This past holiday season while many people in America were crowded into shopping malls buying Christmas gifts, millions of Muslims from around the planet were making their way to Saudi Arabia to perform the Hajj.
Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, the 5th pillar of Islamic faith, which all able Muslims must make at least once in their lifetime. Muslims travel to the region Arabia which encompasses the cities of Mecca and Medina, in which Islam was first founded, considered some of the most sacred sites in the Islamic faith. The Hajj has ancient roots dating back to the time of the prophet Muhammad, who himself made a pilgrimage from the city of Mecca to Medina in 622 C.E.
During the Hajj, which fell in the first week of last month, Muslim men shed their modern clothing for seamless fabric and women wear their national and traditional dress. The removal of modern clothing during the Hajj symbolizes a pure and consecrated state. In a state of purity, more than 2 million Muslims traveled to the area known as Hijaz in the Western Arabian Peninsula to complete the Hajj.
“It is very crowded with millions of Muslims in the same dress all making their way to the various locations,” says Abraham Nana, an Islamic scholar who has been volunteering at San Quentin for almost 20 years and who has made the Hajj twice, in 1968 and 1991.
Once in Arabia there are several rituals done to complete the Hajj. One of the rituals is to circumambulate of the Ka’ba (the sacred black stone which Islamic faith holds holy) seven times on three occasions. The faithful also travel to the plain of Arafat where they stay for a short period in a standing ceremony which starts at noon with a special prayer (salat). This is followed by throwing stones at pillars symbolizing the driving out of Satan, a ritual called Wuqoof. In completing of the pilgrimage the faithful stop in Mina, a city between Mecca and Medina, where they spend the night in prayer. The end of the Hajj is celebrated by the slaughter of a sheep, goats, camels, and cattle. The ceremony of blood sacrifice extends to the time of Abraham and signifies the end of the Hajj festivities when the slaughtered animals are eaten in a Feast (Eid al Adha).
“I don’t recommend slaughtering a camel,” says Abraham Nana. “It’s a large animal and difficult to slaughter. I recommend slaughtering a smaller animal.”
The Eid feast is celebrated by Muslims here at San Quentin along with other Islamic holidays such as Ramadan. If you are interested in learning more about Islam or attending Islamic services, contact Imam Rafeeq S. Hassan by institutional mail.
