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For pious Muslims, the pilgrimage to Mecca is the dream of a lifetime, but due to factors of health, responsibilities, expense and logistics, most Muslims are never able to fulfill this desire. Because of the ease of travel, the applications to make the annual pilgrimage exceed what can be accommodated by the extensive but still limited facilities in Arabia. The norm laid down by the Saudi authorities is one pilgrim for every 1000 Muslims in each country. Although for most Muslims the hajj remains a dream , the pilgrimage has an important place in the Islamic life. Like the other pillars of Islam, the form and content is fixed. The pilgrimage must be made at the proper time (during the Month of the Pilgrimage) and prescribed actions must be performed on the proper days. The pilgrimage is a reliving of Islamic roots. Mecca is the scene of Muhammad’s birth and early mission and the site of the Ka’ba, towards which all Muslims pray. The Ka’ba symbolizes both the unity of the Islamic umma and also the ancient, God-given nature of Islam. Muslims believe that the Ka’ba was built by the prophet Abraham, the first structure on earth dedicated to the worship of the One God. Praying in the direction of the Ka’ba is a reminder of the unity of the Islamic community. During the pilgrimage, Muslims enter a sacred state, a time dedicated totally to God. Normal clothing is replaced by two white sheets. It is forbidden to cut the hair or nails. Sexual abstinence is required. The preliminary rites are in Mecca, particularly the walking around the Ka’ba, as Muhammad and his Companions had done and reenactment of the faith of Hagar, Abraham, Hagar, and the baby Ismail. The central act of the pilgrimage takes place 30 km. from Mecca on the slopes of Mt. Arafat. Here Abraham was ordered to sacrifice his son Ismail. If the Day of Witness is omitted, one has not performed the pilgrimage and the obligation to do so remains. Muslims ascend the mountain in time for noon prayers and remain there until after the sunset prayer. To understand the meaning of the rite, one should know that Arafat, in the midst of the Arabian desert, is one of the world’s most arid, hot, and inhospitable locations. But that God has commanded it, no one would go there. Standing in the sun on Arafat, the pilgrims profess that the human person finds true fulfillment and identity in obedience to God, that the ultimate purpose and reason for human existence is found in accepting willingly and joyfully one’s creaturehood before God. A whole lifetime of Islamic experience is summed up in this one act.
After the return from Arafat, a final moment of the pilgrimage is worth noting. On the road to Mecca, in the village of Mina, the pilgrims sacrifice a goat or sheep to commemorate the faith of Abraham who was prepared to sacrifice his son, Isma’il, in obedience to God. At this point, the pilgrims become united with Muslims around the world who celebrate the second great Islamic feast, Id al-Adha, Feast of the Sacrifice. Just as the Day of Arafat sums up in one act the Islamic understanding of the meaning and purpose of human life, so the Sacrifice expresses their continuity with the faith of Abraham. At that moment, Muslims around the world vicariously participate in the pilgrimage, performing at their own homes or mosques the same rite performed in Mina.
Just as, in addition to required salat, devotional prayer (du’a) is recommended, besides the obligatory zakat Muslims are urged to give alms (sadaqa), and along with the Ramadan fast pious Muslims voluntarily fast on other days (e.g., Mondays and Thursdays), so also, the informal pilgrimage to Mecca called the ‘umra is considered highly meritorious. Every month outside the hajj season, over 200,000 Muslims make the ‘umra. These recommended but non-obligatory practices will be treated more fully in speaking of the third part of the religion of Islam, islah.