The hajj is a pilgrimage to Mecca performed by millions of Muslims every year, coming from all over the Muslim world. Its history goes back many centuries. The present pattern of the Islamic Hajj was established by Islamic prophet Muhammad, around 632 CE, who reformed the existing pilgrimage tradition of the pagan Arabs. According to Islamic tradition, the hajj dates from thousands of years earlier, from when Abraham, upon God's command, built the Kaaba (the "house of God"). This cubic building is considered the most holy site in Islam and the rituals of the hajj include walking repeatedly around it.
In medieval times, pilgrims would gather in cities like Basra, Damascus, and Cairo to go to Mecca in groups and caravans comprising tens of thousands of pilgrims. Some came from further afield in sailing ships. The Sultans of the Ottoman Empire supported the pilgrims, appointing the Amir al-Hajj ("Commander of the Hajj") to organise and lead the caravans. As other modes of transport including steamships and trains were introduced, pilgrims were able to make the trip to Mecca more quickly.
The nomadic tribes of the desert – known as Bedouin – had been a persistent security issue for the hajj caravans. The annual pilgrimage offered pilgrims as well as professional merchants the opportunity to conduct various merchandising activities both on route and in Mecca, Damascus, and Cairo. Through its history, the hajj has influenced literature and art as pilgrims have written guides and created artistic depictions of the holy sites and rituals.
and 22 Related for: History of the Hajj information
Thehajj is a pilgrimage to Mecca performed by millions of Muslims every year, coming from all over the Muslim world. Its history goes back many centuries...
Hajj (/hɑːdʒ/; Arabic: حَجّ Ḥajj; sometimes also spelled Hadj, or Haj or Haji in English) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the...
incidents during theHajj, the Muslim pilgrimage to the cities of Mecca and Medina, that have caused loss of life. Every follower of Islam is required...
Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little, later el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) was an American Muslim minister and human rights activist...
The Khalili Collection oftheHajj and the Arts of Pilgrimage is a private collection of around 5,000 items relating to theHajj, the pilgrimage to the...
the matter oftheHajj, the longest Quranic section (2:196-203) recommends the destination location ofthe pilgrimage, the lead and exercises ofthe individuals...
Mina, Mecca, Saudi Arabia, making it the deadliest Hajj disaster in history. Estimates ofthe number of dead vary: the Associated Press reported 2,411[update]...
rite for the completion oftheHajj and Umrah pilgrimages. The area around the Kaaba where pilgrims walk is called the Mataaf. The Kaaba and the Mataaf...
conquered. The Mali Empire consisted of land that is now part of Guinea, Senegal, Mauritania, the Gambia, and the modern state of Mali. Musa went on Hajj to Mecca...
The 1757 Hajj caravan raid was the plunder and massacre oftheHajj caravan of 1757 on its return to Damascus from Mecca by Bedouin tribesmen. The caravan...
Pilgrims more than triple the population number every year during theḤajj pilgrimage, observed in the twelfth Hijri month of Dhūl-Ḥijjah.[citation needed]...
El-Hajj) is an honorific title which is given to a Muslim person who has successfully completed theHajj to Mecca. Stemming from the same origin is the term...
initiative to streamline the immigration process for pilgrims to Makkah. The initiative was launched in 2019 by the Ministry ofHajj and Umrah (Saudi Arabia)...
year 10 AH, following the Conquest of Mecca. Muslims believe that verse 22:27 ofthe Quran brought about the intent to perform Hajj in Muhammad that year...
Hajj certificates are official documents certifying that one has completed theHajj, the Islamic obligatory pilgrimage to Mecca. The certificates also...
Arabia came for theHajj or the similar ‘Umrah. Over 40 percent of money spent by tourists being for theHajj or the ‘Umrah. The increase in the tourism industry...
lunar Islamic Calendar. It is the second day oftheHajj pilgrimage and is followed by the holiday of Eid al-Adha. At dawn of this day, Muslim pilgrims will...
performed at the time ofHajj. Disavowal of polytheists is a Qur'anic term or tradition which is applied to "disgust to polytheists and the enemies of Allah/His...
The Adnan Hajj photographs controversy (also called Reutersgate) involves digitally manipulated photographs taken by Adnan Hajj, a Lebanese freelance...
The Sack of Mecca occurred on 11 January 930, when the Qarmatians of Bahrayn sacked the Muslim holy city amidst the rituals oftheHajj pilgrimage. The...