Every year, the world witnesses the huge gathering of Muslims on one of their holiest sites – The Mecca! The sole reason for a huge gathering is to reconnect with the creator and ask for His forgiveness. Salam Planet knows that many of you (regardless of the religion) have the question ‘What is hajj and why it is important’, well, you do not have to think much about it as you are at the right place! Read the article thoroughly and get the answers in an appropriate way.

Facts About Hajj (Pilgrimage) To Know!

Pilgrimage is a three to five days ritual in honor of Hazrat Muhammad (Saww) and his ancestor Prophet – Hazrat Ibrahim

More than three million people have been recorded who attended the pilgrimage.

It starts on 8 th and ends on 12 th date of the month Zil Hajj

and ends on 12 date of the month Zil Hajj People from all over the world and belonging to different fields of life come at one place – Mecca for one purpose.

What Is Hajj And Why Is It Important?

Pilgrimage or Hajj in Arabic, is one of the pillars of Islam whose acceptance is must if one call himself/herself Muslims. It is performed annually and is obligatory only for those who can afford it financially and physically. Muslims perform the ritual in the month of Zil Hajj which is the 8th month of Islamic Lunar Calendar and between dates 8th and 12th. After performing Hajj, Muslims celebrate Eid ul Adha! The rites of Pilgrimage were first explained by the Holy Prophet (Saww) and later preserved and taught by scholars to new generations. Now, one may wonder what are the benefits of performing pilgrimage and why it has been made compulsory for the financially and physically able Muslims to perform it once in their lifetime. The significance of Hajj is described below:

Pillar Of Islam

Islam stands on five major yet important pillars. One of them is Hajj. It is an essential pillar as one has to have faith in all the five pillars to complete their faith in the religion of Islam. So, by performing pilgrimage you are completing your faith.

Unity For All Muslims

The most beautiful sight on Hajj, you can witness is Muslims setting aside their differences and coming under the umbrella of unity. They do not look at each other with different perspectives, rather appreciate them for coming all the way from their countries for one purpose. Such a feeling is worth millions of dollars and can only be achieved once you enter the holy place.

Purpose

Hajj renews your purpose of life. Those who come with empty hearts, return with filled hearts. During the pilgrimage, you meditate, meet different inspiring individuals, listen to amazing soulful sermons and focus on yourself; all these factors contribute in renewing your purpose and relive your personality which you lost during the way in trying to follow the worldly matters.

Humility

Islam teaches us to let go of our ego and make us humble in various ways. The ways may be hard or easy depending on the stamina, strength and nature of an individual. The ultimate result is achieving humility. When you are performing Hajj, you see people sleeping on the ground, eating on the ground and no matter the rank everyone sits alongside in the sermons and listen to the message of Allah. These acts promote humility.

Tranquility

Among the things that are prohibited when you enter the Ihram is staying away from anger, fights or anything that provokes you. When a person observes this behavior continuously and 24-hours, they start building a habit and as a result, they achieve the state of Tranquility, which is an important aspect of Muslim in faith.

A Learning Journey

The three to five days’ journey is not just for the scholars but those who have questions relating to their religion, are newcomers in the fold of Islam or just in search of unlimited knowledge; Hajj proves to be a beneficial journey as you can meet hundreds of people belonging from different ethnicity, race, culture and parts of the world. Everyone having knowledge of its own, is seeing sharing with a group of aspirants. Through this practice, one’s knowledge regarding Islam, daily routine issues and materialistic problems, is increased.

A Fresh Start

“He who performs Hajj for ALLAH’s pleasure and avoids all lewdness and sins will return after Hajj free from all sins as he was the day his mother gave birth to him.” – Holy Prophet (Saww) As promised by the Last Messenger of Allah, you will get a fresh start free of sins once you perform Hajj. It is one of the many facts about hajj and Muslims hold strong believe in it. No doubt, Hajj fulfills your desires and make you a better person. You can feel the change before coming to the holy place and after leaving it. It is one of the beautiful feelings in the world and we pray that everyone gets the chance to perform pilgrimage at least once in a lifetime. We are hopeful that your question ‘What is hajj and why is it important?’ has been answered correctly. However, if you have any queries, let us know.