Defination of Hajj

Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia,

1 of the 5 basic requirements (arkan or "pillars") of Islam. Its annual observance corresponds to the main holy day id al-adha, itself a commemoration of Abraham's readiness to sacrifice his son on Divine orders. While the hajj could be a religious obligation to be fulfilled a minimum of once within the course of the life of each Muslim, non secular law grants many exclusions on grounds of hardship. The hajj may be a series of extensively detailed rituals. These embody wearing a special garment that symbolizes unity and modesty, collective circumambulations of the Kaaba, and therefore the symbolic stoning of evil.

A central event of the pilgrimage is at the station on the plain of Arafat, some 10 miles from Mecca, where, the huge crowds notwithstanding, the pilgrim is needed to be completely alone with God performing the rite of wuquf or "standing." It is here that the Prophet Muhammad addressed his followers during his last pilgrimage. The Mecca rituals are typically followed by a visit to the Prophet's Mosque in Medina. The hajj, gathering today immeasurable Muslims annually, was maybe the greatest impetus to voluntary mobility before trendy times. The economic, cultural, and political importance of this major annual gathering of Muslims from around the world has more increased with the advent of telecommunications and transport technologies, though the increased numbers have taxed the accessible facilities. Those who have completed the pilgrimage are entitled to add the phrase al-Hajj or hajji (pilgrim) to their name.