24 April, 2024

15 Shawwal, 1445 H

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"Silence saves you from regret"

- Imam Ali (as) -

Learning
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Core Curriculum
Section 1 - God, Religion and Islam: An Introduction

  • Topic 1.1 - God, Allah and Religion

  • Topic 1.2 - What is “Religion” and What’s the Point of it Anyways?

  • Topic 1.3 - Introduction to Islam

  • Topic 1.4 - A Brief Introduction to the Prophet Muhammad (s), the Prophet of Islam

Section 2 - Foundations of Islam - Theology

  • Topic 2.1 - Satan, Jinns and Angels: Their Influence in the World

  • Topic 2.2 - The Islamic Concept of the Nafs: Battling the Human Ego

  • Topic 2.3 - The Sharīʿa: Purpose and Practice

  • Topic 2.4 - Nubuwwa: The Purpose of Prophethood in Islam

  • Topic 2.5 - Tawhīd: The Unity and Oneness of God in Islam

  • Topic 2.6 - The Usūl al-Dīn: The Fundamental Beliefs of Islam

  • Topic 2.7 - Adala: Divine Justice in Islam

  • Topic 2.8 - Entering Islam: The Shahada

  • Topic 2.9 - Maʿād: The Day of Judgment in Islam

  • Topic 2.10 - Imāmah or divinely guided leadership in Islam after the Prophet Muhammad.

Section 3 - Foundations of Islam - Obligatory Acts

  • Topic 3.1 - Accepting Islam: Putting Faith into Action

  • Topic 3.2 - The Furūʿ al-Dīn: The Fundamental Practices of Islam

  • Topic 3.3 - Salāt: Obligatory Ritual Prayers in Islam

  • Topic 3.4 - Fasting in Islam, its Purpose, Dos and Don’ts

  • Topic 3.5 - The Hajj Pilgrimage

  • Topic 3.6 - The Purpose of Zakat and Khums in Islamic Law

  • Topic 3.7 - Jihād in Islamic Law and Spirituality

  • Topic 3.8 - Commanding the Good and Forbidding Evil in Islam

  • Topic 3.9 - Tawalla and Tabarra, its Basics and Purpose

  • Topic 3.10 - The Five Categories of Islamic Law

  • Topic 3.11 - Niyya: Religious Intention as the Foundation of Islamic Practice

  • Topic 3.12 - Ritual Purity in Islamic Law: Understanding Tahāra and Najāsa

  • Topic 3.13 - Other Obligatory and Forbidden Acts in Islam

Section 4 - Prophethood in Islam

  • Topic 4.1 - A Brief Biography of the Prophet Muhammad (s): The Prophet’s Childhood (PART I of III)

  • Topic 4.2 - Bio: The Prophet Muhammad as a Prophet of God (PART II of III)

  • Topic 4.3 - A Brief Biography of the Prophet Muhammad (s): The Prophet’s Character (PART III of III)

  • Topic 4.4 - The Prophet Muhammad (s) as Messenger and Teacher

  • Topic 4.5 - The Prophet and his Relationships

  • Topic 4.6 - The Prophet’s Sunnah and Hadith

  • Topic 4.7 - Ghadīr and Arafah: The Two Last Sermons of the Prophet

  • Topic 4.8 - Jesus and Mary in Islam

Section 5 - The Qur'an and Hadith

  • Topic 5.1 - Islam and Other Religions

  • Topic 5.2 - What is the Qur’an? A Short Introduction to Islam’s Holy Book

  • Topic 5.3 - The Structure of the Holy Qur’an

  • Topic 5.4 - The Quran and Islamic law

  • Topic 5.5 - The Qur’an, Allah and Humankind

  • Topic 5.6 - Hadith and Sunnah, difference and variations

  • Topic 5.7 - The Reliability of Hadiths

  • Topic 5.8 - A Reflection on Verses of the Holy Qur’an

  • Topic 5.9 - Hadith al-Thaqalayn

  • Topic 5.10 - Imam Ali (as) and Nahj al-Balagha.

  • Topic 5.11 - Taqlid and Tawḍih Al Masail Genre of Literature

Section 6 - Measuring Good and Bad in Islam

  • Topic 6.1 - Guidance According to Islam

  • Topic 6.2 - Life and Death in Islam

  • Topic 6.3 - Heaven and Hell in Islam

  • Topic 6.4 - The Effects of Our Actions in this World

  • Topic 6.5 - The Gray Areas of Islamic Law and Morality

  • Topic 6.6 - Benefits of Islamic Law in this World

  • Topic 6.7 - Good and Bad Deeds: The Spiritual Consequences of our Choices

  • Topic 6.8 - The Effect of Culture and Environment in Shaping our Religious Choices

  • Topic 6.9 - Fate and the Consequences of our Choices in Islam

  • Topic 6.10 - Trivializing the Harām

  • Topic 6.11 - Sinning Against Others and their Delayed Punishment

  • Topic 6.12 - The Three Kinds of Rights in Islam

  • Topic 6.13 - Major Sins in Islam

  • Topic 6.14 - Repentance and Forgiveness of Sins in Islam

  • Topic 6.15 - Kufr in Islam

  • Topic 6.16 - Why Allah Allows People to Sin

Section 7 - The Legacy of the Prophet Muhammad (s) and his Ahl al-Bayt (as)

  • Topic 7.1 - Islam and Knowledge: the Importance of Islamic Education

  • Topic 7.2 - The Ahl al-Kisa

  • Topic 7.3 - Imamah in the Qur’an

  • Topic 7.4 - Fatima al-Zahrah (as)

  • Topic 7.5 - A Brief Look at the Lives of the Imams (Imam al-Hasan until Imam Muhammad al-Baqir)

  • Topic 7.6 - A Brief Look at the Lives of the Imams (Imam Jafar al-Sadiq until Imam Hasan al-Askari)

  • Topic 7.7 - A Brief Look at the Life and Importance of Imam al-Mahdi (aj)

  • Topic 7.8 - Salawat and Atonement in Islam

  • Topic 7.9 - The Companions (Sahaba) of the Prophet According to the Qur’an

  • Topic 7.10 - Clerical Hierarchies in Muslim Communities

  • Topic 7.11 - Mosques in Islam

  • Topic 7.12 - The Philosophy of Karbala and Majalis

  • Topic 7.13 - A Brief Biography of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as)

  • Topic 7.14 - The Battle of Karbala: A Brief History

Section 8 - Islamic Relationships, Sects and Conflicts

  • Topic 8.1 - Islam and Rights

  • Topic 8.2 - Islam and Religious Conflicts

  • Topic 8.3 - Major Sects of Islam

  • Topic 8.4 - Sunnism and Shi’ism, beginnings and historical developments.

  • Topic 8.5 - Misconceptions about Shi’ism

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Special Topics
Section 9 - Independent Topics

  • Topic 9.1 - Muslim Converts – Welcome to Islam!

  • Topic 9.2 - Basic Dos and Don’ts of Being a Muslim

  • Topic 9.3 - Halal Food and Zabiha

  • Topic 9.4 - Modesty in Islam

  • Topic 9.5 - Family, Parents and Marriage in Islam

  • Topic 9.6 - Marriage in Islam

  • Topic 9.7 - Islam and Sex

  • Topic 9.8 - Women’s Menstruation in Islam

  • Topic 9.9 - Music, Alcohol, Drugs and Pork in Islam

  • Topic 9.10 - Islam and Science

  • Topic 9.11 - A Reading List of Islamic Knowledge

  • Topic 9.12 - Islam and Sufism

  • Topic 9.13 - Ritual Prayers and Supplications in Islam

  • Topic 9.14 - Death & Burial Rituals in Islam

  • Topic 9.15 - The Battle of Armageddon: An Islamic View

  • Topic 9.16 - The Muslim Calendar

  • Topic 9.17 - Muslims and non-Muslims in the Shariah

  • Topic 9.18 - A Timeline of Major Events in Islamic History

  • Topic 9.19 - Introducing the Qur’an: Why it is the way it is

  • Topic 9.20 - The School of Imam Jafar al-Sadiq

  • Topic 9.21 - Major Fields in Islamic Studies

  • Topic 9.22 - The Caliphate in Sunni and Shia Islam

  • Topic 9.23 - The Spread of Islam: After the Prophet until the Ottoman Empire

  • Topic 9.24 - Islam, Racism and Anti-Semitism

Section 10 - Islam, Religion, and Modern Controversies

  • Topic 10.1 - Modern Fallacies about God: where Theists and Atheists Agree

  • Topic 10.2 - Tawhīd: The Muslim God according to the Prophet Muhammad and the Ahl al-Bayt (as)

  • Topic 10.3 - God’s Existence: The Argument From Being (Wujūd)

  • Topic 10.4 - God’s Existence: The Kalam Cosmological Argument

  • Topic 10.5 - God’s Existence: The Argument From Design

  • Topic 10.6 - The Problem of Evil, Suffering and Pain

  • Topic 10.7 - Why did God Create Us? The Purpose of our Creation

  • Topic 10.8 - Why Humans Need Religion according to Islam

  • Topic 10.9 - Jahl and Spiritual Ignorance in Islam

  • Topic 10.10 - Faith in Islam: Belief without Evidence?

  • Topic 10.11 - Do Non-Muslims Go to Hell?

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The Hajj Pilgrimage

Abstract

The Hajj pilgrimage is the most important pilgrimage in Islam. It is obligatory once in a Muslim’s lifetime. It is meant to reacquaint people with God and break tribal and geographic lines while promoting equality among all Muslims. 

 INTRODUCTION

 

Bismillāhir Rahmānir Rahīm, As-salāmu ʿAlaykum wa rahmatullāhi wa barakātuh. Peace be upon you brothers and sisters.

 

Welcome back to the Muslim Converts Channel! Today we will discuss the third element the furūʿ al-dīn, the Hajj pilgrimage.In this lesson, we will take a brief look at the ritual details of the Hajj in Islamic law, its history and origins and the its wider significance for the Muslim community. 

 

BODY OF TEXT 

 

And proclaim to the people the Hajj [pilgrimage]; they will come to you on foot and on every lean camel; they will come from every distant pass. That they may witness benefits for themselves and mention the name of Allah on known days over what He has provided for them of [sacrificial] animals. So eat of them and feed the miserable and poor. Then let them end their untidiness and fulfill their vows and circumambulate around the ancient House." (Chapter 22, verses 27-29 of the Holy Qur’an) 

 

The word Hajj literally means “pilgrimage”. The Hajj season begins in the last month of the Islamic calendar. This month is called Dhū al-Hijjah and the Hajj begins on the 8th of the month and ends on the 12th. The ninth day of the month is called the Day of Arafah. This is the central day of the Hajj and is the day where everyone must perform the Hajj rituals. 

 

Arafah means "to be acquainted.” As a day of love, it is said that the Day of Arafah is the day where one reacquaints oneself with God once more after having been distanced from Him for so long.  

 

The Hajj is the largest annual gathering of people on earth. During the week of Hajj, Muslims perform a series of rituals. Among these rituals, Muslims walk counter-clockwise around the Kaʿba seven times.  

 

The Kaʿba is a building in the shape of a cube and it is the point which Muslims direct their salāt towards.  The circumambulation that they perform is called the tawāf. The tawāf is the most popular and distinguishing act of the Hajj rituals. It’s the first thing you will notice when you see it on TV! 

 

Muslims then proceed to pacing between two hills call al-Safa and al-Marwa, drink from the Zamzam well and then stand vigil at Mount Arafat. After this, Muslims spend the night a plain called Muzdalifa and perform a symbolic stoning of Satan by throwing stones at three pillars. Finally, pilgrims shave their heads, sacrifice an animal and celebrate the end of the Hajj under Eid al-Adha which means festival of the sacrifice.  

 

Muslims may perform these rituals at other times during the year. This pilgrimage is called Umrah, but unlike the Hajj, it is not obligatory to perform. The Hajj is obligatory on whoever is physically, financially and legally able to do so at least once in their lifetime. 

 

The Hajj pilgrimage was made obligatory upon Muslims during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (s) and his Ahl al-Bayt (as). The pilgrimage itself, however, goes back as far as the time of the Prophet Abraham (Ibrāhīm) (as). In Islamic history, God wanted to create a new center for His community of believers in an ancient location called Mecca.  

 

Abraham or Ibrāhīm as he is called in Arabic, was ordered to leave his wife Hajar and son Ismāʿīl (as)  alone in the a desert location called Mecca. As baby Ismāʿīl (as) was dying of thirst, his mother desperately ran between the two hills of Safa and Marwah but was not able to find water. Ismāʿīl, as he was kicking the ground, opened up a well where a fountain of water sprang up from beneath his feet.  

 

The well came to be known as Zamzam, and it became the reason through which this desert point grew into a vibrant city, thanks to its water.  

 

When Ismāʿīl (as) grew up, his father joined him and under the command of Allah, they built what is known today as the Kaʿba.  People were henceforth invited to perform the pilgrimage there circumambulating around it seven times, counter-clock wise. The rituals that Muslims perform today are an enactment of the tradition established by Abraham, as well as the desperate pacing of Hājar. 

 

During the Hajj, Muslims must take off clothes that distinguish them. They must wear a two-piece white robe (at least the males do). The Hajj, aside its ritual significance, is meant to absolve Muslims from their sins and renew the human soul and spirit. 

 

In addition to this, it is meant to establish a universal brotherhood and sisterhood of equality among all Muslims. It is meant to bring people together united as Muslims irrespective of their cultural, tribal or national loyalties.  

 

In this sense, the Hajj is meant to challenge and break ethnic, cultural, tribal and geographic boundaries. Historically speaking, this was indeed the case. No matter where a Muslim was from, he or she could join his or her brethren in Mecca as equals regardless of wealth, class, status or political privilege. 

 

The Hajj was also a center of intellectual flourishing. At a time where there was no telecommunications or printing, books were spread far and wide in a relatively short amount of time. This is because Muslims would share the books they had written during the Hajj pilgrimage. Over there, books would be copied and quickly spread across the world. Hajj became not only a symbol of unity and equality for Muslims, but also intellectual sharing and growth.   

 

Until Next Time, Thank you for watching. As-salāmu ʿAlaykum wa rahmatullāhi wa barakātuh 

Muzdalifa

A plain where Muslims must lead prayer vigils during the Hajj pilgrimage. 

Safa and Marwa

Hills Muslims must pace between during Hajj rituals.

Umrah

The lesser pilgrimage. Similar to Hajj, but performed outside the Hajj season. It is not obligatory.

Day of Arafah

Most important day of the Hajj pilgrimage, 9th day of the Islamic month of Dhū al-Hijjah. 

Zamzam

Spring of water in Mecca, appeared miraculously when the Prophet Ismāʿīl (as) was dying of thirst. 

Hajj

Pilgrimage to Mecca that all Muslims must perform at least once in their lifetime. 

Kaʿba

Cube shaped building which is the direction for Muslim prayers. It is also the building around which Muslims circumambulate during the Hajj pilgrimage. 

Tawāf

Circumambulation around the Kaʿba seven times in counter-clock wise fashion. 

Q1

What is the Kaʿba?

Cube shaped building which is the direction for Muslim prayers. It is also the building around which Muslims circumambulate during the Hajj pilgrimage. 

Q2

Did the Hajj rituals begin with the Prophet Muhammad? (s)

No, they began with the Prophet Abraham (as).

Q3

How many times do Muslims have to walk around the Kaʿba for?

Seven 

Q4

What is the tawāf?

Circumambulation around the Kaʿba seven times in counter-clock wise fashion. 

Q5

What is the Hajj?

Pilgrimage to Mecca that all Muslims must perform at least once in their lifetime. 

Muslim
God
Allah
Afterlife
Prophet Muhammad
Messenger of Allah
Religion
Ahl al-Bayt
Ahlulbait
Sin
Sins
Salvation
Soul
Spirit
Hajj
Muzdalifa
Muzdalifah
Umrah
Arafah
Arafat
Eid al-Adha
Adhah
Adha
Tawaf
Safa
Marwa
Safa and Marwa
al-Safa and al-Marwah
Zamzam
Hajar
Hagar
Ismāʿīl
Ishamel
Ibrahim
Abraham
salāt
ritual prayer
rituals
hajj rituals
counter clock wise
furū al-dīn
faro-e deen
Islamic law
hajj history
history: before Muhammad
Islamic community
Islamic history

A Guide Book for Women on Rites of Hajj by Razia Batool Najafi 

Al Hajj by Imam Khomeini  

Hajj by Ali Shariati  

Hajj – The Duties and the Rulings by Sayyed Muhammad Shirazi  

Hajj Rituals by Seyed Reza Hosseini Nasab