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The virtues of Hajj and its impact on the broader Muslim community

Research · August 2017

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.31955.48164

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Talat Makhmoor
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In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

The virtues of Hajj and its impact on the broader Muslim

community

Talat Makhmoor, Ph.D.

Enrolled in: Associate Degree in Psychology, Islamic Online University
Former Assistant Professor
Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine & Drug Research
International Center for Chemical & Biological Sciences
University of Karachi, Pakistan

Every act of worship in Islam has its own specific virtues and impacts on people’s

personalities and character, activities, relationships, public dealing, community and

society, etc. For instance, at the individual level, five daily prayers lead to righteousness,

protect against Satan, and serve as a weapon to prevent from immorality and evils, thus

building a God-fearing, good speaking, and good acting character. At the community

level, performance of Salah in congregation provides a platform to connect people with

each other and an opportunity to discuss and solve personal and community-related

problems on a daily basis. Let us discuss here the virtues of the fifth pillar of Islam, the

Hajj, and the impact of this act of worship on the broader Muslim community.

Hajj is a five days obligatory act of worship in Islam which encompasses both

physical and monetary acts of worship in its rites. It is a journey-based outward form of

worship which is legally obligatory once in a lifetime for all adult Muslims who can afford

to make it both physically and financially (Gatrad & Sheikh, 2005). It is the journey to the

Sacred Musjid (Ka’bah) in Makkah, which is not meant to fulfill any worldly desire or

benefit, but intended solely for Allah as a fulfillment of a duty with true love as well as
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fear of Him. In that journey, one has to leave his family, his business and his everyday

activities, spend money, and patiently bear all hardships of the travelling just for the sake

of Allah (Philips, 2012, pp. 90-91).

The significance and reward of Hajj is great, if performed with pure intention and

according to the prescribed manner, because the Prophet has mentioned it as

one of the three best deeds (Sahih al-Bukhari, 2/26/594). According to the Prophet

the greater merits of the accepted Hajj are purification from sins and a guaranteed place

in Paradise (Philips, 2012, p. 92). As he said, “Whoever performs the Hajj for the

sake of Allah and does not commit any lewdness or sins returns like the day in which

his mother gave him birth”, meaning complete erasure of sins (Sahih al-Bukhari,

2/26,596). As for the second benefit, the Prophet said, “The reward for a Hajj

Mabrur (accepted into Allah’s grace) is nothing less than Paradise” (Sahih al-Bukhari,

3/27/1). Furthermore, it is also stated in a hadith that “Hajj is equivalent to jihad for women

and people who cannot go for jihad” (Sahih al-Bukhari, 2/26/595).

The benefits of Hajj are numerous. It unites Muslims from every corner of the world

to one Sacred place, Ka’bah. People come to the Ka’bah to worship Allah together,

whether they are poor, rich, black, and white; all dressed in a similar fashion, stand in the

same manner, and perform the same rituals to please Allah . In addition, the Hajj

becomes a big platform for Muslims to meet each other and learn from the hardships of

this journey-based worship (Zarabozo, 1999, p. 376). On the other hand, performance of

Hajj develops all the spiritual and moral goals of the various forms of worship in Islam,

such as sincerity, piety, humility, obedience, patience, control, sacrifice, submission, etc.

Physically, Hajj involves circling the Ka’bah, walking between Safa and Marwah along
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with millions of other people, and journeying to Mina, Arafat, and Muzdalifah. Hajj also

serves a spiritual purpose like Zakah (obligatory charity) because the pilgrim spends

wealth and offers sacrifice in gratitude to Allah (Philips, 2010, p. 91).

In other words, Hajj is the perfection of faith, since it combines all the goals and

qualities of other obligatory acts of worship including Salah, Zakah, Fasting and Itikaf. In

Hajj, a Muslim is commanded to do or abandon everything for the sake of Allah and

submit himself before his Lord. Thus, the physical and spiritual aspects of Hajj are

beautifully combined in all its rites and expressed in the statement, “Here I am before

Thee, my Lord, as a slave of Thine.” (Zarabozo, 1999, pp. 376-377).

The Hajj has a lasting effect on the Muslim personality as it leads to spiritual

transformation within the individual. The God-consciousness, one of the major qualities

of a believer’s character, is achieved during Hajj Mabrur which reforms him in all aspects

of his life. Additionally, meeting with over two million Muslims from all over the world

reminds the Muslims that physical and biological differences has no place in Islam, all

humans belong to the one human race created by One God to worship Him alone. A

Muslim also learns that Nationalism is not a superior thing to the Ummah and he becomes

aware of the Ummah-consciousness. Secondly, the character of a Muslim is beautified

with patience during the hardships of the physical rites of Hajj because Hajj demands

travelling from one place to another with a huge crowd, which can result in injuries,

accidents, bruises, etc. However, the pilgrim is required to patiently bear every single

harm during Hajj to achieve a Hajj Mabrur (Philips, 2012, pp. 94-95). Thus, the Hajj helps

to build an international and patient personality if performed in its real spirit.

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The Hajj also has a strong effect on the broader Muslim community, as it leads to

a feeling of unity with fellow Muslims and worldwide Muslim community. This is due to the

Hajj congregation being an international platform where representatives from all over the

globe gather at the House of Allah , and can discuss the matters of Ummah and design

proposals for the betterment of the Muslim world. According to a study carried out by

Clingingsmith, Khwaja & Kremer (2009), Hajj leads to increase in observance of global

Islamic practices such as prayer and fasting, and decrease in practicing localized culture-

based practices and beliefs such as amulets and dowry, and increase in harmony and

equality among various ethnic groups and Islamic sects (p. 1133). The same study

reported that the pilgrims show increased belief in peace, tolerance, and in equality and

harmony with different religions. They also found that Hajj helps to integrate the Muslim

world which strengthens the global Islamic beliefs, and weakens attachment to local

religious customs (Clingingsmith, Khwaja & Kremer, 2009). Thus, Hajj helps to forge a

common Islamic identity, increase tolerance both within the Islamic world and beyond it,

foster Muslim brotherhood, love, acquaintance, and relationship of unity.

In short, on the one hand, Hajj transforms individuals by helping them to attain

God-consciousness, sincerity, piety, humility, obedience, control, and sacrifice, thus,

building an international and patient personality. On the other hand, it has a strong impact

on the worldwide Muslim community by imparting a sense of unity on an international

platform of the Sacred place in Makkah, the Ka’bah. In addition, it fosters Muslim

brotherhood, love and acquaintance. Besides, a Hajj Mabrur guarantees the Paradise to

pilgrim and self-purification of sins. The benefits of Hajj are not earned only by performing

its physical rites but by performing it with true love and devotion for Allah .
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Bibliography

Clingingsmith, D., Khwaja, A. I., & Kremer M. (2009). Estimating the impact of the Hajj:

Religion and Tolerance in Islam’s Global Gathering. The Quarterly Journal of

Economics, 124(3), 1133-1170. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/40506254

Gatrad,A. R., &Sheikh,A.(2005). Hajj: Journey of A Lifetime.British Medical

Journal,330(7483), 133-137. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/25458672.

Philips, A. A. B. (2012). The Clash of Civilizations [An Islamic view]. Retrieved from

http://www.bilalphilips.com/wp-

content/uploads/2013/07/Clash%20of%20Civilisations.pdf

Zarabozo,J. al-Din M. (1999).Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi. Boulder,

USA: Al-Basheer Company for Publications and Translations.

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