Islam: Hajj. Fasting and Almsgiving
Research what costs and travel would be involved in making a Hajj from your town to Mecca.
One of the five pillars of Islam is Hajj which is pilgrimage. Muslims believe the rites of the Hajj were designed by God and taught through Prophet Muhammad. Muslims believe that since the time of Adam, there have been thousands of prophets, including such well-known figures such as Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and David, and that Muhammad was the final prophet of God.
The Hajj as well as the other pillars is an essential in the Islamic religion and every Muslim is to go on the Hajj at least once during his or her lifetime. Followers of Islam who cannot go on a Hajj because of ill or lack of money are excused from the obligation. The hajj occurs during the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah (which means Lord of the Pilgrimage and it is the twelfth and final month in the Islamic Calendar) to the holy city of Mecca. The Hajj consists of several ceremonies, meant to symbolize the essential concepts of the Islamic faith, and to commemorate the trials of Prophet Abraham and his family.
Muslims from all over the world, travel to Mecca. Before arriving to the holy city, Muslims enter a state of consecration (dedication) known as ihram, by removing their worldly clothes and putting on the humble attire of pilgrims which are two seamless white sheets for men, and simple white dresses and scarves for women. The white garments are symbolic of human equality and unity before God, since all the pilgrims are dressed similarly, money and status no longer are a factor for the pilgrims - the equality of each person in the eyes of God becomes dominant.
Upon arriving in Mecca, pilgrims perform the initial Tawaf, which is a circular, counter- clockwise procession around the Ka'bah. All the while, they state "Labbayka Allahumma Labbayk," which means "Here I am at your service, O God, Here I am!" The tawaf is meant to awaken each Muslim's consciousness that God is the centre of their reality and
One of the five pillars of Islam is Hajj which is pilgrimage. Muslims believe the rites of the Hajj were designed by God and taught through Prophet Muhammad. Muslims believe that since the time of Adam, there have been thousands of prophets, including such well-known figures such as Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and David, and that Muhammad was the final prophet of God.
The Hajj as well as the other pillars is an essential in the Islamic religion and every Muslim is to go on the Hajj at least once during his or her lifetime. Followers of Islam who cannot go on a Hajj because of ill or lack of money are excused from the obligation. The hajj occurs during the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah (which means Lord of the Pilgrimage and it is the twelfth and final month in the Islamic Calendar) to the holy city of Mecca. The Hajj consists of several ceremonies, meant to symbolize the essential concepts of the Islamic faith, and to commemorate the trials of Prophet Abraham and his family.
Muslims from all over the world, travel to Mecca. Before arriving to the holy city, Muslims enter a state of consecration (dedication) known as ihram, by removing their worldly clothes and putting on the humble attire of pilgrims which are two seamless white sheets for men, and simple white dresses and scarves for women. The white garments are symbolic of human equality and unity before God, since all the pilgrims are dressed similarly, money and status no longer are a factor for the pilgrims - the equality of each person in the eyes of God becomes dominant.
Upon arriving in Mecca, pilgrims perform the initial Tawaf, which is a circular, counter- clockwise procession around the Ka'bah. All the while, they state "Labbayka Allahumma Labbayk," which means "Here I am at your service, O God, Here I am!" The tawaf is meant to awaken each Muslim's consciousness that God is the centre of their reality and