The annual pilgrimage to
Makkah (the Hajj) is an obligation only for those who are
physically and financially able to perform it. Nevertheless,
about two million people go to Makkah each year from every
corner of the globe providing a unique opportunity for those
of different nations to meet one another. Although Makkah is
always filled with visitors, the annual Hajj begins in the
twelfth month of the Islamic year (which is lunar, not
solar, so that Hajj and Ramadan fall sometimes in summer,
sometimes in winter). Pilgrims wear special clothes: simple
garments which strip away distinctions of class and culture,
so that all stand equal before God. The rites of the Hajj,
which are Abrahamic in origin, include circling the Ka'ba
seven times, and going seven times between the mountains of
Safa and Marwa as did Hagar during her search for water.
Then the pilgrims stand together on the side plain of Arafa
and join in prayer for God's forgiveness, in what is often
thought of as a preview of the Last Judgment.
In previous centuries the Hajj was an
arduous undertaking. Today, however, Saudi Arabia provides
millions of people with water modern transport, and the most
up-to-date health facilities. The close of the Hajj is
marked by a festival, the Eid al-Adha, which is celebrated
with prayers and the exchange of gifts in Muslim communities
everywhere. This, and the Eid al-Fitr, a feast-day
commemorating the end of Ramadan, are the main festivals of
the Muslim calendar.
The `Five Pillars' of
Islam