BECOME A VIRTUAL PILGRIM

By Seth Ward University of Wyoming sward@uwyo.edu Oct 2013 Its easy these days to follow along the Pilgrimage to Mecca, which takes place in a few days. http://Google.maps provides maps, photos, and videos. More on that at the end of this document! Its best to prepare for the journeyread about the pilgrimage, for example, in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hajj. You can also read Quranic verses about the Hajj or read about Muhammads sermon at his Farewell Pilgrimage. But the best plan is to get good idea about the general order of the rituals of the Pilgrimage: Before the Pilgrimage Begins Before entering the Grand Mosque (No. 1 in the chart below), pilgrims would have prepared by taking on ihram, wearing the special Pilgrim clothing. This might be done before the 8th day of the month. In pre-modern times, this was often done in places such as Jidda or in various gates to the Sacred Region at quite some distance from Mecca. The details of the pilgrimage are complex, so many pilgrims hire a dalil guide to help them get through. Men and women are separated in many Islamic contexts, but perform the Hajj together. 8th Day of Islamic Month Dhu al-Hijja No. 1 Take on Ihram before entrance to the Grand Mosque as a Pilgrim 2. Circling the Kaba with left shoulder towards the Kaba. Kissing or pointing to the Black Stone, and praying at Maqam Ibrahim The Place of Abraham if possible. The Kaba is a nearly cubic building, about 45 feet high, wide and long, oriented so that its corners roughly face the four points of the compass. Today it is dwarfed by the Grand Mosqueit appears in many aerial photos as a small black square in the midst of a sea of pilgrims. The Black Stone is on the Eastern corner, the door high above the ground just north of the Black Stone. The space between the Door and the Northern corner is

considered the place where prayers are most likely to be answered. Past the Northern Corner, there is a space, and an enclosure with a low wall, called the Hatim, on the northwestern side, that is, stretching from the Northern Corner to the Western Corner. According to tradition, Ismail and Hajar are buried between the Hatim and the Kaba. The circumambulation goes outside the Hatim. (the image shows pilgrims filling the space inside the Hatim as well as outside, and the lower part of the Kaba exposed). The Kaba is covered by a black cloth called the kiswa, portions of which have brocaded letters in gold. Traditionally the rest of the Kiswa has black brocaded lettersnot so easy to see on a black cloth! Traditionally it is replaced every year just before the Pilgrimage by a new one made under the auspices of the Protector of the Kaba, and pieces of the Kiswa are sold to pilgrims. I do not know if the custom continues to the present. Whereas the interior held idols and images in pre-Islamic times, today it has three columns and lamps, and is otherwise mostly empty. 3. Running (Say) between Safa and Marwah. Today these hills are enclosed by what appears to be an arm of the Grand Mosque and there are air-conditioned corridors for walking between them; pilgrims are discouraged from running. # 1, 2 and 3 together may be performed at any time, not only during the Hajj. After performing them it is traditional to drink from the water of the Zamzam spring and to pray at Maqam Ibrahim. At one time Maqam Ibrahim was a specially marked place near the Kaba in which the pavement appeared to have the footprint of Abraham, today it is encased in a structure. (In the image, the kiswa can be seen behind the maqam Ibrahim, with the brocaded inscriptions and the special covering at the doorway). These rituals are often called Umra when they are performed outside of the time of the Hajj.

Night of the 8th of Dhu al-Hijja until night of the 9th of Dhu al-Hijja 4. Encamping at Mina night of the 8th to 9th 5. Standing at the Mountain of Mercy (Jabal al-Rahma) most of the day of the 9th. This day is spent in prayer. There is usually also a sermon, often by the Saudi monarch or a prominent Saudi preacher, and Believers say the talbiya, which begins, roughly translated, with At your service, O Allah, at your service. 6. At the time of the evening prayer: Retreat to Muzdalifa, where Pilgrims spend the night and pick up pebbles for stoning the pillars. 10th of Dhul-Hijja 7. Stoning the Pillar (Ramy al-Jamarat). In the morning pilgrims proceed to Jamarat al-Aqaba, the first pillar, which is stoned with 7 pebbles. There are three pillars, and pilgrims will stone each with 7 pebbles. 8. The end of the formal state of Ihram comes with the sacrifice, which is also done by Muslims all over the world, and by cutting the hair. Men shave their entire head, women have a symbolic cutting of three strands. 9. Tawaf: the Kaba is circumambulated another 7 times. Pilgrims encamp in Mina for at least two more days (11-12 Dhul-Hijja).

Using Google Maps Try this link. If it does not work well, go to Google Maps and use key words Grand Mosque Mecca Saudi Arabia as well as Muzdalifa and Mt. Arafat. Check out both the Map and Earth or Satellite views. The Earth View will give you a sense of the size of the buildings. The image is one when there are relatively few people in the Mosque. The Kaaba and the hijr can easily be seen. You may be able to get a street viewa panoramic view from inside the Mosque (I have only been able to get this to work in the classic view, in some browsers). You can follow the train line from the Grand Mosque to the Mina and Muzdalifa and Mt. Arafat stations and back, or get directions for walking also gives you an idea of how long it takes to walkobviously the train or bus was not available before recent times. Mt. Arafat--The Mountain of Mercyis today surrounded by a circular pedestrian walkway. (One of my attempts to find Mt. Arafat came up with a location in the mountains beyond the religious sitego back and look for the place with the circular walkway). In the Earth view there are many photos and videos taken by visitors and pilgrims. You can also find interesting materials in YouTube and other online locations. A description of the Kabah, including the various parts of the building, together with some of the details of Pilgrimage etc.: http://www.proudummah.com/virtues-of-hajj.htm