DOCSLIB.ORG

Pilgrimage Experience and Consumption of Travel to the City of Makkah for Hajj Ritual

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Pilgrimage Experience and Consumption of Travel to the City of Makkah for Hajj Ritual International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Volume 3 Issue 1 Article 6 2015 Pilgrimage Experience and Consumption of Travel to the City of Makkah for Hajj Ritual Razaq Raj Dr. Leeds Beckett University, [email protected] Dino Bozonelos California State University, San Marcos, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://arrow.tudublin.ie/ijrtp Part of the Tourism and Travel Commons Recommended Citation Raj, Razaq Dr. and Bozonelos, Dino (2015) "Pilgrimage Experience and Consumption of Travel to the City of Makkah for Hajj Ritual," International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage: Vol. 3: Iss. 1, Article 6. doi:https://doi.org/10.21427/D7FX5F Available at: https://arrow.tudublin.ie/ijrtp/vol3/iss1/6 Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License. © International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage ISSN : 2009-7379 Available at: http://arrow.dit.ie/ijrtp/ Volume 3(i) 2015 Pilgrimage Experience and Consumption of Travel to the City of Makkah for Hajj Ritual Dr Razaq Raj Principal Lecturer, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds Business School 520 The Rose Bowl, Portland Gate, Leeds LS1 3HB Dino Bozonelos, Ph.D. Lecturer, Dept. of Political Science, California State University, San Marcos 333 S Twin Oaks Valley Rd, San Marcos, CA 92078 [email protected] In modern society which, by definition is increasingly secular and culturally motivated, the Hajj is considered the culmination of each Muslim's religious duty and aspiration. It is stated in the Holy Qur'an, that every physically and financially able Muslim should make the Hajj to the Holy City of Makkah once in his or her lifetime. This paper explores what people do during their pilgrimage, providing a brief description of the principle rites and experiences and their meaning to an individual participants travelling from the USA. The paper will draw upon previously published literature as well as an analysis of findings from a quantitative study in which steps within the pilgrimage process were explored. These findings include participants’ descriptions of the significance and value of the experience which individual pilgrims face during travel to the holy city of Makkah. The results from the quantitative study indicated that the main motivations to attend the annual pilgrimage of Hajj were to fulfil religious obligation, spiritual enhancement and to follow teachings of the Quran and the Prophet Muhammad. Key words: Hajj, worship, experience, pilgrimage Introduction that religion is a fundamental part of our life and culture in various different ways in the modern world The Hajj is one of the Five Pillars of Islam: At least (Hinnells, 1984; Raj, 2007; Raj; 2011; Usmani, 2001; once in a lifetime, any Muslim who is able financially Wolfe, 2000). and physically to complete this journey must do so. Hajj takes place during the first days of the lunar The Hajj is an obligatory once in a lifetime experience month of Dhul-Hajjah, the 12th month of the Islamic for those Muslims who can afford it, provided there is year, and lasts for five days. Muslims from every part safety and security for travel and it leaves provision of the world assemble in Saudi Arabia to perform this behind for dependent family, while away from home unique form of worship. Leading authors (Nolan and performing the Hajj. The Hajj constitutes a form of Nolan, 1992; Smith, 1992; Raj, 2007) note how worship with the whole of the Muslim's being: with pilgrimage routes and experiences are increasingly their body, mind and soul, with their time, possessions becoming secularised, with their explicit promotion for and the temporary sacrifice of all ordinary comforts tourism, leisure and cultural engagement. Despite this, and conveniences which a person normally enjoys. The in today’s secular world the relationship between an person should assume for few days the condition of a individual and their belief can still play a major part in pilgrim entirely at God's service and disposal. influencing an individual to visit religious sites. The visitation patterns depends on internal factors such as This paper will explore what people do during their the individual’s strength of religious belief. In the pilgrimage, what the Hajj is actually like for an current literature, very limited research is available that individual participant travelling from the USA. The explores the motivation and visitation patterns of paper will provide a brief description of the principle individuals who are travelling mainly for religious rites and experiences of Hajj and their meaning to an purposes. The literature which is available does suggest individual. Finally, the paper will present the findings ~ 38 ~ Raj & Bozonelos Pilgrimage to Makkah for the Hajj of primary research which was undertaken to analyse millions of ‘religious tourists’ who fly in from all over the experience of individual pilgrims during their travel the world, but also large numbers who converge upon to the holy city of Makkah. Makkah from within Saudi Arabia and neighbouring countries. Islam and its Acknowledgement by the Event Industry Leading authors such as Nolan and Nolan (1992) and Lefeuvre (1980) reflect on and question what Muslims People have traditionally accepted the celebration of do during their pilgrimage. Coming for Hajj from all special religious holy days, for example, in the Western parts of the globe (the Middle East, Southeast Asia, world, Christmas and Easter are important. In addition, Africa, Europe, America and Australia etc.), as the people participate in other festivities organised by their pilgrims reach Makkah, they enter into a state of rulers. Kings and leaders for example, have often consecration known as Ihram. One takes on Ihram by organised events as a way of controlling the public. expressing his or her intention to enter into that state, and putting on the pilgrim's dress (which is also called The Islamic religion represents about 22% of the world Ihram). The dress for male pilgrims is a garment population, having approximately 1.5 billion adherents. unique to Hajj, which consists of two pieces of white, Islam, therefore, is the second largest religion un-sewn cloth which cover the lower and upper parts (Christianity is the most prominent with an estimated of the body. Although no specific garment is 2.1 billion followers) (Adherents, 2007), its adherents prescribed for women, they also enter into Ihram being called Muslims. They believe in their holy book wearing plain garments. The most important places to the ‘Qur´an’ dictated by ‘Allah’ their God, through the visit during the Hajj are Makkah where the first shrine Angel Gabriel to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was built and the Ka´aba stands, and Mina. (Collinson, Miller, 1985; Brown 1986). Resulting from these beliefs, there are a number of religious festivals The Hajj pilgrimage to Makkah takes place during the in the Islamic world which are celebrated annually. 12th month of the Muslim calendar Dhul-Hijjah. It is The main one, the holy month of Ramadan is the ninth the last of the five pillars of Islam, mentioned in the month of the Islamic lunar calendar. Because the lunar Qur´an. As outlined by Raj (2007), pilgrims perform calendar is shorter than the solar calendar, Islamic different duties during the six days of Hajj. An holidays are on a different date each year. In 2015, important element for the acceptance of the Hajj by Ramadan begins at sundown on June 18th. Muslims God is to take part in the assembly at Arafat, which is celebrate two other annual holidays, ‘Eid ul-Fitr’ and known as the ‘Wuqoof of Arafat’ - the stay in Arafat. ‘Eid ul-Adha’. The end of Ramadan is celebrated as the Pilgrims stay at the plain of Arafat and then travel to Eid ul-Fitr, whereas Eid ul-Adha is celebrated when Muzdalifah in order to collect pebbles - which should the ‘Hajj’ (pilgrimage) ends (Zaheer, 2007). These number forty-nine. These pebbles are important in festivals are holy for Muslims and should be kept in order to stone the three pillars in Madinah. Stoning the mind when scheduling a major event involving pillars allows one to withstand evil and instead, to do adherents of the faith. Allah’s will. On the last three days of the Hajj, pilgrims perform another ritual, the sacrifice of an In relation to Islam, the event industry has to take animal in Mina. This ritual takes place in memory of cognisance of this established fact, particularly the Prophet Abraham who should have sacrificed his considering that the Islamic population is growing son Ishmael. (Barrett and Johnson, 2002). This matter has implications not only for worship related time Raj (2003) mention that the final part of Hajj is held in schedules but also food and drink which have to match Makkah. The pilgrims circle around the Ka´aba to religious beliefs, behaviour and exposure to culture. praying. This ritual is known as ‘tawaf’ and symbolises While this advice relates in particular to the annual the unity of believers, God and humans. Pilgrims circle celebration of Ramadan, it also has implications for the around the Ka´aba seven times in counter clockwise other Islamic traditions. rotation. Pilgrimage to Makkah (Hajj) The Ka'aba The largest Islamic event in the world in terms of When pilgrims first arrive at Makka, after they have actual attendance is the Hajj in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. found accommodation and taken care of physical This annual event is a pilgrimage, which is sacred to necessities, their first obligation is to visit the Ka’aba the Muslim faith; it is the fifth and final pillar of Islam and perform certain prescribed acts of worship and is undertaken by approximately 3.4 million people following the example of the prophet Mohammed each year (as verified by the Saudi Arabia Information (peace be on him).
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Hajj As a Case Study
    Review of Modelling and Simulating Crowds at Mass Gathering Events: Hajj as a Case Study Almoaid Owaidah1, Doina Olaru2, Mohammed Bennamoun1, Fer- dous Sohel3,1, Nazim Khan4 1Department of Computer Science and Soware Engineering, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley WA 6009, Australia 2Business School, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley WA 6009, Australia 3College of Science, Health, Engineering and Education, Murdoch University, 90 South Street, Murdoch 6150 Australia 4Department of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Craw- ley WA 6009, Australia Correspondence should be addressed to [email protected] Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation 22(2) 9, 2019 Doi: 10.18564/jasss.3997 Url: http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/22/2/9.html Received: 30-06-2018 Accepted: 08-03-2019 Published: 31-03-2019 Abstract: The Hajj is an Islamic pilgrimage that involves four main holy sites in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. As the number of participants (pilgrims) attending these events has been increasing over the years, challenges have arisen: overcrowding at the sites resulting in congestion, pilgrims getting lost, stampedes, injuries and even deaths. Although Hajj management authorities have employed up-to-date facilities to manage the events (e.g., state-of-the-art infrastructure and communication technologies, CCTV monitoring, live crowd analysis, time scheduling, and large well-trained police forces and scouts), there is still overcrowding and “unexpected” prob- lems that can occur at the events. These problems can be studied and mitigated by prior simulation, which allows for preparation and deployment of the most appropriate plans for crowd management at Hajj events.
    [Show full text]
  • Living the Muslim Life - Meditating and Retreating to the Mosque for the Last 10 Days of Ramadan Can Bring a Special Closeness to and Charitable Causes
    The Ten Obligatory Acts Shahadah – 1st Pillar Salah – 2nd pillar Salah at home: Muslims are allowed to pray at home. They must perform wudu Sawm – 3rd pillar before prayer but they do not need a special room in their house to pray. Sunni Muslims refer to their faith as ‘the house of Islam’ ‘There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the History of Salah Muslims will use a prayer mat, which they position so it is facing Makkah, in the same way as it would in a mosque. Muslims women can often find it useful to Ramadan: Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim Year, but that does not mean that it happens in September. by which they mean their home. A house needs Prophet of Allah’ Salah is the five times a day ritual prayer of Islam. Salah as it pray at home, especially if they have children to look after. Muslims traditionally follow a lunar calendar which is slightly shorter than the solar year, it means that Ramadan will foundations and for Muslims, this is the Qur’an. The is known today began with Muhammad. According to the Muslim be slightly earlier (by about ten days) in the Western calendar every year. ‘House of Islam’ is supported by the 5 pillars. The Ten Shahadah means ‘to observe, witness, testify’, The biographies, Muhammad began a system of morning and evening Jummah prayer: The midday prayer every Friday is considered to be special, Obligatory Acts were developed by the Twelve Imams of first part shows the belief of Tawhid, that there is prayers.
    [Show full text]
  • Welcome to the Guests of Allah
    WELCOME TO THE GUESTS OF ALLAH MAKKAH CITY GUIDE SaudiaUmrah.com 1 INTRODUCTION USEFUL INFORMATION Makkah Al Mukaramah is Muslims’ Qibla (Praying Direction) and the heart of the Islamic world, the cradle of revelation and the holiest city in Islam. The city is the birthplace of Prophet Mohammed “Peace be upon him” and it is here within the Great Mosque that the Ka’aba, the most sacred shrine of Islam, awaits the Muslim pilgrim in Where GMT/UTC Number of guests Hajj & Umrah. South East + 3h Million Discover Makkah Al Mukaramah, the most sacred land Asia yearly on earth and learn more about the religious and historical 15 places you must visit during your Umrah. WEATHER Average temperature during the year 30 38 43 40 Jan Apr Jul Oct 18 24 28 25 31 42 42 35 Feb May Aug Nov 18 27 29 22 34 44 42 31 Mar Jun Sep Dec 20 28 28 20 Maximum Minimum 2 SaudiaUmrah.com SaudiaUmrah.com 3 1. Jabal Al Nour (The Mountain of Light) The mountain houses the famed Ghar Hira HISTORICAL PLACES or Hira cave. The mountain is barely 640 m tall. It does however, take two hours to TO VISIT make it to the cave. The mount and the cave hold tremendous signicance for Muslims throughout the world. 2. Ghar Hira (Hira Cave) Taking 1,200 walking steps to reach, the cave itself is about 3.7 m in length and 1.6 m in width. The cave is situated at a height of 270 m of Jabal Al Nour Mountain.
    [Show full text]
  • 'I Cried at Sight of the Kaaba'
    LIFEPULSE 20 THURSDAY JANUARY 4, 2007 CHINA DAILY Murphy’s Law drives me ‘I cried at sight of the Kaaba’ totally crazy The largest-ever HOT POT haj has come to an end in Mecca, with nearly 10,000 PATRICK WHITELEY Chinese Muslims A 100-question knowledge test is the foreigner’s gateway to a Chinese undertaking the driver’s licence, but the all-impor- tant paperwork needs to be in order. holy pilgrimage. For impatient “need-it-now” novic- Mu Qian es, this paper trail can lead to many reports dead-ends. If you want a ticket to ride in the Middle Kingdom, heed from Mecca the words of someone who has been there and failed that. n estimated 2.5 mil- I always live by Murphy’s Law. If lion pilgrims from 187 something can go wrong, it will. The countries and regions glass is not half full, or half empty, undertook the haj, from it’s poisoned. This attitude makes December 28, 2006 to living in China a sheer delight, be- AJanuary 1, 2007, making it the larg- cause most things go unexpectedly est-ever such gathering to date. right. When they don’t, I am ready In the time of Muhammad, there for it. My driving ambition, however, were no fl ights to bring haj pilgrims had Murphy stamped all over it. to Mecca in just a few hours, and pil- The checklist includes: passport, grims did also not have to deal with residence permit, original driver’s the logistics and security problems licence, medical certifi cate, and fi ve posed by the more than 2 million haj photographs.
    [Show full text]
  • RE Hajj (Pilgrimage)
    Let’s recap.. • The Muslim’s pilgrimage to Mecca (Mohammed birth place) is the fifth of the five pillars of Islam. • The five pillars of Islam are the five things you must remember to be a good Muslim. The Five Pillars of Islam Hajj: Sawm: pilgrimage Salat: fasting Shahada: to Mecca, prayer, Zakat: during Declaratio the five times charity the n of faith birthplace a day month of of Ramadan Muhammed The History of Hajj According to Islamic tradition, God ordered Abraham to leave his wife, Hagar, and his son, Ishmael, in the desert near ancient Mecca. Hagar ran seven times between the two hills of Safa and Marwah to find water but was unable to find any. When she returned to Ishmael, she saw him scratching the ground and a water fountain sprang forth beneath his foot. Later, God commanded Abraham to build Ka’bah here, which he did with the help of Ishmael. He invited people to perform pilgrimage there. What Do Muslim Pilgrims Do during Hajj? During Hajj, millions of pilgrims arrive in Mecca and perform a series of rituals. • The pilgrims visit the Ka’bah in Mecca and walk around it seven times. • They run between two mounts called Safa and Marwa. • The pilgrims go to the plains of Mount Arafat to stand in vigil and spend a night on the plain of Muzdalifah. • They camp in Mina and throw seven small stones at three stone pillars, which symbolise the devil. • The men shave their hair and sacrifice an animal as performed by the prophet Abraham.
    [Show full text]
  • HIST351-2.3.2-Sharia.Pdf
    Sharia 1 Sharia . šarīʿah, IPA: [ʃaˈriːʕa], "way" or "path") is the code of conduct or religious law of Islamﺷﺮﻳﻌﺔ :Sharīʿah (Arabic Most Muslims believe Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Qur'an, and the example set by the Islamic Prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of Sharia to questions not directly addressed in the primary sources by including secondary sources. These secondary sources usually include the consensus of the religious scholars embodied in ijma, and analogy from the Qur'an and Sunnah through qiyas. Shia jurists prefer to apply reasoning ('aql) rather than analogy in order to address difficult questions. Muslims believe Sharia is God's law, but they differ as to what exactly it entails.[1] Modernists, traditionalists and fundamentalists all hold different views of Sharia, as do adherents to different schools of Islamic thought and scholarship. Different countries and cultures have varying interpretations of Sharia as well. Sharia deals with many topics addressed by secular law, including crime, politics and economics, as well as personal matters such as sexuality, hygiene, diet, prayer, and fasting. Where it enjoys official status, Sharia is applied by Islamic judges, or qadis. The imam has varying responsibilities depending on the interpretation of Sharia; while the term is commonly used to refer to the leader of communal prayers, the imam may also be a scholar, religious leader, or political leader. The reintroduction of Sharia is a longstanding goal for Islamist movements in Muslim countries. Some Muslim minorities in Asia (e.g.
    [Show full text]
  • Literature Review of Crowd Management: a Hajj Case Study
    Literature Review of Crowd Management: A Hajj Case Study Jihen Fourati1, Brahim Issaoui2,3 and Kamel Zidi3,4 1Faculty of Science Gafsa, Gafsa, Tunisia 2University of Manouba, National School of Computer Sciences, Tunisia 3Laboratoire Complex Outstanding Systems Modeling Optimization and Supervision (COSMOS), Research Unit Systems for Smart Optimization and Intelligent Engineering (SSOIE), Tunisia 4University of Tabuk, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia Keywords: Crowd Management, Pilgrimage, Congestion Control, Hajj. Abstract: Pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of Islam, which is a duty every Muslim should perform once during his lifetime. Over than two millions Muslims from all the world gather in Makkah for one of the world's largest pilgrimages. All those pilgrims are obligated to be accommodated at Hajj ritual sites, which are the Kaaba, Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah. With this huge number of pilgrims in the holy city, managing the crowd is a complicated task, especially in the geographical area for the movement of pilgrims, the fixed underlying road-network infrastructure between the different worship places, the annually increasing number of pilgrims and also the short duration of Hajj. As a result of this, huge crowd and difficulties in control have led to fatal accidents among the pilgrims. By the last decade, overcrowding management became a big challenge for the Saudi Arabian authorities and Hajj organizers. Scientists have started research projects to provide several methodologies for crowd monitoring and estimation of its density. In this work, we tried to present a literature review about the Hajj in order to help scientists for future contribution and have lots information about this new field of research.
    [Show full text]
  • Revive Invest in Your Akhira
    JULY 2021 REVIVE INVEST IN YOUR AKHIRA DHUL HIJJAH - THE 10 BEST DAYS OF THE YEAR HOW TO USE THIS PACKET 1 Asalaamu alaikom! Each program packet is a resource that you can adapt to best serve your youth and community. Please feel free to use supplemental materials, ideas, or mix & match activities in a way that maintains building on the topic. We'd love to hear how your chapter modifies and implements this program or the activities included! This packet offers time for fellowship, opportunities to reflect and connect with the origins and rites of Hajj, and a focus on renewing our intention and worship - incorporating the 10 Tips to Make the Most of the 10 Best Days of the Year. This may be used all together as-is in a single program, like a Qiyam, or as a weekly program focused on different aspects of Dhul Hijjah throughout the month If you decide to implement a weekly program, please note that the long program is divided into sections with specific focuses and learning goals - this can be a good way to divide the program up. Alternatively, if your center is not ready to implement a full Qiyam or weekly program for Dhul Hijjah you can utilize these activities after Eid (as an extension of the lessons and practices of Dhul Hijjah in our daily lives) or any time during the year! You will find a general, at-a-glance Qiyam outline followed by the detailed outline including notes for facilitation and preparation, followed by an Addendum including all of the references resources (printables, connection message, supplemental teaching tools).
    [Show full text]
  • GCE Religious Studies
    GCE CCEA GCE AS Exemplifying Examination Performance Religious Studies AS 6: An Introduction to Islam This is an exemplification of candidates’ performance in GCE AS examinations (Summer 2017) to support the teaching and learning of the Religious Studies specification. Permission to reproduce all copyright material has been applied for. In some cases, efforts to contact copyright holders may have been unsuccessful and CCEA will be happy to rectify any omissions of acknowledgement in future if notified. EXEMPLIFYING EXAMINATION PERFORMANCE GCE Religious Studies Introduction These materials illustrate aspects of performance from the 2017 summer AS examination series of CCEA’s revised GCE Specification in 2016. Students’ grade A responses are reproduced verbatim and are accompanied by commentaries written by senior examiners. The commentaries draw attention to the strengths of the students’ responses and indicate, where appropriate, deficiencies and how improvements could be made. It is intended that the materials should provide a benchmark of candidate performance and help teachers and students to raise standards. For further details of our support package, please visit our website at www.ccea.org.uk Best wishes Education Manager, Religious Studies Email: [email protected] Telephone: 028 9026 1200 ext. 2105 GCE: AS Religious Studies SRE61: An Introduction to Islam Grade: A Exemplar 1 CCEA EXEMPLIFYING EXAMINATION PERFORMANCE Section A Answer one question from Section A Q1a “For the Muslim, Hajj signifies both an outward and an inner spiritual pilgrimage.” With reference to this quotation, explain the rituals of Hajj and their importance for Muslims. [25] Student’s response It is very easily recognised that Hajj signifies both an outward an an inner spiritual pilgrimage.
    [Show full text]
  • Friday Comprehension: Hajj
    Friday Comprehension: Hajj Dear Diary, Wow! What a day! I can’t believe I’m finally here in Mecca! After what feels like a lifetime of saving up and finding the right opportunity to come... and I’m here! It feels so special to be able to complete the fifth pillar of my religion. Our flight was very hot but very exciting. We were all Muslims together, all going for the same purpose, so we were all very excited. Going into the state of Ihram was quite a milestone. When we all put on our white robes, and said our first prayers, it properly felt like Hajj for the first time! The first thing we did was Tawaf; walking around the Kab’ah seven times. The Kab’ah was much bigger than I thought it would be. While we were walking round seven times, I felt great because I was following out Allah’s instructions from the Qur’an and because I felt really connected with everyone else who was doing the same thing. Next, I went and drank the water from the Zamzam well. It tasted very sweet for some reason and felt that this is important because I knew this was the well that was created to stop Ishmael from dying of thirst in the story in the Qur’an! Then, we all did the walk between the two hills Safa and Marwa. This remembers the same story in the Qur’an, where Hagar runs between the mountains trying to find water for her son, Ishmael. We walked up and down seven times between the two hills.
    [Show full text]
  • Pilgrim Crowd Dynamics
    PILGRIM CROWD DYNAMICS by Abdulaziz Mousa Aljohani A thesis submitted to The University of Birmingham For the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY School of Mechanical Engineering College of Engineering and Physical Science The University of Birmingham May 2014 0 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. Dedication To my Parents, Wife and Children (Saud, Sultan, Sarah and Khalid) iii Acknowledgments In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful I am deeply indebted to several individuals who have assisted to make this study a successful and worthwhile venture. I am very grateful to my supervisors Dr Ahmedali Hassan, Dr Andrew Tobias, and Professor David Hukins, for their professional guidance and invaluable advice. My sincerest appreciations and gratitude to Dr Tobias for his continued support and encouragement throughout the course of this study, which have contributed to its successful completion. Undoubtedly he deserves the most important acknowledgement not just for his primary role but for being there for me all through even during the most difficult times. Ultimately, this study would not have been possible and concluded without the sacrifice, patience and encouragement from my wife and my children Saud, Sultan, Sarah & Khalid.
    [Show full text]
  • Hajj – the Journey Between Arafat and Mina
    0 HAJJ: The Journey of a Lifetime, (Part 1)! ‘Hajj’ means ‘to set out for a definite purpose’. There are two main purposes of the Hajj. The first is to show obedience to Allah, (this is the Arabic word for God). The second is that the Hajj is a way of worshipping Allah. Islam, the religion of Muslims, lays out five acts of worship called the ‘Five pillars’, which all Muslims must perform. The last of these is the Hajj. It is the duty of each Muslim to go on the Hajj at least once in their lifetime as long as they can afford it and the family left behind is properly provided for. Muslims who go on the Hajj are both worshipping and obeying Allah. The Hajj takes Muslims to Mecca. For them, this is the holiest city in the world. Many people think that Islam was founded, or started, by the Prophet Muhammad and that Mecca became a Holy city because he made it a religious centre. However, Muslims believe that he was carrying on the work which other men had started long before him. Hajj was made obligatory in the 9th year of Hijra. The following year, 10th Hijra, the Prophet Muhammad announced he himself would perform Hajj that year. He led tens of thousands of Muslims to Hajj that year and demonstrated to 1 Muslims how to perform all the rites and rituals of the Hajj. This Hajj is known in history as ‘Hajjatul Wida’ or Farewell Pilgrimage because this proved to be the last Hajj Prophet Muhammad performed.
    [Show full text]