa) are believed to be buried is Arafat.

Tawaf

• There are five types of Tawaf, the first of which is called Tawaf-e-Ifadah.
• The next destination for pilgrims after completing Tawaf of the Kaabah is Al-Multazim.
• The next destination after performing Sayee is Mina.