TJ Hajj was created to provide resources
for educating children about the Hajj
season.
However TJ Hajj has many resources which might be of interest to others
wishing to learn about/make the hajj.
Hajj, in Islam, the major pilgrimage to
Makkah, a city located near the Red Sea coast in Saudi Arabia. As a
religious duty noted in the Qur'an and the fifth of the Five
Pillars of Islam, all healthy adult men and women who are
financially able must perform the hajj at least once in their
lifetime. Unlike the umrah, (minor pilgrimage to Mecca) which can be
performed at any time, the hajj can only be carried out during the
first two weeks of the Islamic month of Dhu
al-Hijjah, which corresponds to the last month of the
lunar/hijri year.
Only Muslims are permitted access to the region of the
pilgrimage—that is, to the holy places of Makkah, Mina, Muzdalifa,
and Arafat, all located in Saudi Arabia. During the hajj, pilgrims
must enter a state of ritual purity before they reach Makkah by
performing ritual bathing and wearing the ihram, a white seamless
shroud they keep for the rest of their lives as their burial garb.
While in the state of ritual purity the various activities are
prohibited. After arriving in Makkah, the pilgrim carries out a set
of rites as an individual. These rites culminate in the circling
seven times, or tawaf, of the Kaabah and the quick, sevenfold
crossing back and forth, or say, between the two hills, Safa and
Marwa. In addition to these rites, which make up the umrah, the hajj
includes certain other rituals performed by pilgrims collectively.
Among these are the stopping on Mount Arafat, the symbolic
stoning of the devil in the valley of Mina, and the sacrifice of
sheep and goats.
Once Muslims have carried out the hajj, they may use the title Hajji
if male and Hajjah if female. During the first half of the 20th
century about 30,000 Muslims annually made the pilgrimage to Mecca.
Today, the number is closer to 2 million.
adapted from
Microsoft ® Encarta ®
Reference Library 2005. ©
