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Essay about the hajj
What is the significance of Hajj in Muslim experience
What is the significance of Hajj in Muslim experience
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The Hajj
Just about every religion has one thing that a person must do in their lifetime in order to go on after death and Islam is one of those religions. It is required of a Muslim to make the pilgrimage to Mecca and perform the given tasks at least once in their lifetime.
It is said that the Prophet Muhammad had rid the Ka'ba of its idols and re-established it as a shrine dedicated to the one God (Hofe 96). Now it is the duty of every Muslim to make a trip to that very place. About 2 million Muslims from just over 70 different countries will journey to the holy city of Mecca each year. The pilgrimage begins during an important month in the Muslim calendar called the Dhu al-Hijah. At this time Muslims will travel from all over to make the trip to the sacred land of Mecca. Many will die young and old, but there couldn't be a better way of dieing for a devout Muslim. On the journey they must walk and wear only a roab type outfit so that you can not distinguish between the rich and the poor. During the Hajj, pilgrims must abstain from intercourse and eating and drinking during the day light hours.
During the journey, pilgrims will visit the Well of Zamzam, which was established by Hager and Ishmael (Shariat 99). They will take seven trips around the Ka'ba and kiss the black stone. A sacrifice is offered on the tenth day to celebrate Abraham's unselfishness to sacrifice his son to God. Then they must visit Medina to pay respect to the Prophet Muhammad. Then they will all make their way home and put the word Hajj on their name to show they have made the pilgrimage to Mecca.
Before a Muslim arrives at the holy city, they will go into a state of consecration known as Ihram. In preparation for Ihram, but not after, t...
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...s, which have accumulated throughout their lives. The Prophet Muhammad once said, "A person who performs the Hajj properly will return as a newly born baby free from all sins"(Shariat 178). The Hajj also brings together Muslims from all around the world, of different races, languages, and ethic groups, to come together as one to worship God.
Bibliography:
1. Hopfe, Lewis and Woodward, Mark. Religions of the World Eighth Edition.
New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc, 2001, 1998, 1991, 1983.
2. Peters, F.E. The Hajj. New Jersey: Princeton Universit Press, 1996
3. Shariat, Ali. Hajj: Reflections On Its Rituals.
New York: Abjad Book Designers And Builders, 1992
4. The Hajj, Islam's Journey of Faith.Oct. 1997. CNN. 14 April 2001
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/hajj/
This shows that Mecca is in the middle of many trade cities, as a result of this trade moves through the city. Trade allows people to interact and move around, when they move around they bring their religious beliefs with them. Mecca was also the home to the most famous pagan shrine, the Ka’ba(Document A).This proves that many people come to Mecca, they came seeking the Ka’ba for their own religions that were important to them. , while they were in the city they began to trade. The people came seeking the Ka’ba but they may hear some Islamic people talking about their own religion.
The first is, testifying to God's One-ness: The declaration "There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His prophet. " The second is, Prayer. Prayer must happen at least five times a day, and must be done by bowing and facing towards the Mecca. Also, everyone must stand in straight lines and if women do come, however not required, must stand behind the men. The third is, giving to charity.
The Hajj or pilgrimage to Makkah is one of the five pillars of Islam "arkan-al-Islam”- Its purpose is essentially to facilitate the act of submission to Allah which is pinnacle to all followers of Islam. "Perform the pilgrimage and the visit [to Mecca] for Allah" Surah 2:196. It has enormous significance, not only for the pilgrim undertaking the Hajj but also for the wider Muslim community, the Umma, as it allows for all individuals to gain unification of faith.
... believe in one God, and relates their life to the basis of the text in the Qur’an. To give themselves to God, by doing right, such as performing the duties within the five pillars, followers are then able to show their true devotion and commitment. Therefore, a true Muslim is one who submits to God and who God will lead on to have a righteous salvation.
Between the 11th and 13th century the Crusades have been fought by many dauntless knights who wanted to protect the Holy Land. They encountered many problems, however they were driven with their goal in mind. They thought that "protecting the Holy L...
Among the most beloved traditions and rituals of the Islamic faith is a pilgrimage that unites Muslims around the world. It is known as the Hajj, an Arabic word meaning “to set out for a place” (“Short History of Hajj”). It is one of the five pillars that define the Islamic faith. The Hajj itself is a five day trip into Mecca, the Islamic holy city, as well as surrounding areas. It is a trip that thousands of Muslims undergo each year. It is a staple of Islamic faith, as well as a spiritual and emotional journey that brings Muslims closer to God.
...l Muhammad’s Islamic forces finally took Mecca in an almost bloodless war. Throughout that time, Muhammad had established the Five Pillars of Islam, a creed and code which is considered obligatory for all followers of the Islamic faith consisting of rules varying from required prayer to mandatory pilgrimage. Eventually by Muhammad’s death, he had united the entirety of Arabian tribes under Islam. In Islamic tradition there are only two official holidays. The first is called Eid-al Fitr, which is celebrated at the end of a month of fasting. Generally this day Muslims around the world give Zakat, or charity in good faith. The second, Eid-al Adha, is celebrated from the tenth to the fourteenth day of Dhu al-Hijjah, which is the month of pilgrimage to Mecca. Traditionally on these days an animal is killed, it’s meat distributed between friends, family, and the poor.
...y of life. Muslims follow a religion of peace, mercy, and forgiveness, and the majority have nothing to do with the extremely grave events which have come to be associated with their faith” (“IslamiCity”).
Islam the complete ‘surrender to Allah’ is a living religious tradition with the principal belief in one God – Allah. Islam has remained the same in its principle beliefs of Allah, His Angels, His Prophets, His Books, The Last Day and his complete authority over destiny and has also changed over time to ensure that Islam remains a living religious tradition. Over its history Islam has had many significant people including Al Ghazali and Aisha Bint Abu Bakr who have ensured that Islam remains living in the hearts and minds of its adherents. In addition to significant individuals participation in the Five Pillars e.g. the Hajj ensure that Islam will continue to be the living religious tradition that it is.
...e by having a feast. Finally the last pillar requires a pilgrimage to Mecca. This pilgrimage is called a Hajj and each Muslim is required to make this journey once in a life time. Each year two million people make this trip. (Molloy 443) Like Buddhism Islam has broken into branches, the two major branches are Sunni and the Shiites Although all Muslims are supposed to get along Sunnis and Shiites often disagree on weather a leadership of Islam should be political or religious.
The Much common ground is shared in attempt to provide approaches to finding answers to some of the deepest questions of life. I will discuss these significant similarities focusing on human dignity, identity, difference, and guardianship. “Islam is similar to Christianity in respect to human dignity and identity in that both acknowledge creation and that God is the creator of heaven and earth”. The aspect of both subscribes to the role of prophets who were venerated in both Islam and Christianity. Due to this fact, they both are traced to the times of Abraham (Ipgrave and Marshall 14-77). The goal of each faiths’ ethos is to love God by way of obeying His commandments on guidance from their respective Holy Books. They both do broadly consist of individuals that owe their allegiance to a metaphysical deity. Owing to the fact that the two are considered Abrahamic religions. They do both captures in the strictest sense the aspect of guardianship in respect to both having belief in only one God. A belief is impliedly preaching the existence of heaven and hell. Goes on to affirm the existence of the belief of the second coming of the Savior, which affirms the faiths’ ethos towards the attainment of the religions’ goals. Aimed at promoting and achieving a holistic understanding of religion, as the flexibility to accommodate diverse backgrounds of its adherents that is always prone to abuse. Christianity and Islam’s
When people think about Mecca one of the first things that might come to their heads is the pilgrimage or the black stone. Muhammad is one of the reasons that Mecca is what it is today. Muhhamad was a prophet born 570 in Mecca. He was orphaned as a child and sent to ended up living with his uncle. Muhhamad would get away from everything by going to the desert to meditate. One night while alone at Mt. Hira he was visited by an angel named Gabriel. After this Muhhamad began to accept Allah and started to believe. Some of the things Muhhamad believed was Jihad, holy struggle. He also began to believe you live for Allah. He believed all those who did would be rewarded and the rest punished. Not everyone believed the way Muhammad did. People at first thought that his teachings were a threat to the religious and material order. He was accused of making up what the Angel Gabriel had told him. He got followers from the poor and people who thought they were being unequally treated. Muhhamad took these people and then left and went to Medina to find more followers. He then returned to Mecca later and took over the city and converted everyone to Islam.
They believe the purpose of life is to submit to G-d, and obtain paradise after death. They way to achieve salvation is to follow the Qur'an, and Five Pillars of Islam.
In the Islamic religion, human beings will be judged in accordance to their deeds. Therefore, people are prompted to observe due diligence and uphold life while acting in a manner that indicates virtuous behaviour. The punishment of evil deeds is succumbing to hell and joining Satan, who refused to kneel before Adam and was cursed to an eternity of fire.