Being one of the important pillars of Islam, Hajj can be well-defined as an annual spiritual journey undertaken by Muslims at least once in their lifetime to definite their servitude and trust towards Allah (SWT). Millions of Muslims visit the sacred Kaaba annually in the Islamic month of Dhul-Hijjah to perform Hajj. Though, to be fit to perform Hajj, a Muslim must be mentally, physically, and financially stable. The situation to be financially and physically capable to perform Hajj is called “istitat,” where the Muslim who positively fulfills the trip is named “Hajji”.
Hajj is the sacred and religious trip performed in Makkah, a holy city in Saudi Arabia and the Hajj is the 5th pillar of Islam. Hajj is a religious and obligatory duty for Muslims. Every established Muslim should perform Hajj at least once in their lifetime if they are financially and physically fit. Hajj formalities are completed in five or six days, officially beginning on the 8th of Dhul Hijjah. If you want to go on Hajj, you can easily avail of Hajj Packages Similarly if you want to perform Umrah in the blessed month you can avail of Ramadan Umrah Packages. 7 steps have to follow to perform Hajj.
- Step 1 – Putting on Ihram and performing Tawaf
- Step 2 – Head to Mina “City of tents”
- Step 3 – 9th Dhul-Hijjah, Mina to Arafat
- Step 4 – Leaves Arafat for Muzdalifah
- Step 5 – Rami at Mina (Stoning the devil)
- Step 6 –The Sacrifice of an Animal and Halq (shaving the head):
- Step 7 –Return to Makkah for Farewell Tawaf
1-Putting on Ihram and performing Tawaf:
Making a pure target and wearing the Ihram are the two of the first vital steps when going to perform Hajj. After doing the niyat, Muslim hajjis are advised to wear the Ihram when entering the boundaries of Makkah, famous as Miqat. Ihram consists of two pieces of unstitched white clothes for men and loose-fitting clothes for women, as they should be covering the whole body. It is suggested that the hajji should wear the Ihram on Dhul-Hijjah before entering Miqat (the outer boundaries of Makkah). After wearing Ihram, Haji has to perform Tawaf in Makkah on 8th Dhul-Hijjah before heading to Mina.
2-Head to Mina (city of tents):
Mina is a small town situated 5 to 6 km from Makkah. After entering the tent city of Mina, hajjis are advised to rest there until the next day. Beginning with the Zuhar prayer and ending with the dawn Fajr prayer, hajjis offer all five prayers while staying in Mina. Nowadays, the land of Mina covers by modern tents that are furnished with all essential facilities. Muslims should perform both compulsory and non-compulsory prayers while residing at Mina.
3-9th Day of Dhul-Hijjah, Mina to Arafat:
On the morning of the second day of Hajj which is the 9th Dhul-Hijjah, the pilgrims start moving towards Arafat and reciting Talbiyah at the top of their voices. Mount Arafat is also famous as Jabal-al-Rahmah. The distance between Mina to Arafat is 12.9 kilometers. On entering the Mount of Arafat Muslim hajjis offer a combined Zuhr and ASR prayer with Qasar prayer well-known as Waquf (the act of standing before Allah (SWT)). And is observed near the Jabal al-Rahmah from noon to sunset upon reaching the mount of Arafat. On Jabal-al-Rahmah, our last Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) conveyed his address of a religious nature.
4-Leaves Arafat for Muzdalifah:
After sunset, the hajjis’ next destination for Hajj is Muzdalifah, a small town situated between Mina and Mount Arafat. Upon incoming at sunset on the grounds of Muzdalifah, the hajjis offer Maghribaen – two combined prayers of Maghrib and Isha. Hajjis spend one whole night below the open sky. At Muzdalifah Hajji collects 49 pebbles of related sizes for the ritual of Rami (stoning of the Devil). They then leave the town of Muzdalifah for Mina after offering Fajar prayer on the morning of the 10th Dhul-Hijjah.
5-Rami at Mina (Stoning the Devil):
On arriving at Mina, hajjis do the act of Rami means throwing stones at the pillar Jamraat al-Aqabah. Seven stones are terrified at the pillar structure. The stoning of Jamraat al-Aqabah is performed in the story of the act of Prophet Ibrahim (AS) when the devil tried discouraging him from following Allah’s (SWT) command. Rami takes place at three places where the devil tries to discourage Prophet Ibrahim (AS). In answer, Prophet Ibrahim (AS) threw small stones to make the devil go away. Rami should be performed at noon each day. Rami is completed on the 11th and 12th of Dhul-Hijjah.
6-The Sacrifice of an Animal and Halq (shaving the head):
After throwing stones (Rami), on the 12th Dhul-Hijjah, Muslim hajjis are advised to sacrifice an animal; it can be a lamb, camel, goat, etc. For this, hajjis can either buy sacrifice vouchers or coupons, declaring that the sacrifice has been made on their behalf. The sacrificed animal’s meat should be divided or distributed to the needy.
Halq means shaving the head. After performing the sacrifice, men hajjis are instructed to get their heads completely shaved or clipped also called Taqsir. Women are advised to get a part of their hair cut. The action of Halq and Taqsir indicates a Muslim’s complete dedication to Allah (SWT) and disinterestedness in worldly looks.
7-Return to Makkah for Farewell Tawaf:
After performing the ritual, Muslim hajjis return to the Sacred Kaaba in Makkah to do the “Tawaf al-Ifadah,” also acknowledged as the “Farewell Tawaf,” followed by Sai. However this officially marks the end of Hajj, many hajjis also visit Madinah before heading home.
Summary of 7 Steps of Hajj:
Hajj is one of the 5th essential pillars of Islam. Being compulsory for every mature Muslim, it is instructed that Hajj be offered at least once by financially and physically able Muslims. Hajj Packages are a very cheap package Muslims should avail themselves these. Muslims can also avail of Umrah Packages 2023 to perform Umrah.
