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The Hajj Rituals
A Journey of a Lifetime
Hajj, the fifth pillar of Islam, is sacred and obligatory for every able adult Muslim. It is an extraordinary opportunity for you to embark on a profound spiritual expedition, a journey to the holiest city in Islam, Makkah.
Just like the other important practices in Islam, Hajj comes with its own set of steps to be followed diligently during this sacred journey.
01 - Ihram
Start your Hajj journey with a sincere intention to enter the state of Ihram and engage in the Hajj rituals, with the Talbiyah's recitation. Then, put on the Ihram garments. The Ihram pictured consists of two unstitched white sheets for men. For women, an abaya is usually worn over the ihram. This should be worn before crossing Miqats.
02 - Tawaf Al-Qudum
Upon entering Makkah, perform the Tawaf Al-Qudum by circumambulating the Kaaba seven times. Then, pray two Rak'ahs of Tawaf behind the Maqam Ibrahim (as possible).
03 - Sa'i between Safa and Marwa
Perform Sa'i between Safa and Marwah, walking seven times starting at Safa and ending at Marwah.
04 - Mina (the Day of Tarwiyah)
Head to Mina on the morning of the 8th of Dhul-Hijjah and spend the night there, dedicating your time to supplication and prayer until the morning of the 9th. Mina is a small town situated at a distance of 5 or 6 kilometers from Makkah. Another name of the town is the ‘City of Tents ‘. After leaving Makkah, pilgrims spend their first day and night in the tents of this city. This is the second ritual of Hajj where pilgrims spend the whole day and night offering the prayers (compulsory and non-compulsory). These tents are equipped with almost all modern amenities.
05 - Arafah (Day of Hajj)
On the 9th of Dhul-Hijjah, head to Arafat and devote yourself to Allah on this day until sunset. The Day of ‘Arafah (Yawm Al-‘Arafah), also called the Day of the Standing (Yawm Al-Waqf), is significant because it is the holiest day of the Islamic Hijri lunar year (just as Laylat Al-Qadr, the Night of Empowering Decree in Ramadan, is the holiest night of the Islamic year).
On the 9th day of Dhul Hijjah, pilgrims start their journey from Mina to Arafat. The distance from Makkah to Arafat is 18 kilometres but the distance from Mina to Mount Arafat is 12.9 kilometres. Spending time in Arafat is a very important ritual of Hajj and the Mount of Arafat is called ‘Mount Mercy’ or ‘Jabal al Rahmah’, in Arabic.
At the place of this mount, the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) delivered his last sermon at the time of Hajj. Here, Muslims mostly make Istighfar and supplicate to Allah. They offer two prayers (Dhuhr and Asr) combinedly.
06 - Muzdalifah
After sunset on the 9th of Dhul-Hijjah, pilgrims are instructed to move to Muzdalifah where they will spend the night there under the open sky. and collect pebbles for the upcoming Jamarat rituals.
According to Al-Ibtah, Muzdalifah was the place where Prophet Adam (AS) prayed the Maghrib and Isha prayers together. Muzdalifah is also called Al-Ibtah, meaning flat area. According to Imam al-Sadiq (AS), “This land is called al-Ibtah because Prophet Adam (AS) was missioned to stay at Muzdalifah until sunrise. Then, he (AS) was missioned to climb Mount al-Mash’ar and to confess to his sin when the sun shined upon him, and he (AS) did so, and this confession was made as a tradition among his children.”
07 - Pelt Jamrat Al-Aqabah
On the 10th of Dhul-Hijjah (the Day of Eid), return to Mina and pelt Jamrat Al-Aqabah with seven pebbles while reciting Takbeer.
Muzdalifah is a town between Mount Arafat and Mina and it is the next destination or ritual for Pilgrims after Arafat.
After sunset, pilgrims leave Arafat for Muzdalifah where they offer two prayers (Maghrib and Isha) combinedly. They spend the whole night in the open sky and collect the pebbles for the stoning ritual (rami) in the Muzdalifah. They leave this town on the morning of the 10th day of Hajj.
08 - Adhahi
Make an Adhahi offering to draw closer to Allah. It is important to share the Adhahi with those in need. Apart from the pilgrims, it is also important act for all Muslims who are able to perform it.
09 - Shave Hair or Trim
Halq means shaving the head and Taqsir means cutting the hair a little. A man can select Halq and Taqsir but Halq is considered to be better. Women, on the other hand, partake in Taqsir. This ritual is performed on the 3rd day of Hajj. Shave or trim your hair. Then, remove the Ihram and change into your regular clothes.
10 - Tawaf Al-Ifada
Return to Makkah and perform the Tawaf Al-Ifada by circumambulating the Kaaba seven times and then offer prayers (rakaat) behind Maqam Ibrahim (if possible).
Tawaf and Sa’i are two rituals that are performed in Masjid-Al-Haram but the method is different. During the Tawaf, pilgrims circumambulate seven times around the Kaaba.
In the ritual of Sa’i, pilgrims run (or walk fast) back and forth seven times between Safa and Marwah mounts.
Pilgrims perform both rituals on 1st day or 8th day of Dhul Hijjah before leaving Masjid-Al-Haram for Mina and they repeat both rituals on 3rd Day of Hajj after performing the Halq and Taqsir.
11 - Pelting the three Jamarat
Return to Mina and participate in pelting the three Jamarat (Jamrat Al-Aqabah - the largest pillar, Jamrat Al-Wusta, and Jamrat Al-Sughra) on the 11th, 12th, and optionally 13th of Dhul-Hijjah.
Rami means throwing stones. This ritual is performed in Mina by throwing stones at 3 special pillars. The performance of this is repeated on the 4th and 5th days of Hajj.
This process is a symbolic, it represents throwing stones at the shaitaan. In the story of Prophet Ibrahim (AS), the shaitaan tried to dissuade Prophet Ibrahim (AS) from following Allah’s commands. It is at these 3 places (the locations of the 3 pillars) where he tried to do this. So we throw stones here to represent us not giving in to the whispers of shaitaan.
12 - Tawaf Al-Wadaa
Before leaving Makkah, engage in the Tawaf Al-Wadaa by circumambulating the Kaaba seven times.
The Farewell Tawaf is the last ritual of Hajj and after performing it, pilgrims have completed their Hajj. This is performed in the same method as the Tawaf of pilgrims in Umrah and Hajj.
The performing Hajj is a very important physical and spiritual task. It has the ability to change peoples lives, for the better.
May Allah invite us all to His house, ameen.