When Is Hajj 2024?
Hajj begins on Friday, Jun 14, 2024 – of the Gregorian calendar, marking the start of the pilgrimage in Mecca, the sacred city for Muslims, during the month of Dhul Hijjah. The exact dates would depend on the moon, as the Islamic calendar is lunar calender.
What month is the annual Hajj pilgrimage performed?
Hajj pilgrimage starts on the 8 Dhul Hijjah and will end on the 13th of Dhul Hijjah, 1445. Dhul Hijjah is the 12th month of the Islamic calendar.
What is Hajj?
Hajj is a mandatory annual Muslim pilgrimage in Islamic tradition. There are five pillars in Islam. Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam. The other five pillars are shahada, salah, fasting, and zakat. Millions of Muslim pilgrims travel from all over the world to Saudi Arabia for an annual Hajj pilgrimage. Hajj pilgrims gather in Saudi Arabia’s holy city, Mecca, and its holy sites yearly. It is a spiritual journey many Muslims spend their whole lives waiting for. Performing Hajj, as a series of sacred rituals and rites, is a profound spiritual, emotional, and physical challenge, where a pilgrim performs hajj for Allah's sake and, as Prophet Muhammad taught, emerges free from sin.
Who can perform a hajj pilgrimage?
All able-bodied adult Muslims ( men and women) with the financial means must perform hajj. Being able-bodied is very important because hajj is a physical challenge. As millions of pilgrims arrive, moving around gets crowded and difficult. Also, pilgrims spend much time walking in the grand mosque to Mount Arafat, throwing stones at three pillars, and tens of thousands of people do tawaf al wida. Although modern facilities provided by hajj authorities make Hajj a bit easier than some decades ago, it is still a labored task and should not be taken lightly.
Was the Hajj pilgrimage used to be performed in pre-Islamic Arabia?
Yes, pre-Islamic Arabs also performed pilgrimage to the city of Mecca. The pagan Arabs would come from the surrounding tribes, and others would come from far away with their caravans to perform hajj. It is important to understand that the term hajj here refers to them doing the tawaf of Kaaba- or what is today al-Masjid al-haram. the Hajj Muslims perform today has its own steps and rules. Pagan Pilgrims gathered in the holy city of Mecca in hopes of doing business and worship.
Was Mecca Saudi Arabia's holy city during the pre-Islamic era?
Yes, Al-Haram was a holy site even before Islam. The significance of Mecca was such that pagan Arabs prohibited anyone from fighting or hurting a person in the area of Kaa'ba out of respect and sanctity of the holy city.
What is Kaaba?
The Kaaba – a black silk-clad stone structure at the heart of the Grand Mosque in the city of Mecca. It was originally built by the Prophet Abraham and his son Ishmael. It is referred to or seen as the symbol 'House' of Allah.
When was Hajj declared as Fard or mandatory for Muslims?
Prophet Muhammad declared Hajj a mandatory pilgrimage when he delivered his final sermon, also known as the “farewell pilgrimage,” in 632 AD, the year of his death.
This is a series of blogs about Hajj- and its significance in Islam. Stay tuned for blogs entailing details of different days of Hajj, the steps of Hajj, and the historical context of Hajj pilgrimage in the life of Prophet Abraham. As well as the importance of Eid al Adha. You can give your Qurbani through Muslim Hands to feed the poor and needy worldwide.
