Hajj is the annual pilgrimage to Makkah, performed from the 8th to the 13th of Dhul-Hijjah. It is the fifth and final pillar of Islam and is obligatory once in a lifetime upon every Muslim who has the physical and financial means to undertake it.

The Qur’an establishes the obligation: “And due to Allah from the people is a pilgrimage to the House, for whoever is able to find a way thereto.” (Surah Aal Imran 3:97). The history of the Ka’bah is tied to the prophets Ibrahim and Isma’il, who were commanded to raise its foundations (Surah al-Baqarah 2:127).

The major rites of Hajj include entering the state of ihram, performing tawaf (seven circuits of the Ka’bah), sa’i (walking seven times between the hills of Safa and Marwa), standing at the plain of Arafah on the 9th of Dhul-Hijjah, spending the night at Muzdalifah, the symbolic stoning of the three pillars at Mina, the sacrifice (Qurbani) on Eid al-Adha, the shaving or trimming of the hair, and the farewell tawaf. The Prophet (peace be upon him) demonstrated all of this in detail during his Farewell Pilgrimage, preserved in the long hadith of Jabir in Sahih Muslim 1218.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever performs Hajj for the sake of Allah and does not commit any obscenity or wickedness, will return [free of sin] as on the day his mother gave him birth.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 1521). For non-pilgrims, the recommended worship during these days is fasting (especially on Arafah), takbir, charity, and standing in solidarity with the pilgrims.

Pilgrims themselves do not fast on the Day of Arafah. For everyone else, the entire Hajj season is a powerful annual reminder of the unity of the Muslim community – across race, language, and nation – gathered in white garments around a single sacred site, repeating the same words their forebears have repeated since the time of Ibrahim: Labbayk Allahumma labbayk – “At Your service, O Allah, at Your service.”