Islam is a monotheistic religion based on the belief of no other god but God and Muhammad is his Prophet. One of the requirements of the Islamic faith is for Muslims to visit Mecca at least once in their lifetime, if physically and financially able. A pilgrimage is a spiritual journey to find oneself and to gain or strengthen one’s faith. Numerous records have been saved of pilgrimages to Mecca for many centuries now. Some well known pilgrimages include ones of Ibn Battuta and Jalal Al-e Ahmad to Mecca, as well as, ones of Shi’i Muslims to the holy site of Imam Hussein’s tomb in Karbala. These three pilgrimages share common characteristics and equally share various differences, however they all share one common thing, faith. Battuta, Ahmad, and the Shi’ites all go on these pilgrimages because of their common Islamic beliefs. Some of their beliefs may be stronger than others, …show more content…
Although Ahmad was raised as a Shi’i with a father as a Shi’ite clergyman, he had not prayed in 20 years prior to his pilgrimage to Mecca. In April of 1964, Ahmad left for a three-week pilgrimage to Mecca with his family. Ahmad and his family were part of a large group of Muslims traveling to Mecca. Amongst this group, everyone referred to one another as “Hajjis” to create equality. Also, like all other pilgrimages to Mecca, all of the pilgrims wore their unstitched cotton and partook in the usual prayers and worshiping. Over three centuries later since Battuta’s pilgrimage one can imagine how much easier travel had become. Ahmad traveled in air conditioning and was fed sufficiently along his pilgrimage. Ahmad, unlike his family, was not seeking spiritual enlightenment, but instead was searching for information of the death of his brother that had occurred 13 years prior in Medina. This all being said, Ahmad still experienced unity and equality on this
Different religions have shaped the cultural landscapes throughout history. In most religions, they have what is known as a sacred site. Many of the sacred sites are near the founding of the religion or near a place where something significant had once occurred. The followers of these religions often build temples to worship their gods. One example, would be the Dome of the Rock, where Muhammad, a prophet of God in the Muslim culture, said to have ascended into heaven.The Dome of the Rock is a masterpiece of Islamic architecture and is the "Noble Sanctuary" by Muslims. The place of worship for Muslims is known as the mosque, but the Dome of the Rock is much more iconic and would be best identified as a Muslim shrine. The temple was originally made for pilgrims and took thirteen years to construct. This is also a significant place for the Muslim community
In the 1300s Mansa Musa, king of Mali took his holy pilgrimage to the city of Mecca as a devout muslim, traveling through scorching deserts and bustling cities, although there might be other reasons he took his religious Hajj. The pilgrimage of Mansa Musa traveled all across Northern Africa and Arabia, stopping in cities along the way where Mansa Musa gave out gold to all he saw. The journey from the Empire of Mali to the city of Mecca was not only a faithful religious journey to the holy city, but also to create a name for Mali as the wealthy and powerful empire it was.
Because her husband had died, Muhammad's mother took her baby and went to live with her family. They were together for six years until she got a high fever and died. Then Muhammad went to live with his grandfather, Abdul Al-Muttalib, in Mecca. His grandfather’s family was part of the Quraysh tribe, the most powerful tribe in Mecca. Mecca was Arabia's most important pilgrimage center and Abdul Al-Muttalib its most respected leader. He controlled important pilgrimage concessions and frequently presided over Mecca's Council of Elders. This tribe controlled the main place of worship for all of Arabia, a temple filled with idols known as Al-Ka'ba. Muhammad's grandfather had the honor of serving as the caretaker for Al-Ka'ba. He was in charge of repairs and cleaning.
may not always be seen to be a good thing as pilgrims spend much of
During this time, Mecca was mostly populated with polytheistic followers. In 610 C.E, Prophet Muhammad, had his first revelations that advance the Islamic culture. His revelations became a way of life for his followers. When the religion started rising in numbers, Muhammad and his followers was exiled from Mecca. When the followers migrated to Medina, Islam began to spread. This religion had much influence in the locations it was practiced in. The Quran is the way of life to its people. The five pillars expressed in the Quran were the religious laws Muslims were expected to follow. They were expected to only accept there is one God and one messenger, Muhammad, pray five times a day, give the poor 2.5 percent of their savings, fast during the month of Ramandan, and pilgrimage to Mecca, where the Holy Ka’ba is located. Besides the religious impact, Muhammad also created a political empire. He united different tribes and customs. Muhammad was very influential that after his death, the religion faced a challenge. They did not have a successor or leader, so many followers left the religion, refused to pay taxes, and wars begun. In the mid- seventh century, the Muslims started wars with the Byzantine and Persian Empires and conquered them. Muslims ruled over many religious groups including Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians. As the Muslims became powerful, they created laws that taxed other religious groups to practice their faith. In the “Pact of Umar”, Christians agreed under extreme circumstances in order to practice their faith. They agreed to not fix the damages done to their churches, to not display any religious ornaments, to not spread the faith, and many more. The Muslims conquered and progressed in
3) Five Pillars of Islam- The Five Pillars of Islam are five important actions that all Muslims must complete during their life. Muslims must recite the profession of faith, pray five times a day facing Mecca, give alms, fast during the month of Ramadan, and make a pilgrimage to Mecca. The Five Pillars of Islam are the base for the whole religion of Islam. The pilgrimage to Mecca is the only one that is not required; if a person is not able to go at all, they are not required to.
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.
In popular Sufism, a pilgrimage is the “ritual that orients the cosmos around a holy place and provides a way for participants to integrate themselves around symbols of transcendence” (Ernst). Pilgrimages to holy places is commonly practiced in South Asian countries. Sufis believe when they visit the tombs, they would receive spiritual blessings from the saint, who rests in the shrine. According to Ala’al-Dawla, a Sufi master of Kubrawi order in central Asia, “pilgrimage to tombs increase one’s spiritual concentration through contact with the earthly remains of a saint” (Ernst). Additionally, the individual seeks the path of enlightenment because they realize the importance of the pilgrimage by experiencing its struggles throughout. Once the pilgrims reach the shrine where the saint rests, they “express their love and respect for them by kissing and touching their eyes to the tombs” (Ernst). Whenever an individual travels to cities near a holy place, they often visit the tomb to kiss the saint’s feet. In fact, the essence of the pilgrimage can be felt by the individual at that moment because they have received the spiritual blessings from the saint. In addition, Sufis are usually very eager to receive the saint’s blessing because they believe the “spirits of the faithful are near their tombs” (Ernst). The pilgrimage to the tombs of saints forms an
With 1.5 billion followers worldwide, the religion of Islam is the second most popular religion over the entire globe, and follows a strict set of rules derived from the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, a messenger of God, or Allah. Founded in 622 C.E. (also known as A.D.) in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Islam is a strictly monotheistic religion that drew inspiration from earlier religions like Christianity and Judaism. It is divided into three different sections- the Sunni, Shi’a and Sufi sects. The Qur’an is the holy book of Islam, and is considered the unaltered word of Allah. All followers of Islam adhere to many high standards of living and daily practices meant to better their lives like The Twelve Imams, among others. Islam brings together many different aspects of peaceful and devoted living that bring together the billions of followers to one family.
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.
One of the five pillars is Shahadataan or Kalima. This is the declaration or testimony of faith. The declaration itself is very simple and it goes as follows: “I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger.” Islam is based on faith and the Unity of God. When one agrees with this statement, they are testifying upon the Unity of Allah and the message of Prophethood. When one witnesses the statement that Muhammad is His messenger, one is verifying that all the prophets before him were also His messengers showing that Allah is one and His message is one. When one declares this statement with their purity of heat and conviction of faith, they are then Muslim.
...Amanullah, Shahed. "Hajj 2.0: technology's impact on the Muslim Pilgrimage." Georgetown Journal of International Affairs 10.2 (2009): 75+. Academic OneFile. Web. 7 Nov. 2011
Islam is a monotheistic religion that follows the scared text called the Qu'ran. Born in 570 C.E., Muhammad was believed to be a messenger and prophet of god. In 610 C.E., Muhammad claims that he was visited by the Angel Gabriel and experienced his first revelation from god. Three years later, Muhammad started preaching stating that “God is One” and that he was a prophet. Once Muhammad gained a few followers, he sent some of his followers to Abyssinia. When his followers and him migrated from Mecca to Media, it marked a special event also known as the Hijra, which marks the beginning of the Is...
One of the highlights being his visit to Damascus, which Ibn says “surpassed all other cities in beauty, and no description, however full, can do justice to its charms”. (65) Ibn Battuta also received many gifts along his journey from men of great stature. Everywhere Ibn Battuta went he was showered with gifts and seemingly for no reason. One of these being from the esteemed Shaykh al-Murshidi (47). Why was someone with no prior relation or major significance being treated in such a manner? However it was not only Ibn Battuta treated this way, all guests were greeted with such kindness. Dhimmis, non-Muslims, in these Muslim lands were also granted valuable rights and treated with such tenderness (“Dar al-Islam Encyclopedia”) . The idea of cosmopolitanism, all humans being represented under a single community, was an attribute of the five pillars of Islam. The five pillar of Islam are customs followed by all Muslims to live a prosperous life. These pillars are a declaration of Muslim faith and include praying daily, giving to those in need, travelling to Mecca, and taking part in Ramadan (4). Being of Muslim faith in the Dar al-Islam community was very beneficial to Ibn Battuta. While Ibn did not know these people individually and he was just a mere foreigner in these vast lands, their connection lies within their