God teaches us in the Quran that all
religious practices came us through Abraham. The Contact Prayers
(Salat), the obligatory charity (Zakat), fasting
(Syaam), and pilgrimage (Hajj) were commanded
by God to Abraham and his followers.
Say, “My Lord has guided me in a straight path—perfect
religion of Abraham, monotheism. He never was an idol worshiper.”
Say, “My Contact Prayers (Salat), my worship practices, my
life and my death, are all devoted absolutely to God alone, the
Lord of the universe.” (6:161-162)
Hajj pilgrimage is one of the pillars of Submission and is carried
out by visiting the Sacred Mosque (Ka’aba) in Mecca, which
was built by Abraham and Ismail.
As Abraham raised the foundations of the shrine,
together with Ismail (they prayed): Our Lord, accept this from us.
You are the Hearer the Omniscient.
Our Lord, make us submitters to You, and from our
descendants let there be a community of submitters to You. Teach
us the rites of our religion, and redeem us. You are the Redeemer,
Most Merciful. (2:127-128)
Our Lord, I have settled part of my family in this
plantless valley, at Your Sacred House. Our Lord, they are to observe
the Contact Prayers (Salat), so let throngs of people converge upon
them, and provide for them all kinds of fruits, that they may be
appreciative. (14:37)
Hajj can be observed any time during the four Sacred months.
Hajj shall be observed in the specified months....
(2:197)
The count of months, as far as God is concerned,
is twelve. This has been God’s law, since the day He created
the heavens and the earth. Four of them are sacred. This is the
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perfect religion; you
shall not wrong your souls (by fighting) during the Sacred Months.
However, you may declare all-out war against the idol worshipers
(even during the Sacred Months), when they declare all-out war against
you, and know that God is on the side of the righteous. (9:36)
Umrah is a shortened version of Hajj pilgrimage. It can be observed
any time during the year. One of the major duties of the Messenger
of the Covenant was to correct the Sacred months in which Hajj can
be observed, since they were distorted, as pointed out in the Quran.
Altering the Sacred Months is a sign of excessive
disbelief; it augments the straying of those who have disbelieved.
They alternate the Sacred Months and the regular months, while preserving
the number of months consecrated by God. They thus violate what
God has consecrated. Their evil works are adorned in their eyes.
God does not guide the disbelieving people. (9:37)
Note that the Sacred Months according to the corrupted Muslims
are Rajab, Zul-Qe`dah, Zul-Hijjah, and Muharram (7th, 11th,
12th and 1st months of the Islamic Calendar). A careful study of
the Quran, however, reveals that they should be Zul-Hijjah,
Muharram, Safar, and Rabi I (12th, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd months).
The first step in pilgrimage is a state of sanctity called “Ihram”
which is done by taking a shower and donning (wearing) the Ihram
clothes. The men cover their bodies with seamless sheets of material
(mostly white), while women may wear a modest comfortable dress.
The second step in pilgrimage is “Al-ttawaf” which
is walking around the Ka’aba seven times while glorifying
and praising God at the Sacred Mosque.
We have rendered the shrine (the Ka’aba) a focal point for
the people, and a safe sanctuary. You may use |
Abraham’s shrine as a prayer house.
We commissioned Abraham and Ismail: “You shall purify My house
for those who visit, those who live there, and those who bow and
prostrate.” (2:125)
Pilgrims say specific words to commemorate God. These words are
“Labbayka Allahumma Labbayk” (My Lord I have responded
to You) and “Labbayka La Shareeka Laka Labbayk” (I have
responded to You and proclaim that there is no god besides You,
I have responded to you.)
The next step in pilgrimage is “Assa’ay” or walking
between Safa and Marwah seven times. By doing these three steps,
pilgrims finish Umrah.
The knolls of Safa and Marwah are among the rites
decreed by God. Anyone who observes Hajj or Umrah commits no error
by traversing the distance between them. If one volunteers more
righteous works, then God is Appreciative, Omniscient. (2:158)
To complete Hajj pilgrimage, the pilgrims must glorify God at Arafaat.
You commit no error by seeking provisions from your
Lord (through commerce). When you file from `Arafaat, you shall
commemorate God at the Sacred Location (of Muzdalifah). You shall
commemorate Him for guiding you; before this, you had gone astray.
(2:198)
Pilgrims pray sunset at Arafaat and then go to Muzdalifah to observe
the night prayer. They also pick up 21 pebbles for the stoning at
Mena symbolizing the rejection of Satan’s polytheism. This
is done by throwing seven pebbles at each of three stations of stoning.
He (God) said, “Therefore, you (Satan)
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