Ḥajj is a journey to Mecca commemorating the spirit of devotion to God (Allāh) performed by Prophet Abraham [Ibrāhīm] and his family.
It entails visiting Mecca from the 8th-12th of the lunar calendar month of Dhul Ḥijjah and performing rituals at other nearby regions in emulation of Prophet Abraham.
Mecca is a sacred city in the Arabian Peninsula which was first inhabited by the newborn Ishmael [Ismāʿīl], and his parents, Hagar [Hājar], and Abraham.
Prophet Abraham was instructed by God to leave Hagar and his son in this barren valley as a test to see whether he and his family were willing to endure their tribulations by placing their trust in God. They had to trust that God would provide for them in this hot and uninhabited land, lacking food and water, with no vegetation for shade.
By understanding that God is the ultimate source of all provisions, they were able to pass the test and were ultimately relieved of all their hardships. As a reward, God made the region of Mecca a special place which would become the center for monotheism until the end of times.
Read MoreMecca has immense historical and religious value because Prophet Muhammad lived there for most of his life, and the first thirteen years of the revelation of the Qurʾān occurred there.
Mecca’s religious merit lies primarily in the fact that it contains the Kaʿbah 🕋, which all Muslims around the world face towards during ritual prayer.
After Abraham’s return to Mecca, God instructed him and his son, Ishmael, to construct the structure of the Kaʿbah, the first place dedicated entirely to the worship of one God alone.
The Kaʿbah represents the focal point of all Muslim worship and the unity of the Muslim community across the world. Muslims don’t pray to the Kaʿbah, but rather prayer to the Lord of the Kaʿbah.
Since Abraham’s time, people have been visiting the once-empty valley for thousands of years. Muslims are the latest in a long line of prophets and religious followers to direct their worship to the Kaʿbah.
Read MoreḤajj has the potential of being one of the most rewarding acts of worship a Muslim can ever perform. Muslims endure the crowding and the heat in order to gain the pleasure and reward of God.
The Prophet Muhammad (may God bless and preserve his legacy) said, "Whoever performs Ḥajj sincerely for God and avoids obscenity and sins will return from the journey like the day his mother gave birth to him [i.e. with no sins].”
The Prophet also taught Muslims that, “the only reward of an accepted Ḥajj is Paradise.”
Read MoreDuring Ḥajj, the migrants fulfill a grooming ritual which involves the men shaving their heads, and the women trimming their hair.