Hajj History

In Islam, the Hajj commemorates a number of events in the life of Abraham and his family in Mecca. Abraham is a prophetic figure and patriarchal father who features in the holy scriptures of Christianity, Judaism and Islam. These are sometimes collectively known as the Abrahamic faiths and are all based upon the belief in one God.

During his life, Abraham endured a succession of trials of his faith in God. One of the most significant began with his and his family's departure from Palestine to Arabia to protect his wife Hagar and son Ishmael from the seething jealousy of his first wife Sarah. Upon God's command, Abraham left Hagar and Ishmael with provisions in a desolate desert valley in Mecca, trusting that God would care for them.
The Sa'i - Pilgrims rush between Safa and Marwah
When their provisions ran out, Hagar desperately searched for water for her son in the harsh desert conditions. She ran frantically between the hills of Safa and Marwah before eventually collapsing in despair and beseeched God to help her. Miraculously, a spring of water soon gushed forth at Ishmael's feet and is known as the Zam Zam well. Pilgrims to this day re-enact her desperate search for water by walking seven times between the knolls of Safa and Marwah called the Sa'i.

In time, passing traders and nomads stopped in the desert valley and requested Hagar's permission to water their camels. When Abraham returned, he was astounded to see his wife running a well, trading water with passers-by. As the traders and nomads decided to settle in the valley, the small settlement grew into the city of Mecca and the well of Zam Zam proved to be a lucrative water source for thousands of years.

On another of his visits, God ordained Abraham to build a dedicated place of worship for him and to call all believers on an annual pilgrimage there. Together with Ishmael, Abraham built a 50-foot high cubical building known as the Ka'aba on a sanctified place first established by Adam. This building still stands today and pilgrims circumnavigate it when performing Tawaf.

The most testing trial of Abraham's faith was God's command for the patriarch to slay his own son. After much agonizing and an encounter with Satan which culminated in the stoning of the Devil, Abraham agreed to obey but God spared him and accepted the sacrifice of a ram instead. This is the basis of the Stoning of the Pillars ritual in Mina during the Hajj.

During their lifetimes, Abraham and Ishmael maintained the Hajj but within centuries, the worship at the Ka’ba descended into paganism and the worship of many Gods. Over 300 hundred idols were placed in the Ka’ba and much singing, dancing, nudity and immorality occurred around it. Eventually, God sent down another Prophet to restore the Ka’ba and the Hajj to their correct paths.

In 632CE on his return to Mecca from exile in Medina, Mohammad embarked on a journey with thousands of his followers. Taking Mecca with little resistance, Mohammad destroyed the idols, reclaimed the Ka’ba and restored the Hajj rites to their original purity and devotion to one God alone. Mohammad also imbued the Hajj ceremonies with remembrance of the Prophets divinely dedicated lives.

On Mohammad's Farewell Hajj in 632CE, 200,000 followers assembled to hear his vision of an all-encompassing political, social, economic and spiritual Islam. Delivering his sermon on Mount Arafat, Mohammad espoused a belief in one God, the equality of all Muslim believers, the sanctity of life, property and honor, women's rights and the notion of the Ummah.

Now, millions of pilgrims assemble to hear sermons at Arafat during the zenith of the Hajj on a pilgrimage serving to test one's faith in God, family and the physical and spiritual self.

ISLAM HISTORY

Islam is the religion of the Muslims. With 1.2 billion followers, about one fifth of the world's population, Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world and the second largest after Christianity. Indonesia has the biggest Muslim population of 170 million but Muslims reflect a variety of racial, ethnic and national backgrounds, hailing from across the Middle East, Eastern Europe and North Africa to South-East Asia and China.

'Islam' comes from the Arabic word 'salaam' meaning 'peace' and 'Muslim' means 'one who submits to God'. The religion teaches that its followers must submit to the will and laws of God to attain true happiness, peace of mind and eternal salvation.

In 622 CE, the Prophet Mohammad founded the present form of Islam in Mecca. Muslims believe that God created Islam at the beginning of time and regard Adam as the first Muslim. Mohammad was the last and most important in a succession of Prophets including Adam, Abraham, Moses and Jesus. Muslims do not worship the Prophets as Gods but revere them as messengers who preached that God alone should be worshipped.

Islam descends from the same family tree of faith as Christianity and Judaism, bound by the events of the Old Testament. Like its divine siblings, it believes in one, all-knowing, all-powerful God who is known in Islam by the Arabic name 'Allah'.
Mountains around Mecca
At the age of 40, Mohammad retreated into a cave in the Meccan mountains for a period of fasting and contemplation. There, the Angel Gabriel appeared to him and revealed divine messages from God over a period of 23 years. The divine revelations were memorized and compiled in the Quran, the sacred book of the Muslims.

Offering a complete way of life, the Quran addresses humanity and provides guidance on all facets of existence including the family, law and order, politics, science, women's rights and the life hereafter. The other basic sources of Mohammad's teachings are the 'Hadith' (spoken teachings not recorded in the Quran) and the 'sunnah' (the traditions and practice of Mohammad's life).

During his Farewell Sermon on his final Hajj, Mohammad described the Five Pillars of Islam that all Muslims should perform as a declaration of faith (Shahadah), prayer five times a day (Salah), almsgiving of a fixed annual amount (Zakah), fasting during the holy month of Ramadan (Sawm) and pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj). He also stressed the equality of all Muslim believers without barriers of race and class, better treatment of women and outlined his vision of the Ummah, a single Muslim community.

It is a vision annually realized in the global gathering of Muslims for the Hajj.

MECCA HISTORY

Mecca in western Saudi Arabia is Islam's holiest city. It is the birthplace of Mohammad and the place he returned to after his exile to Medina. Five times a day more than one billion Muslims around the world turn towards it to pray to Allah.

Enclosed by the sandy Valley of Abraham, Mecca is surrounded by low rocky hill ranges in a region of western Saudi Arabia known as Hijaz, which also comprises Medina and Jeddah.

Mecca stands almost 300 meters above sea level and approximately 70 kilometers east of the Red Sea. It has a resident population of 650,000 which more than triples during the annual Hajj. Non-Muslims have been forbidden entry to the city since 630CE when Mohammad made Mecca the centre of the Muslim faith.

According to the Quran, 'The first ever temple to be built for mankind was that at Bakkah [Mecca], a blessed site, a beacon for the nations. In it there are veritable signs and the spot where Abraham stood. Whoever enters it is safe.'

Mecca is the seat of the holy shrine of the Ka'aba, a cubical stone structure otherwise known as the House of God. According to legend, the famous Black Stone (a large black monolith) of the Ka'aba fell from heaven during the time of Adam and Eve. On God's command, the Prophet Abraham and his son Ishmael built the Ka'aba around it. The Black Stone is said to be the only feature of the original Ka'aba that still remains.
Circling the Ka'aba
In pre-Islamic times, the Ka'aba was worshipped by numerous pilgrims and devotees. Following the death of Abraham, the Meccans fell into idolatry and paganism and the Ka'aba was filled with more than 300 idols.

At the time of Mohammad's birth, Mecca was an ancient centre of commerce ruled by a few powerful merchant families from the Quraysh tribe. Initially, the Meccans objected to the rise of Islam during Mohammad's lifetime, the new religion as it jeopardized the revenue they collected from the visiting pilgrims and devotees of the Ka'aba.

Forced into exile in Medina in 622, Mohammad established a model Islamic community in Medina but returned to take Mecca in 629, purifying the Ka'aba of its idols before spreading the word of Islam.

The Ka'aba is enclosed by the Great Mosque, the focus of Muslim worship. The healing waters of the Zam Zam well flow nearby, miraculously appearing over 4,000 years ago to save Abraham's son Ishmael from dehydration in the Meccan desert. In a city where the inhabitants centre their lives on the spiritual thrust of the city, Mecca is a place of pilgrimage devoted to God where the five prayers pace every day. In Mecca, time runs according to the divine.

Pronounced ma-KAH, it is one of the most recognizable Islamic words in the world

TRAVEL THROUGH THE AGES

From princes to paupers, Muslims have traveled from the old world to the new, from East to West arriving at Mecca to observe the Hajj.

The pilgrimage has inspired written accounts since 1050 and forms the basis of Islamic travel writing.

The ceremonial essence of the Hajj remains intact but advances in transport and technology have shaped the changing course of the pilgrim's journey to Mecca only during the past 150 years.

Between the Islamic Middle Ages until the 19th century, pilgrims traveled by foot, camel, caravan and ship for months, years and even decades to fulfill a lifetime obligation. Short of money en-route, poorer pilgrims sometimes interrupted their journeys to earn more before continuing on their way.

Caravans set off from strategic points of the Islamic world - Cairo, Baghdad and Damascus - for Mecca, collecting pilgrims along the way who paid for food, provisions and board. Long convoys of camels with lightly jangling bells around their necks and fire lanterns smoothed their way across the desert terrain.

The road to Mecca was littered with peril and adventure. Thieves, tricksters, greedy border agents, enslavement, financial ruin, political upheaval, prejudice, disease and foul play were just some of the obstacles faced by pilgrims.

The threat of bandits, highwaymen and ruling local tribes was constant. One of the main income sources for Bedouin tribes was targeting defenseless pilgrims raiding their caravans when they couldn't pay. The journey to Mecca became as much a test of one's faith as the pilgrimage itself.

In one of the earliest Hajj travelogues, the Persian poet Naser-e Khosraw wrote in 1050...
By chance, the leader of the Arabs with whom we had traveled, the Banu Sawad, came to Jaz', and we took him as our khafir. His name was Abu Ghanem Abs son of al-Ba'ir, and we set out under his protection. A group of Arabs, thinking they had found 'prey' (as they call all strangers), came headed towards us; but since their leader was with us, they passed without saying anything. Had he not been with us, they most certainly would have destroyed us.

From the 15th century, with the onset of colonialism and European expansion of trade routes, Westerners began to arrive in Mecca as converts and more surreptitiously, in disguise. A fascination with the mysterious and oriental East led some Western travelers to infiltrate the sacred territory only accessible to bona-fide Muslims.

In 1853, British explorer Sir Richard Burton entered Mecca disguised as an Indian Pathan in an act celebrated in the British press.
(I was) curious to see with my eyes what others are content to hear with their ears, namely, Muslim inner-life in a really [sic] Islamic country, and longing, if truth be told, to set foot on that mysterious spot which no vacation tourist has yet described, measured, sketched and photographed.

From the Middle Ages to the 19th century, travel to the Hajj changed little. As the Islamic world grew from Morocco across India to China, so did the lengths the pilgrims traveled, caravans ranged from a single string of camels to mobile tented cities. The advent of steamships and trains in the late 19th century rendered the old pilgrim routes obsolete.
Modern Hajj travel
The journey was shortened again with the arrival of the automobile and airplane in the 20th century, cutting a journey or years and months to a matter of weeks. Modernity transformed the Hajj into a truly global experience, strengthening the sense of Muslim community as pilgrims come from the ends of the earth to pay tribute to Allah.

During the past eleven days here in the Muslim world, I have eaten from the same plate, drunk from the same glass, and slept in the same bed (or on the same rug) - while praying to the same God- with fellow Muslims, whose eyes were the bluest of blue, whose hair was blondest of blonde, and whose skin was the whitest of white. And in the words and in the actions and the deeds of the 'white' Muslims, I felt the same sincerity that I felt among the black African Muslims of Nigeria, Sudan, and Ghana. We were truly all the same (brothers). (Malcolm X Hajj 1964)

Airplanes have made the Hajj more accessible for the world's one billion Muslims in terms of cost and time away from families and employment but the driving force remains the same, in Allah's words...
Exhort all men to make the Pilgrimage. They will come to you on foot and on the backs of swift camels from every quarter; they will come to avail themselves of many a benefit... (Quaran, 22:22/29-30)

Find out more about the Modern Hajj.

Recommended reading

• One Thousand Roads to Mecca - Ten Centuries of Travelers Writing about the Muslim Pilgrimage Edited by Michael Wolfe (Grove Press New York, 1997)
  

MODERN HISTORY

Hajj is a fundamental duty to be performed once in a lifetime by every adult, sane, free and able Muslim, whether male or female.

The rituals associated with the Hajj remains unchanged from one thousand years ago but the method is unrecognizable.

Jets have replaced caravans of camels, the centuries old trade routes are non-existent beneath busy highways and the simple tents have given way to five-star
hotels.

As much as the Hajj is a spiritual venture package deals and five-star luxury await those who can afford it including tents fully equipped with televisions, internet, computers, refrigerators, electric lighting and mobile phones.

Pilgrims of old slept in basic tents with minimal provisions, now they have the choice of luxury tent on the Hajj and a meal provided by a five-star hotel. Hajj travel packages for foreign pilgrims cost thousands.

American Michael Wolfe completed the Hajj in 1990...
We zoomed around Mecca in Japanese taxis. We placed long-distance telephone calls. We watched NBA games beamed in via satellite and road out to the Plain of Arafat in German buses, through traffic controlled by computers and closed circuit TV. At the same time the essential rites remained unchanged. We turned the Tawaf in precisely the same way (they did) in 1050. At such times we resembled modern vessels into which timeless emotions were being poured.

Saudi Arabia today
Aspects of the Hajj remain resolutely the same. The ihram, the requirement to wear two white robes, results in all pilgrims being brought down to the same level, affording them protection in large crowds.

Pilgrims still pray from noon to dusk on the plains of Arafat except now they travel there by bus instead of on foot.

The act of Sa'ee, running back and forth between the hillocks of Safa and Marwa takes place inside on a concourse, which even includes a special circuit for those in wheelchairs.

Instead of selecting a sacrificial animal at the markets pilgrims may pay for a coupon from a vending machine inside a gift shop.

Due to the complexity of the Hajj's rituals and the sheer size of the event, most pilgrims require the assistance of a guide or Mutawwif. In the past these would have been locals who had completed the Hajj before. Now Mutawwifs are regulated by the Ministry of Hajj and are usually professors or experts in Islam with PhD's and day jobs.

The modern pilgrim's Hajj differs in practice but not form. The rituals are the same though some of the settings have been altered and improved. The Hajj has evolved and expanded to cope with the vast numbers of pilgrims while maintaining the rituals' integrity.

CHECKLIST

Going on the Hajj is a serious undertaking. As it is a once in a lifetime experience for most people, early and adequate preparation cannot be underestimated. There is a considerable investment of time, money and physical effort required for the pilgrimage to be successful.

Prospective pilgrims need to make sure they are prepared and ready for what will be one of the most memorable experiences of their lives.

Follow our checklist below and see if you're ready for the Hajj.

Do you qualify?
Every Muslim who fulfills the following conditions must perform Hajj at least once in their lifetime:

• You must be of sound mind and in full control of your mental faculties
• You must be mature enough to understand the full significance of what you are setting out to do
• You must be financially sound enough to bear all your expenses for the Hajj and provide adequately for your dependents in your absence

Six Months before
Begin to research the Hajj, make sure you meet the requirements and can afford to take time off work and will be debt-free. Talk to your Imam about the Hajj rites and get the permission of your parents. If you know someone who has done the Hajj get their advice on your potential arrangements.

Three Months before
Start organizing the journey to Saudi and getting into good physical shape. Resolve all outstanding finances.

• Pay off all bills, debts and loans
• Make arrangements for any family remaining behind
• Organize funds for journey
• Book Flights
• Start gentle exercise regime
• Check your passport is valid for six months
• Apply for a Saudi Visa
• Organize a Mutawwif
• Draw up Islamic Will

Two months before
Start reading up on the Hajj, learning about Hajj rites and memorizing Hajj prayers. Need proof of vaccinations for Saudi Visa and obtaining documents:

• Read up on Hajj and Islam
• Vaccinations for Saudi Hajj visa
• Need proof of Meningitis vaccination
• Obtain proof of being Muslim especially if do not have Muslim name
• If female, obtain proof of relationship with Mahram
• Increase your exercise regime

One month before
Increase your fitness and memorizing of the prayers. Organize requirements for the trip. Shop for:

• Light clothes for the Saudi heat
• Ihram for men
• Extra slippers as they are easily lost on Hajj
• Handy backpack to carry items around
• Money Belt for travelers cheques and currency
• Travel alarm clock to wake up at all hours
• Medicines/antibiotics as preventative measures
• First-aid kit for emergencies
• Sleeping bag, night torch, ear plugs/eye patch
• Unscented soap
• Zip bag for Muzdalifah pebbles
• Umbrella for Saudi sun and stoning rite
• Nail clippers/ shaving toiletries for Leaving Ihram
• Water flask for Zam Zam water

One week before
Test yourself by reciting the prayers from memory. Finalize packing and get ready to go.

• Keep Pilgrim arrival card with passport and Saudi Hajj visa
• Pack everything including portable Quran, English-Arabic dictionary, traveler’s cheques, some Saudi Riyals, high energy snacks, thermo flask for hot and cold drinks.

Good luck!

PREPARATION

The Hajj is the landmark event in a Muslim's life which requires great spiritual, physical, mental and financial planning and preparation.

Firstly, a pilgrim must satisfy a number of conditions to qualify for the Hajj. They must be a sane, adult person who has their parents' permission. They must be debt-free and ensure their family will be taken care of in their absence.

Financially, Hajj expenses often spiral into the thousands and must be acquired through legitimate means. All debts, loans and outstanding financial obligations must be met and any family remaining back home must be adequately provided for. One of the main prerequisites of the Hajj also involves drawing up a will (Arabic word Wasseeyat) before departure. This ensures that in the unfortunate event of death, clear instructions to distribute assets and property and provide for the bereaved have been made by the deceased.

Physically, the Hajj circuit demands a high level of physical activity and stamina. Pilgrims walk great distances under the blazing Saudi sun in a throbbing mass of humanity, hundreds and thousands of pilgrims trying to perform the same rites in confined spaces and very hot conditions. A gradual build-up programmed a few months prior to the Hajj is recommended - walking and jogging about 20 minutes to 30 minutes three times a week.
Walking through the entrance to Mecca
Spiritually, pilgrims should increase their understanding of Islam before setting out. They should spend time learning about Islam, the Hajj and be informed about the divine requirements and symbolism of each rite. They should memories Hajj prayers and be able to understand their meaning. A pilgrim should also understand and be able to speak basic Arabic.

A professional Mutawwif might be on hand to guide the pilgrim through the intricacies of the Hajj but being able to move swiftly around the circuit equipped with one's own knowledge, may far outweigh the practicalities of keeping up with a group guide or leader in the huge crowds.

Mentally, the pilgrim must be fit and exercise self-restraint and control in exchanges with others. All differences and disagreements with others should also be resolved before departure. The pilgrim should begin behaving in a courteous and respectful manner at all times in preparation for their divine appointment with other Muslim brothers and sisters.

Travel arrangements need to be made well in advance especially flights and accommodation. Hajj visas are issued by the Saudi Arabian Embassy in London. The pilgrim also must obtain certain vaccinations to acquire a Hajj visa. In recent years, meningitis outbreaks at the Hajj resulted in 45 identified UK cases and eight deaths in 2000 with a meningitis strain not found in the UK. Inoculations are required for other illnesses such as typhoid fever, polio, pneumonia, diphtheria, tetanus and malaria. Disease and illness spread rapidly at the Hajj where hundreds of thousands of people move at all times in extremely close proximity. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia requires proof of inoculations and a round-trip ticket to home to ensure pilgrims don't linger.

Female pilgrims must be accompanied by their husbands or a Mahram (a male relative from their immediate family with whom Sharia law forbids marriage). A woman over 45 years can travel with a group of pilgrims without a Mahram if sponsored by a family within her group. For all pilgrims, regardless of gender, it is a duty for the Muslim pilgrim to be fully prepared to visit the House of God on the Hajj.

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SAUDI ARABIA

The Saudi state was first established in about 1750 when a local ruler Mohammad Bin Saud merged with an Islamic reformer, Mohammad Abd Al-Wahhab. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was founded by King Abdul Aziz Al Saud (Ibn Saud) and named after the dynastic family of the Sauds.

In 1902, Ibn Saud captured Riyadh with his Bedouin followers and gradually, took other major cities and regions including the Hijaz (Mecca and Medina) in 1924.

Eventually in 1932, Ibn Saud united the disparate regions and proclaimed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Ibn Saud's belief in a strict Sunni interpretation of Islam known as Wahhabism led to the strong religious basis of a governing Saudi Arabian authority. Observing Sharia (Islamic) law, the Holy Quran forms the constitution of the country.
The rugged Saudi landscape
In 1938, the discovery of oil transformed the kingdom. One of the wealthiest nations in the Middle East, Saudi's oil commodities enabled rapid economic progress and now constitutes 75% of the national income.

Holding the largest oil reserves in the world, Saudi is now the world's leading oil producer and exporter but for an economy so vulnerable to fluctuating oil prices, various political and economic dilemmas perhaps lie ahead.

Oil nonetheless enabled a once uninhabitable desert land to undertake development programmers, urbanization and industrialization and transform an arid kingdom into a prosperous, modern country.

Now ruled by King Fahd, in 1986 he accorded himself the official title of 'Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques' to express his devotion to Islam and appoint himself the official overseer of the Holy Places on behalf of the Kingdom. Since 1995 King Fahd's half-brother Crown Prince Abdullah has ruled Saudi Arabia, due to the king's ill-health.

King Fahd's will be remembered for his ability to balance the demands of Islamic traditionalists and modernists, Western and Islamic states. It has been his crowning achievement.