The Collective
Importance of Hajj
Hajj is one of the most important annual acts of worship in Islam. It is performed in the last month of the lunar calendar, Dhul-Hijjah. The rituals of Hajj are performed in and around the Kaaba (Baytullah) and the surrounding regions of Makkah. This worship is called the most comprehensive of all acts of worship, as it includes every type of devotional aspect. One of those aspects is collectiveness and unity. The aspect of collectiveness and unity is very prominent in the worship of Hajj. In the Encyclopaedia Britannica (1984), while describing Hajj, this sentence is written:
“About 2,000,000 persons perform the Hajj each year, and the rite serves as a unifying force in Islam by bringing followers of diverse backgrounds together in religious celebration.” (Encyclopedia Britannica, 1985, Vol.4, p. 844)
The Quran, when giving the command for Hajj, mentions: “And We made the House [the Kaaba] a place of assembly and a sanctuary for mankind”. (2:125) The Arabic word “Mathabah” used in this verse has a meaning similar to what we today call a “centre”—a place where people gather, a common point of reference, and a place of unity for all.
For the Hajj pilgrimage, people come from every country and nation. At the time of this writing, their number is about two million each year. During the Hajj season, Makkah and its surroundings are filled with people everywhere. They speak different languages and come from diverse backgrounds, yet once they arrive here, their minds become united. All of them worship together, and throughout Hajj, God remains the focus of their attention. In this way, Hajj is a form of worship that, through all its rites and gatherings, teaches the lesson of unity and focus.
The history of Hajj is connected to the lives of Prophet Abraham and Prophet Ishmael. These are two personalities who are not only considered prophets by Muslims but are also recognised as great prophets by the followers of other major religions. This gives Hajj a historical sanctity and greatness that no other act in the world possesses.
Prophet Abraham was born in ancient Iraq. Prophet Ishmael was his son. At that time, Iraq was a land of advanced civilisation. Azar, the father of Abraham and the grandfather of Ishmael, held a high position in the government system of ancient Iraq. For Abraham and Ishmael, Iraq offered abundant opportunities for success and prosperity. However, driven by their innate search for the one true God, they left the fertile land of Iraq and journeyed to the barren desert of Arabia, where there was nothing to come in the way between the Creator and creation. Here, they built the House of God (Kaaba).
The act of Prophet Abraham and Prophet Ishmael can be described in other words like this: they chose not to make many gods their centre, but made the one God their centre. And for this purpose, they built the House of God (Kaaba), which is a global centre for the worship of the One God. This same centre of Tawheed is also the centre for performing the rituals of Hajj.
Let us now look at some of the aspects of the rituals performed during Hajj. The most repeated phrase by the pilgrim during Hajj is:
“Allahu Akbar Allahu Akbar La ilaha illa Allah; Wallahu Akbar Allahu Akbar wa lillahil hamd.”
God is the Greatest, God is the Greatest. There is no god but God. And again, God is the Greatest, God is the Greatest, and all praise belongs to Him.
By repeatedly uttering these words through the pilgrim’s mouth, a mindset is cultivated among all people that greatness belongs solely to God. All other forms of greatness exist only to be absorbed into this one ultimate greatness. This feeling is the greatest secret to togetherness and unity. Collectiveness and unity are never realized when each person considers themselves great. On the contrary, when everyone sacrifices their individual greatness for the greatness of one, unity and togetherness are always achieved. Disunity is the division of greatness, and unity is the oneness of greatness.
Similarly, one of the important rituals of Hajj is Tawaf (circumambulation). People from all over the world who gather in Makkah during the Hajj season first perform Tawaf around the Kaaba. This is a practical acknowledgement that one’s efforts should be centred around a single focal point. One should revolve within a single circle. This is the same concept seen at the physical level in the solar system, where all the planets revolve around a single central point, the sun. Similarly, Hajj teaches that one should make the One God the focal point of one’s life and remain within the sphere of His guidance.
After this, the pilgrim performs Sa’i (the ritual of walking or running) between Safa and Marwa. They go from Safa to Marwa and then return from Marwa to Safa, repeating this seven times. This act teaches, in the language of action, that human endeavours should be within set limits. If there are no limits to one’s efforts, some will run too far in one direction and others in the opposite direction. However, where the bounds of effort are established, everyone stays within those limits, returning again and again to the place where their fellow pilgrims continue their activities.
This principle applies to all the rituals of Hajj. Each ritual of Hajj teaches the importance of unity and collective action from various perspectives. They are practical demonstrations of moving in unison.
When these people from different countries reach the place of Hajj, they all remove their national dress and wear one common dress called ihram. To wear ihram means to wear an unstitched white sheet like a lower garment, and to place one white sheet on the upper body. In this way, millions of people wear the same kind and the same colour of dress.
After performing the various rites, all the pilgrims finally gather on the vast plain of Arafat. At that moment, an awe-inspiring sight appears: it seems as though all differences have disappeared, leaving only the shared bond of God’s unity. Instead of divisions of colour, race, and geography, people stand united, just as their Lord is one.
When all pilgrims wearing ihram gather in the vast field of Arafat, if seen from a high place, it looks as if, despite differences in language, colour, status, and gender, all people have become completely one. At that time, different nationalities seem to merge into one big nationality. Truly, the display of collectiveness and unity at Hajj is so grand that probably no other example like it is found anywhere else in the world.
The Kaaba is the Qibla of worship for Muslims. Muslims face it five times a day while offering prayers. So, the worship direction of all Muslims in the world is the same. Usually, this is just a conceptual truth. But during Hajj, by reaching Makkah, it becomes a visible reality. When Muslims from all over the world gather here and pray facing the same direction, it becomes visibly clear that the Qiblah of all Muslims is one and the same.
The Kaaba is a tall, square-shaped structure. All people circumambulate around it in a circular path, which is called Tawaf. They line up in rows and walk around it in circles. This teaches people to unite and work together. It is a practical demonstration of moving together on one call.
This great system of unity also has an outward aspect—that all people are made to take off their national dress and wear one simple dress, the ihram. Here, the difference between king and servant disappears. The distinctions of Eastern and Western clothes vanish into the atmosphere. In the common dress of ihram, all people appear as if they have only one identity—that they are all servants of one God. No one holds any other status beyond this.
Although the prescribed rituals of Hajj end in Makkah, most pilgrims go to Madinah after completing Hajj. The old name of Madinah was Yathrib. But the Prophet of Islam made it his centre in the last period of his life. From that time, its name became Madinat-un-Nabi (The City of the Prophet). Madinah is a shortened form of this. In Madinah, there is the mosque built by the Prophet. Here is his grave. Here are the traces of his prophetic life.
In this situation, when the pilgrim reaches Madinah, it becomes another great lesson of unity and collectiveness. In the Prophet’s Mosque, they revive the memory that their leader is only one. They return with the feeling that no matter how many geographical and national differences they have, they have to walk on the path made by the one Prophet. They have to make one sacred personality their guide in life. No matter how different they are in many ways, their God is one and their Prophet is one.
All India Radio, New Delhi, 7 August 1985.
