by Christopher Knight

Created on: November 09, 2009   Last Updated: November 27, 2010

A Hajj (pilgrimage) to Mecca is one of the five pillars of the Muslim faith. Every able-bodied Muslim with the financial means to take the trip is commanded to do so by Allah. The full completion of the Hajj has some very specific rituals that must be performed along the way. This is an ancient tradition that, according to some, has been corrupted over the centuries. For those that go, the Hajj allows one to become more devout and, for a time, closer to God.

Hajj is a holy pilgrimage to Mecca. Millions of Muslims take the trip every year from all over the world to the sacred city of Islam. The direction from the Qur'an is that if you are financially able and of good health you should make the journey once in your lifetime. If you do not make the trip during your lifetime and you were able, you will be held accountable on judgment day. If you are truly unable to do so then you are forgiven by Allah.

For the entire Hajj, pilgrims are to be as righteous as possible. They should refrain from sexual intercourse, hunting, swearing, fighting and anger. They are to act as peaceful and righteous as possible. Since the Arabic calendar is a lunar calendar, on the Gregorian calendar (the calendar used by the Western world,) the dates of Hajj vary from year to year. This year Hajj occurs from November 25 to 29th. In 2010 it occurs from Nov. 16 to the 20th.

The Hajj as it is most commonly performed today involves a series of rituals. Before starting the journey, the pilgrim must be properly dressed in ceremonial garb. The pilgrim starts by circumambulating (walks in a circle) around the Ka'ba (the cube-like building that is the Muslim focal point for their direction of daily prayer) counterclockwise.

They kiss the black stone in the corner of the Ka'ba. The pilgrim walks (or jogs) back and forth seven times between the hills of al-Sawa and al-Marwah. They drink from the well of Zamzam, stand vigil at the plains of Arafat and throw stones in the Stoning of the Devil ritual. The pilgrims then shave their heads, perform an animal sacrifice and celebrate the three day global festival Eid-al-Ahdah. This completes the Hajj.

According to Submission.org, the Hajj performed by many Muslims today is not a true Hajj as described in the Qur'an. Instead of just the four days that are typically decreed that the Hajj should be done in, there are actually four months that the Hajj can be done in and it would be acceptable. There are rituals that have been added, such as visiting the tomb

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