The Story of Hajj

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

1. The First Call to Hajj
2. The Prophet Muhammad’s Hajj

Making the Hajj Today1. The First Call to Hajj

Long ago about 5000 years ago, in a faraway place called Ur in Iraq, a child was born whose name was Abraham or Ibrahim. He was so gracious, tender-hearted and of pure in faith that Allah gave him wisdom when he was still a child. Allah was so pleased with him that he made him His best friend.

When Abraham grew up, he became a great prophet, and preached the truth and God’s message in his country. Later he traveled to Syria, Palestine and Egypt.

When a beautiful son was born to his wife Hagar, he was ordered by Allah to travel towards Mecca along with his wife and the little child, whose name was Ishmael or Ismail. They all traveled for a long time till they reached a lonely, barren valley, near two small hills called Safa and Marwa. Abraham asked his wife to stay near one of the hills along with the little Ishmael, and started to go away. But his wife protested "Why are you leaving us alone here? Are you leaving us here to die?" But Abraham replied, "My Lord has commanded me to do this." Then Hagar, breathing a sigh of relief, said: "If Allah has ordered you to do so, then He will not let us die."

After a while, baby Ishmael began to cry for want of water. But there was not a single drop of water to drink. Hagar ran helplessly from one hill to another, but there was no water, nor any human being to give her water. As the baby was crying desperately with thirst and the mother was running from one mountain to another, Allah caused a miracle—a spring gushed forth beneath the feet of Ishmael. When Hagar saw this from a distance, she shouted "Zam-zam (stay, stay!)." Hagar came running and gave some fresh spring water to the thirsty child to drink. And so his life was saved. This spring later on became famous as Zamzam.

Ishmael and his mother begin to live in the valley and because of the Zamzam spring more people gradually came to settle in the valley, slowly building up a small town, which was later called Mecca.From time to time Abraham would visit Mecca to meet his family, especially to see his young Ishmael, growing up in the beautiful surroundings of nature—in a lovely valley surrounded by hills, away from the crowded city—away from people of the city who at that time were mostly idol-worshippers.

One night, Abraham dreamt that he was sacrificing his son, Ishmael. This was an order from his Lord. His son was still a child, but Abraham told him about his dream. Ishmael was a brave boy. He was ready to obey the command of God, who had created him. So, without hesitating, he said to his father, "Do what you are commanded, father. Godwilling, you will find me one of the steadfast."

Abraham took his son away to sacrifice him. As he reached a place, which is now known as Mina—a valley near Mecca—Satan appeared and tried to dissuade him. Abraham picked up a few small stones and threw them at Satan. And little Ishmael and his mother did likewise.

As Abraham took a knife to sacrifice Ishmael, Allah sent the angel Gabriel (Jibril) with a ram. "Sacrifice this ram. Do not sacrifice Ishmael," said Gabriel to Abraham. Allah was so pleased with this act—the readiness of Abraham to sacrifice his beloved son, that He commanded the believers to observe this day as Id al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice. Every year Muslims sacrifice an animal in remembrance of the great act of Abraham.

Ishmael grew up a strong and loving youth. Abraham and Ishmael were ordered by Allah to build the House of God—the Kabah in Mecca. Both took stones from the nearby hills and started building the Kabah. As they laid the foundation, they prayed, "Our Lord, accept this from us! You are the All-hearing, the All-seeing." They also prayed for a prophet to be born in their family who would teach wisdom to the people and purify their faith. Their prayer was answered many years later, when the Prophet Muhammad was born to their descendants.

Abraham was ordered by God to clean the Kabah for those who come there to pray, and to call people to Hajj: "Call all people to make the Pilgrimage, they shall come to you on foot and on the backs of swift camels; they shall come from every deep ravine."

And so Allah made it obligatory for every Muslim male and female to go for Hajj once in a lifetime, provided their means and health permitted. Since then believers from every part of the world go to perform Hajj to fulfill the command of their Lord and to remember the great act of the Prophet Abraham.

3. The Prophet Muhammad’s Hajj

10 years after his migration from Mecca to Medina, the Prophet Muhammad performed his Hajj, which came to be known as the "Hajj of Farewell." The Prophet told his followers: "Learn how to perform Hajj, as after this year I may not perform it." As the news spread around, people from Medina and nearby areas started assembling there to accompany the Prophet.

On the afternoon of Thursday, 24 Dhul Qada, 10 AH, the Prophet mounted his she-camel to set out for Mecca. A multitude of people, over 100,000 in number, accompanied him. Jabir, a Companion of the Prophet said, "I could see people as far as my eyes could see." On the way more people joined the caravan. When the Prophet reached a place called Dhul Halifa, he spent the night there and in the morning took a bath and put on ihram, the pilgrims’ dress, made up of two unstitched sheets (women wear normal dress and cover their heads by a scarf). Afterwards he moved towards Mecca saying the talbiyah prayer: "Here I am, O Allah, Here I am at Your service! You have no partner, here I am. All praise, grace and dominion belongs to You. You have no partner." The multitude joined him in repeating these words.

After travelling for nine days, the Prophet reached Mecca on 4 Dhul Hijjah. He first went to the Sacred Mosque. On seeing the Kabah, he said: "O Allah! increase the greatness and sublimity of Your House." And further added, "O Allah, You are peace, with You is peace. Our Lord, keep us alive with peace." Afterwards he performed tawaf—going round the Kabah seven times. As he did this, he kept calling upon God: "Our Lord, give us goodness in this world and goodness in the Hereafter, and keep us safe from the fire of Hell." When he had finished going round the Kabah, he prayed two rakat at the Maqam Ibrahim—the Station of Abraham, and went towards the Black Stone and kissed it. He moved towards Safa, saying that Safa and Marwa were one of the signs of Allah. He went up the Safa hill, till he could see the Kabah. (At that time the hills of Safa and Marwa were outside the Sacred Mosque, but now after the expansion of the grounds, they come within the boundary wall


The Prophet walked briskly between the two hills seven times and ended the walk at Marwa. Some of the seven laps he did on camel-back. Perhaps he did so that people could see him from a distance. The Prophet was staying in Mecca at a place called al-Bath. After staying there for four days, he moved to Mina on 8 Dhul Hijjah and the next morning, he moved off towards Arafat. At Arafat, he stayed in a small tent in the Arnah valley. In the afternoon he rode his she-camel as far as the middle part of the Arafat valley. Here, mounted on his she-camel, he gave a sermon which is known as the Sermon of the Farewell Hajj. Today, at this very spot there stands a mosque by the name of Nimra.

In his message to humanity, the Prophet emphasized the highest moral values. Here the Prophet announced: "No Arab is superior to a non-Arab and no non-Arab is superior to an Arab. No black man is superior to a red man and no red man is superior to a black, except through taqwa or fear of Allah. The most noble among you is the one who is deeply conscious of God."

While the Prophet was praying here, the very last verse of the Qur’an was revealed to him, and so the Holy Book was completed.

After delivering the sermon, the Prophet performed two prayers together—Zuhr and Asr. After prayers, the Prophet came to the spot in Arafat which known as the "standing place". Here, mounted on his she-camel, the Prophet prayed till sunset. He said that the prayer of this day was the best of all. The Prophet was praying with divine feelings. He was praying, the people around him were praying, some standing, some mounted on their animals—weeping and crying to their Lord for His favors, vowing for repentance and craving His blessing. It was such a great moment that the Prophet said, "Arafat is Hajj." He prayed, "O Allah, You are listening to me. You are watching my place. You are aware of my hidden and open affairs. I am miserable and needy, I am pleading to You. Asking your protection..."

After sunset, the Prophet rode towards Muzdalifa. He asked Usama ibn Zayd to ride his camel too. He went on saying Labbayk Allahumma Labbayk—"Here I am O Lord, Here I am". And the people were chanting the same. The Prophet asked people not to run, but to move slowly and calmly, as running was no work of piety. On reaching Muzdalifa, the Prophet asked his Companion, Bilal to give the call for prayers. There he said the Maghrib and the Isha prayer together. The Prophet took rest at night and in the morning after praying, he went towards a place called Mashar Haram where he offered further for prayers. Before sunrise, the Prophet left Muzdalifah for Mina, after taking seven small pebbles from there. On the way, passing through the valley of Muhssar, he asked people to move fast, as this was the place, where the People of the Elephant, who came to destroy the Kabah, were punished by Allah. This incident happened in the year in which the Prophet was born. Riding on, he reached the Jamarah, the three pillars at Mina, at which he cast seven pebbles, saying Allahu Akbar each time. The Prophet gave his second sermon at Mina, which was similar to the previous one at Arafat. Afterwards the Prophet offered his sacrifices, shaved his head and took off the ihram—the pilgrims’ dress. That was the day of the feast—(today we remember that day as Id al-Adha).

On the same day, the Prophet rode to Mecca, performed tawaf, drank water at Zamzam and returned to Mina. At Mina people came to him, asking many questions about the pilgrimage. Some said, "I delayed in doing so and so," or "I performed something before it was due," and so on. But the Prophet would tell them: "No objection, no objection! Objections are only for the person who wrongfully violates the honor of his fellow-man."

At Mina the Prophet spent three more days for the throwing of stones. In the afternoon of Tuesday, the Prophet moved to Mecca, where he stayed in a tent and slept briefly. Before the morning prayer, he went to the Sacred Mosque and performed the tawaf of Farewell.

The Prophet stayed in Mecca during Hajj for 10 days. Afterwards he left for Medina. At a place called, Dhul Halifa he rested for the night, and at the sunrise, entered his beloved city—Medina, the Radiant. When he first saw the city dwellings from a distance, words of praise started pouring from his lips: "Allah is most High. There is no deity save Him. He is One. No one is His partner. He is Lord of everything. All praise belongs to Him and He empowers all things. We are returning repentant, praying, prostrating ourselves, praising our Lord. Allah has kept His promise."The Prophet died two months after performing his Hajj.

4. Making the Hajj

Today, in answer to the original call of the Prophet Abraham, and, following the footsteps of our beloved Prophet Muhammad, over too million people from every corner of the globe gather at Mecca to perform their Hajj.

Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam. It is compulsory on every Muslim, if he or she is healthy enough and has means to travel. It lasts from 8th to 13th of Islamic month called Dhul-Hijjah. Following the example set by the Prophet, the pilgrims put on unstitched clothing made up of two sheets. (Women wear normal clothes with a scarf to cover the head). All pilgrims, be they rich and poor, black and white, must dress in this way before they start the pilgrimage, so that men of all countries and all races look alike. No one then take pride of place over another. In the eyes of God, all humans are equal. Just think how God has created us all from a single set of parents—Adam and Eve (Hawwa).

In old days, before the age of airplanes, the pilgrims used to travel the long distance to Mecca in ships and in caravans—long lines of covered wagons pulled by camels or horses in which people used to travel together for safety. There were three main caravans: one from Egypt, one from Iraq and one from Syria. These journeys took months, pilgrims carried with them the food and other things they needed to sustain them on their journey. These travels were often full of adventures.

The Sacred Mosque of Mecca, which has been made larger over the years, has now enough space for one million pilgrims at a time. Here following the example set by the Prophet, the pilgrims circle the holy Kabah seven times. This shows how our lives should revolve around our Lord. Then they walk briskly back and forth over 394 meters between Safa and Marwa, the two small hills referred to in the Qur’an as "signs of Allah." This rite is performed in memory of Hagar, Abraham’s wife, whose story has been told in previous pages. In the early days, pilgrims used to drink the miraculous waters of the Zamzam straight from the spring, later it took shape of a well and now water is pumped out and channeled in taps which have been provided near the Kabah in an underground enclosure with separate entrances for men and women. The in an appreciable manner, it is Islam and Zamzam is also kept in containers throughout the Sacred Mosque.

Throughout the entire Hajj, the pilgrim follow the Prophet’s lead. On the first day, they set out for Mina, a small town about 5 km from Mecca. They spend three days and nights there, living in small tents. The town, which normally has no more than a few thousand inhabitants, burst into life on the days of Hajj, when over two million people come pouring in. They come here to throw stones at the three pillars which mark the exact spot where Abraham drove away Satan, who tried hard to make him disobey God’s command to sacrifice his son, Ishmael. This is meant to remind us that there can be a devil within us, who tries to make us do wrong things, and who stops us from doing good. Throwing stones at the pillars shows us how we ourselves have to drive out this inner devil, just as Abraham did when he threw stones at Satan.From Mina the pilgrims go on to Arafat, where the main rite of Hajj—"the standing of Arafat"—is performed. The center of attention is the 200 hundred feet high Mount of Mercy from which the Prophet, seated on a camel, preached his last sermon in 632 AD to a crowd of over 100,000. It was there that he told them of the importance Islam attaches to human equality, regardless of any personal distinction, and the equal sharing of rights and duties by husband and wife. He also placed a ban on people lending money in such a way that they borrowers had to pay them back much more than they had taken from them, so that they found it very difficult to pay back such huge debts. (This was known as ‘usury’). The pilgrims stand here "before God", praying and listening to sermons. Everyone calls upon God in his own way: standing or sitting; motionless or walking about; or even mounted. Here every pilgrim strives his utmost to open his or her heart to God in personal prayers full of true humility and sincerity.

After a short stay here, they return to Muzdalifa, spending the night there and setting off early the next morning for Mina. After staying two more nights in Mina, they return to Mecca for the final encircling of the Kabah, which ends the Hajj.

Medina, where the Prophet Muhammad’s mosque and grave are situated, also attracts pilgrims in great numbers. Though this is not part of Hajj, the pilgrims, because of their great reverence for the Prophet, stay there for a few more days to pray in the Prophet’s mosque and visit places of historical interest.

When the pilgrim performs the Hajj, he is filled with awe, for he feels he is leaving his own world and entering that of the God. He feels so close to God, standing there at Arafat on the very spot where the Prophet delivered his last message to humanity. Now he is touching the Lord, revolving around Him, running towards Him, journeying on His behalf, making sacrifices in His name, throwing pebbles at His enemies, praying to the Almighty and having his prayers answered. Indeed, to go on Hajj is to meet one’s Creator.

The pilgrims go back home with that same feeling of awe, but also with a great sense of peace. And if they now have that great sense of peace, it is because, having shed their sins on that plain, they have been relieved of their brothers in Islam. In them has been born the spirit of caring for others and a sense of wonder at all the marvelous things the past has given them.

As pilgrims of different races, speaking different languages, return to their homes, they carry with them wonderful memories of the prophets and other great men of the past. They will always remember that great coming together, where rich and poor, black and white, young and old, met as equals. They go back, radiant with hope and joy, for they have fulfilled God’s command, made to mankind in ancient times, to go on the pilgrimage. Above all, they return with a prayer on their lips: May it please God, they pray, to find their Hajj acceptable.