[ad_1]
Mecca: more than 2 million Muslims You will be participating this week Pilgrimage to the holy city Makkah In Saudi Arabia, one of the world’s largest religious congregations is returning to full capacity after years of coronavirus restrictions.
Hajj is one of its five pillars IslamAll Muslims are required to do so at least once in their lives if they are physically and financially able to do so. For pilgrims, it is a deeply spiritual experience that erases sins, brings them closer to God, and highlights the unity of Muslims.
For the Saudi royal family, which captured Mecca in the 1920s, organizing the hajj is a source of major pride and legitimacy. Authorities have invested billions of dollars in modern infrastructure, but from time to time the hajj has been marred by tragedy, as in 2015, when more than 2,400 pilgrims died in a stampede.
Here’s a look at the pilgrimage, which begins on Monday, and its meaning.
The pilgrimage draws Muslims from around the world to Mecca, in Saudi Arabia, where they follow in the footsteps of the Prophet Muhammad and trace the journey of Abraham and Ishmael, or Abraham and Ishmael as they are known in Christian and Jewish traditions.
As stated in the Qur’an, Abraham is called upon to sacrifice his son Ishmael as a test of faith, but God holds his hand at the last moment. It was later said that Abraham and Ismail built the Kaaba together. In Christian and Jewish traditions, Abraham nearly sacrifices his other son, Isaac, on Mount Moriah, which is associated with a major holy site in Jerusalem.
The Kaaba was a center of polytheistic worship among the pagan Arabs until the arrival of Islam in the seventh century, when the Prophet Muhammad consecrated the place and inaugurated the Hajj.
Muslims do not worship the Kaaba, which is a cubic structure covered in black cloth embroidered with gold, but they consider it their holiest place and a powerful symbol of unity and monotheism. No matter where they are in the world, Muslims turn towards the Kaaba during their daily prayers.
Hajj has been performed every year since the time of the Prophet, even through wars, epidemics, and other disturbances.
In the Middle Ages, Muslim rulers organized huge caravans with armed escorts from Cairo, Damascus and other cities. It was an arduous journey through deserts where nomadic tribes raided and demanded tribute. A notorious Bedouin raid in 1757 wiped out the entirety Hajj caravanThousands of pilgrims were killed.
In 2020, amid worldwide lockdowns due to the coronavirus, Saudi Arabia has limited pilgrimages to a few thousand citizens and local residents. This is the first year it has returned to full capacity.
Some pilgrims spend their entire lives saving up for the trip or waiting years before obtaining a permit, which the Saudi authorities distribute to countries based on a quota system. Travel agents offer packages that cater to all income levels, and charities help pilgrims in need.
Pilgrims begin by entering a state of spiritual purification known as “Ihram”. Women forgo makeup and perfume and cover their hair, while men change into seamless canvas robes. Clothing could not contain any stitching, a rule intended to promote unity between rich and poor.
It is forbidden for pilgrims to cut their hair, cut their nails, or have sexual intercourse while they are in ihram. They are not supposed to argue or fight, but the heat, the crowds and the difficulty of the journey inevitably test people’s patience.
Many Muslims visit Medina, where the Prophet Muhammad was buried, and where he built his first mosque before heading to Mecca.
The Hajj begins with Muslims circumambulating the Kaaba in Mecca in a counterclockwise direction seven times while reciting a prayer. They then walk between two hills in a re-enactment of Hagar’s search for water for her son Ishmael, a story that occurs in various forms in the Islamic, Christian and Jewish traditions.
All this takes place inside the Grand Mosque in Mecca – the largest in the world – which includes the Kaaba and the two hills.
The next day, the pilgrims head to Arafat Mountain, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) east of Mecca, is where the Prophet Muhammad delivered his last sermon. Here, they stand in prayer all day asking God for forgiveness of their sins in what many see as the pilgrimage’s spiritual high point.
At sunset, pilgrims walk or take buses to an area called Muzdalifah, 9 kilometers (5.5 mi) west of Arafat. They pick up embers to use the next day in a symbolic stoning of Satan in the Mina Valley, where Muslims believe Abraham was tempted to ignore God’s command to sacrifice his son. The pilgrims stay in Mina for several nights in one of the largest tented camps in the world.
The pilgrimage ends with the final rotation of the Kaaba and the pouring of more stones in Mina. Men often shave their heads, while women cut off a lock of hair, indicating regeneration. Many will win the title of “Hajj” or “Hajj” – a great honor, especially in more traditional societies. Some paint murals on their homes with pictures of planes, ships, and the Kaaba to commemorate the journey.
The last days of the Hajj coincide with Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice, a joyous occasion celebrated by Muslims around the world to commemorate Abraham’s testing of faith. During the three days of Eid, Muslims slaughter livestock and distribute their meat to the poor.
Hajj is one of its five pillars IslamAll Muslims are required to do so at least once in their lives if they are physically and financially able to do so. For pilgrims, it is a deeply spiritual experience that erases sins, brings them closer to God, and highlights the unity of Muslims.
For the Saudi royal family, which captured Mecca in the 1920s, organizing the hajj is a source of major pride and legitimacy. Authorities have invested billions of dollars in modern infrastructure, but from time to time the hajj has been marred by tragedy, as in 2015, when more than 2,400 pilgrims died in a stampede.
Here’s a look at the pilgrimage, which begins on Monday, and its meaning.
The pilgrimage draws Muslims from around the world to Mecca, in Saudi Arabia, where they follow in the footsteps of the Prophet Muhammad and trace the journey of Abraham and Ishmael, or Abraham and Ishmael as they are known in Christian and Jewish traditions.
As stated in the Qur’an, Abraham is called upon to sacrifice his son Ishmael as a test of faith, but God holds his hand at the last moment. It was later said that Abraham and Ismail built the Kaaba together. In Christian and Jewish traditions, Abraham nearly sacrifices his other son, Isaac, on Mount Moriah, which is associated with a major holy site in Jerusalem.
The Kaaba was a center of polytheistic worship among the pagan Arabs until the arrival of Islam in the seventh century, when the Prophet Muhammad consecrated the place and inaugurated the Hajj.
Muslims do not worship the Kaaba, which is a cubic structure covered in black cloth embroidered with gold, but they consider it their holiest place and a powerful symbol of unity and monotheism. No matter where they are in the world, Muslims turn towards the Kaaba during their daily prayers.
Hajj has been performed every year since the time of the Prophet, even through wars, epidemics, and other disturbances.
In the Middle Ages, Muslim rulers organized huge caravans with armed escorts from Cairo, Damascus and other cities. It was an arduous journey through deserts where nomadic tribes raided and demanded tribute. A notorious Bedouin raid in 1757 wiped out the entirety Hajj caravanThousands of pilgrims were killed.
In 2020, amid worldwide lockdowns due to the coronavirus, Saudi Arabia has limited pilgrimages to a few thousand citizens and local residents. This is the first year it has returned to full capacity.
Some pilgrims spend their entire lives saving up for the trip or waiting years before obtaining a permit, which the Saudi authorities distribute to countries based on a quota system. Travel agents offer packages that cater to all income levels, and charities help pilgrims in need.
Pilgrims begin by entering a state of spiritual purification known as “Ihram”. Women forgo makeup and perfume and cover their hair, while men change into seamless canvas robes. Clothing could not contain any stitching, a rule intended to promote unity between rich and poor.
It is forbidden for pilgrims to cut their hair, cut their nails, or have sexual intercourse while they are in ihram. They are not supposed to argue or fight, but the heat, the crowds and the difficulty of the journey inevitably test people’s patience.
Many Muslims visit Medina, where the Prophet Muhammad was buried, and where he built his first mosque before heading to Mecca.
The Hajj begins with Muslims circumambulating the Kaaba in Mecca in a counterclockwise direction seven times while reciting a prayer. They then walk between two hills in a re-enactment of Hagar’s search for water for her son Ishmael, a story that occurs in various forms in the Islamic, Christian and Jewish traditions.
All this takes place inside the Grand Mosque in Mecca – the largest in the world – which includes the Kaaba and the two hills.
The next day, the pilgrims head to Arafat Mountain, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) east of Mecca, is where the Prophet Muhammad delivered his last sermon. Here, they stand in prayer all day asking God for forgiveness of their sins in what many see as the pilgrimage’s spiritual high point.
At sunset, pilgrims walk or take buses to an area called Muzdalifah, 9 kilometers (5.5 mi) west of Arafat. They pick up embers to use the next day in a symbolic stoning of Satan in the Mina Valley, where Muslims believe Abraham was tempted to ignore God’s command to sacrifice his son. The pilgrims stay in Mina for several nights in one of the largest tented camps in the world.
The pilgrimage ends with the final rotation of the Kaaba and the pouring of more stones in Mina. Men often shave their heads, while women cut off a lock of hair, indicating regeneration. Many will win the title of “Hajj” or “Hajj” – a great honor, especially in more traditional societies. Some paint murals on their homes with pictures of planes, ships, and the Kaaba to commemorate the journey.
The last days of the Hajj coincide with Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice, a joyous occasion celebrated by Muslims around the world to commemorate Abraham’s testing of faith. During the three days of Eid, Muslims slaughter livestock and distribute their meat to the poor.
[ad_2]
