Hajj, pilgrimage, is an act of worship. It is obligatory only for those who are in good health and who can afford to perform it. The indigent and the sick or disabled are excused. In order to perform Hajj, the individual leaves his home for Hijaz, Mecca and Medina. On entering Mecca he goes to the Kaaba to perform its circumambulation. Then he does a brisk walk (sa’i) between the two hillocks Safa and Marwa, halts at Arafat, casts stones at Jimar, then sacrifices an animal. These are the main rites of Hajj performed in the month of Dhul Hijja. Hajj is a symbolic expression of man’s full surrender before his Lord. Through the acts which make up Hajj the servants of God make a covenant of giving themselves entirely up to their Creator. Their lives will revolve around God alone. They are prepared to make any kind of sacrifice for the Almighty. During the rites and rituals of Hajj, the pilgrims recall the sacrifices made by the architects of the Kaaba – the Prophet Abraham and his son Ishmael. The pilgrims also visit those historical places, which relate to the life of the Prophet Muhammad. They spend a few weeks in such surroundings, the scene of early Islamic history. In this way the Hajj becomes a means of linking the pilgrim to God and his messengers, and reminds him of the upright lives led by the pious servants of God. In effect, it creates the possibilities of live contact with the history of Islam. Over and above this, Hajj unites worshippers the world over. It refreshes the minds of the believers with the reality that although they belong to different races and nations, the belief in one God serves as a strong basis for universal unity. However diverse in upbringing they may be, and whatever the country or nation to which they belong, in respect of their being worshippers of God, they are all one and will always remain united. Hajj is in essence an act of worship, but in practice it affords many benefits affecting the entire Muslim brotherhood, one of these being national unity.
