Significant Practice:

State of
Ihram

Description
This involves two levels
- The outer Ihram - pilgrims dress in
a white, seamless garment. This
garment must be worn during all
Hajj rituals.
- The internal Ihram - where
adherents will adopt a new state of
mind, fostering greater compassion,
hospitality and peacefulness.
Both internal and external levels of the
State of Ihram call to the mind and
heart of a pilgrim a focus on God
during these days.

Significance for Individual

- The outer Ihram provides a
cleansing ritual for the individual, a
sense of purity in this fundamental
part of their life. They are called to
focus entirely on this pilgrimage,
leaving behind any other unsanitary
parts of their life that may distract
them.
- The inner State of Ihram reminds
adherents of the state of mind they
should adopt not limited to within
the pilgrimage but throughout their
entire lives. Qualities of an
individuals heart which are pleasing
to Allah.
The connection it develops between
themselves, their God and the Umma
has a significant impact on the
individual. The repetitious nature of the
ritual, along with the chanting of prayer
as they journey around the Kaba,
creates a reflective environment
whereby adherents are able to
contemplate their own spiritual journey,
a path of submission to Allahs will.
Providing the individual with a greater
clarity.

Significance for Community

- The uniformity of the white garments
and the qualities that adherents seek
to emulate reflects the unity of Gods
creation; all people are one before
God and united with Him. That all
are equal when they stand before
Allah at the Day of Judgment.

Tawaf
Circumambu
lating the
Kabah

Adherents circumambulate the Kaba

seven times, this building the symbol of
Allahs presence on earth. All the while
adherents are reciting prayers from the
Quran.
Muslims say the talbiya Here
I am O God, here I am
(Tawhid)

Reminds the individual of the

commonality shared between all
Muslims and the importance that this
community is brought together in their
submission to Allahs will. This unison
not only enhances their understanding
of their own faith but also strengthens
the unity of the Islamic religious
tradition as adherents recognize this
common purpose they share.

Al-Safa and
al-Marwah
Say

Here the adherents walk briskly

between two hillocks seven times, in
commemoration of Hagars frantic
search for water for her infant son.
Adherents believe that Gabriel
appeared to Hagar, stamped his heel
and produced a spring of fresh water
called Zamzam. Pilgrims drink from the
Well of Zamzam before they depart.

This reminds adherents that Allah is

constantly with them in their lives and
never abandons them. Strengthening
their faith and trust in God, and as such
further developing their submission to
his will.

This reminds the community of the

common trust they must share in Allah
and as such in one and other in their
quest to live out his will. As only though
a trust in Allah and one and other will a
strong faith system be established, this
faith system allowing individuals to live
out Allahs will in a positive
environment that fosters the positive
actions and qualities that pleases Allah.

During this time they stand praying,

Provides a moment of renewal, where

This draws the community together as

Wuquf
Standing on
the Plain of
Arafat

meditating and reflecting. Standing

before Allah and asking for forgiveness
for their wrongdoings.

The Three
Pillars
Jamarat
Stoning the
Devil

Perform - Nahr re-enactment of the

story of Abraham.
Adherents throw pebbles collected
during Jumeraat at the three pillars that
are representative of the devil, marking
the place where he tried to persuade
Abraham to disobey Gods command
and not sacrifice his son, Isaac. This
demonstrating the daily struggle of
adherents to succumb to the temptation
of the devil.
The next part of Hajj is a great feast of
sacrifices involving the ritual sacrifice
of many animals, which are then offered
to the poor and need.
It commemorates willingness to
sacrifice his only son, yet Gods ultimate
provision of a ram instead.
"Feed the needy, those who
are content and those who
are distressed" (Qur'an, 22).

Takes place
in Mina

The great
feast of
sacrifice
Nahr
Thinks to
Zakat
almsgiving

The final
stage

The hajj is Arafat

- Hadith
When the hajj is finished, the Muslim
is free of sin

adherents are forgiven by Allah for

their failures and are able to refocus
their lives on an existence free of such
transgressions. This second chance
providing a greater clarity for
adherents when understanding the
purpose of their lives, an experience of
cleansing and purification.

they recognize that they all share the

commonality of being imperfect beings
that have failed Allah.
It also strengthens them in their faith
as it allows them to rediscover the
importance faith, and the faith
community, has in their lives. Bring
faith back to the Centre of their lives.

This reminds adherents of the struggle

they constantly endure to resist the
temptation of the devils, reminding
them of the need to be constantly
aware of the evil that surrounds us in a
modern world and the need to remain
free from such transgression in their
path to live out Allahs will.

This reminds the community must

remain in unison in order for each
individual to avoid the devils
temptations faced by all, this allowing
adherents to constantly strengthen
their faith and live out the will of Allah
as a common faith.

Celebrate: Muslims celebrate

Eid-ul-Adha three days of
celebration throughout the
Muslim world.

Islam does not allow for failure to perform the Hajj Mohammad (Hadith)

Describe the significant practice of Hajj within Islam.

Demonstrate how this practice expresses the beliefs of Islam
Tawhid (Oneness of
Allah)

Malika
(Angles)

Rusul
(Prophets)

KatubAllah
(Books of Allah)

Akhira
(Judgment and Life
after Death)

This practice is
entirely derived
from adherents
understanding of
the teachings of
Allah through
Muhammad gained
from sacred texts.

Informs an
adherent of the
insignificance of
life on this earth
compared to the
afterlife. Reminding
them that their
actions should be
directed towards a
pleasing Allah so
that when the day
of judgment comes
they will be treated

Mohamed instructs
Muslims to go on Hajj.
Islam does not allow for
failure to perform the
Hajj

State of
Ihram

The uniform white

garment establishes
that all equal before
Allah, as he is the only
and greatest God.
The inner Ihram
demonstrates how all
actions should be
targeted towards
pleasing Allah and
living out his will.

Al Qadar
(Fate and
Predestination)

Wuquf in
Arafat
Standing on
the Plain of
Arafat

The Three
Pillars
Stoning the
Devil

Tawaf
Circumamb
ulating the
Kaba

This reminds
adherents of the
almighty power of
Allah as the single
creator of life, and as
such the power with
which all actions in
life should be directed
towards.
They should try to
emulate qualities that
encapsulate his 99
names in order to
avoid the wrongdoings
that they seek mercy
for.
This reminds
adherents of
overruling power of
God and the fact that
during the temptation
of evil they must avoid
the temptation of the
devil as Allah remains
the highest being.

Adherents
recognize the role
of the prophets
through Wuquf at
Arafat and
simultaneously
recognize the
importance of the
instructions of the
prophets such as
Muhammad, who
gave his final
sermon at the site.

This act of devotion

and submission
reminds adherents of
the power and divinity
of the one and only
God, Allah. That they
must always come
back to this pure and
unequivocal
devotional practice
when seeking an
understanding of the
path set for them in

This represents a
belief in the prophet
Muhammad as he
was born and lived
in Mecca and
adherents are
recognizing his role
in the construction
of the Kaba.

Links to the
Quranic story of
Abraham when he
was tempted three
times by the devil to
go against Allahs
command. This is
the source of the
ritual and belief in

The sacred texts

inform adherents of
actions that are
pleasing to Allah
and what actions
are
counterproductive
to living out his will.
As such the sacred
texts inform
adherents of their
sins or actions that
prevent an
individual from
living out Allahs
will.
This idea of the
tempting of the
devil and the need
to resist such
temptations is
sourced from sacred
texts such as the
Quran.

This reflects the

sacred texts
through the integral
part that the
prayers and stories
found in these
books of Allah play
within the ritual.
The chanting and
praying that occurs
reiterates the
importance of the
belief in these books

favorably.
This process
mirrors that of
judgment day and
the point in time
where they will
enter into the
afterlife. As such it
reminds them of
this inevitable fact
of life and the
consequences their
actions have on this
process, so that
when judgment day
comes they may
enter paradise.
In order to be
accepted into
paradise an
individual must act
in ways which are
pleasing to Allah
and as such the
negative
temptations of the
devil must avoid the
in order to reach
paradise.
This links back to
the day of judgment
as teaches of the
purity of the word of
Allah and the
centrality of his will
in their lives.
Adherent then learn
that through this
pure existence that
they will be
demonstrating
qualities pleasing to

The reminds
adherents of the
their own fate and
predestined nature
of their existence in
the way that it
reinforces the
inevitability of the
day of judgment and
the fact that this
process of either
entering paradise or
entering hell is an
unavoidable fact of
life which they
much accept.
This remind
adherents of the
inevitability of the
devil within their
lives and the part
this plays in
fulfilling the path
Allah has set out for
them.

This practice
reminds adherents
that true Muslim life
always back to
living out the will of
Allah. That this is an
inevitable fact of life
and that the
purpose of all life is
the devotion to this
will of Allah that the
practice represent.

their life.
Talbiya Here I
am O god, Here I
am
Al-Safa and
al-Marwah
Say
Running
Between the
Two Hills

This reminds
adherents of the
immensity of Allahs
place in their lives
through the fact that
this practice reminds
adherents that Allah
will never leave them
and is always
watching over his
them.

This links to the

Malika through
the belief that the
angel of Gabriel
saved Hagar and
as such the angel
of Gabriel as
servant of Allah is
responsible for
the saving of all
people through
the Well of
Zamzam.

as being the direct

work and will of
Allah spoken
through his greatest
prophet
Muhammad.
This again links into
both the story of
Hagar and what it
represents as well
as the qualities of
Allah such as his
care for humankind
that is indicative in
the practice of alSafa and alMarwah Say.

Allah and be closer

to an afterlife in
paradise.

This can be linked

to the belief in
judgment as the
afterlife as it
demonstrates how
Allah is always
watching and never
leaves us; as such
he sees our every
good deed and
every bad deed, so
we must remember
to perform in ways
that are pleasing to
him.

This is linked to a
belief in fate and
predestination as it
represents that idea
that Allah is always
there for us as he
knows what will
happen to us before
it happens, he has a
plan for us always
and will always be
there throughout
our living out of this
plan.