Hajj

Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, whose central sanctuary is the Kaaba in the Great Mosque. It is the fifth of the Five Pillars of Islam. The Qur'an describes pilgrimage to the House as a duty for people who are able to undertake it; Islamic teaching understands Hajj as an obligation once in a lifetime for an adult Muslim who has the physical and financial means, provided the journey does not impose undue hardship. The requirement of ability is central to how the duty is understood.

Hajj takes place on specified days in Dhu al-Hijjah, the final month of the Islamic lunar calendar. Pilgrims enter a consecrated state known as ihram and carry out a sequence of rites in and around Mecca. These include tawaf, walking around the Kaaba, and sa'y, walking between the hills of Safa and Marwa. The central days include travel to the plain of Arafat, where pilgrims gather for prayer, and onward movement through Muzdalifah and Mina. Other rites at Mina include the symbolic stoning of pillars; Hajj is also associated with Eid al-Adha. Details of practice can differ among Muslim traditions, while these shared rites structure the pilgrimage.

Mecca was a place of pilgrimage before the rise of Islam. Islamic tradition connects the Kaaba with Abraham (Ibrahim) and his son Ishmael (Isma'il), and understands the Hajj rites as recalling episodes associated with them. The Prophet Muhammad led a pilgrimage in 632 CE, the year of his death; his example helped establish the ritual pattern followed by later generations. The annual dates follow the lunar Hijri calendar, so they move through the solar seasons over time.

For centuries, pilgrims travelled to Mecca in caravans by land or by sea, often over long distances. Historical routes developed facilities such as wells, cisterns, caravanserais and mosques to support travellers. One example is the Darb Zubaydah, a route connecting Kufa with Mecca whose remains are included on Saudi Arabia's UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List. Such routes served religious travel as well as trade and exchange of knowledge. Modern transport, especially air travel, has changed the journey, but Hajj continues to bring Muslims from many regions together in a shared religious observance.