The Origin of Hajj

Hajj is an imperative pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. Though the pattern was

officially settled by Prophet Muhammad, it is no wonder that it can date back to the

time of Abraham seeing that Islam was among the Abrahamic religions.

According to Al-Kutub As-Sittah, Abraham was requested by God to cast off his

wife Hajara and his son Ishmael in the desert, which is actually a trial by Allah. They

escaped death by finding the Zamzam Well as luck would have it (another version

attributes it to Gabriel). Later Allah made Abraham a leader for the people, commanded

him to raise the foundation of Kaaba, and said, “Purify My House for those who

perform Tawaf and those who are staying for worship.” (Quran 2:125) Allah also

forbade associating anything with Him (Quran 22:31) and constituted some basic

patterns of Hajj. Abraham with his son extraordinarily met up with Allah’s expectations. But

after Ishmael’s passing, the Amalekites came and people gradually forsook monotheism.

Instead, idolatry is preponderated, and idols congested Kaaba. These days were titled

Jahiliyyah, or the Age of Ignorance. (Wiki) Only when Muhammad captured Mecca

and demolished all the idols was monotheism rejuvenated, id est Islam’s prevalence.

Realms rose and fell, warriors fought and died, yet Hajj remained. It has witnessed

the history of Islam, and will maintain to be a symbol of Muslims’ unity and piety.

Works Cited

The Qur'an. Oxford: Oxford University Press; Reissue edition, 2008.

Al Ash-Sheikh, Sheikh Saleh. Al-Kutub As-Sittah. Riyadh: Darussalam, 2008.

“Jahiliyyah.” Wikipedia. 22 Sept. 2017. Hamath-Zobah. 13 Oct. 2017.

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