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Saudi Arabia
Pilgrimage
The hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, occurs annually between the
eighth and thirteenth days of the last month of the Muslim year,
Dhu al Hijjah. The hajj represents the culmination of the Muslim's
spiritual life. For many, it is a lifelong ambition. From the
time of embarking on the journey to make the hajj, pilgrims often
experience a spirit of exaltation and excitement; the meeting
of so many Muslims of all races, cultures, and stations in life
in harmony and equality moves many people deeply. Certain rites
of pilgrimage may be performed any time, and although meritorious,
these constitute a lesser pilgrimage, known as umra.
Improved transportation and accommodations have increased dramatically
the number of visitors who enter the kingdom for pilgrimage. In
1965 almost 300,000 Muslims came from abroad to perform the rites
of pilgrimage, primarily from other Arab and Asian countries.
By 1983 that number had climbed to more than 1 million. In addition
to those coming from abroad, each year 600,000 to 700,000 people
living in the kingdom join in the hajj rituals. In 1988 and 1989,
a total of 1.5 million pilgrims attended the hajj, representing
a drop of about 200,000 in the number of foreign pilgrims, probably
the result of a temporary ban on Iranian pilgrims instituted after
a violent confrontation with Saudi police. In the hajj season
of 1992, the Saudi press claimed a record of 2 million pilgrims.
The Ministry of Pilgrimage Affairs and Religious Trusts handles
the immense logistical and administrative problems generated by
such a huge international gathering. The government issues special
pilgrimage visas that permit the pilgrim to visit Mecca and to
make the customary excursion to Medina to visit the Prophet's
tomb. Care is taken to assure that pilgrims do not remain in the
kingdom after the hajj to search for work.
An elaborate guild of specialists assists the hajjis. Guides
(mutawwifs) who speak the pilgrim's language make the
necessary arrangements in Mecca and instruct the pilgrim in the
proper performance of rituals; assistants (wakils) provide
subsidiary services. Separate groups of specialists take care
of pilgrims in Medina and Jiddah. Water drawers (zamzamis)
provide water drawn from the sacred well.
In fulfilling the commandment to perform the hajj, the pilgrim
not only obeys the Prophet's words but also literally follows
in his footsteps. The sacred sites along the pilgrimage route
were frequented by Muhammad and formed the backdrop to the most
important events of his life. It is believed, for example, that
he received his first revelation at Jabal an Nur (Mountain of
Light) near Mina.
The haram, or holy area of Mecca, is a sanctuary in
which violence to people, animals, and even plants is not permitted.
The word haram carries the dual meaning of forbidden
and sacred. As a symbol of ritual purification, on approaching
its boundaries the male pilgrim dons an ihram, two white
seamless pieces of cloth, although many don the ihram
upon first arriving in the kingdom. Women wear a white dress and
head scarf and may choose to veil their faces, although it is
not required. Once properly attired, pilgrims enter a state of
purity in which they avoid bathing, cutting hair and nails, violence,
arguing, and sexual relations.
Approaching Mecca, pilgrims shout, "I am here, O Lord, I am here!"
They enter the Grand Mosque surrounding the Kaaba, a cube-shaped
sanctuary first built, according to Muslim tradition, by Abraham
and his son Ismail. The Kaaba contains a black stone believed
to have been given to Abraham by the angel Gabriel, according
to some sources, and by others, to have been simply part of the
structure of the original Kaaba. In pre-Islamic times, the Kaaba
was the object of pilgrimage, housing the idols of the pagan jahiliya,
the age of ignorance, and, according to Islamic tradition, was
cleansed by Muhammad of idols and rededicated to the worship of
the one God.
On the eighth day, the pilgrims go to Mina, a plain outside Mecca,
spending the night in prayer and meditation. On the morning of
the ninth day, they proceed to the Plain of Arafat where they
perform the central ritual of the hajj, the standing (wuquf).
The congregation faces Mecca and prays from noon to sundown. Muhammad
delivered his farewell sermon from a hill above the plain called
the Mount of Mercy, or Mount Arafat, during his final pilgrimage.
In performing wuquf, the pilgrim figuratively joins those
the Prophet addressed. It is believed that the pilgrim leaves
Arafat cleansed of sin.
A cannon sounds at sunset, and all rush to Muzdalifah, where
they toss pebbles at one of three stone pillars representing Satan.
Satan, in Islamic tradition, tempted Abraham not to sacrifice
Ismail as God commanded. Ismail stoned Satan in response to the
temptation, an act that symbolizes for the Muslim Ismail's total
submission to the will of God, for he went as a willing victim
to the sacrifice. In the stoning, pilgrims renounce evil and declare
their willingness to sacrifice all they have to God. Following
the stoning, each pilgrim buys a camel, sheep, or goat for sacrifice
in imitation of Abraham, and the excess meat is distributed to
the poor. The sacrifice is duplicated by Muslims the world over,
who celebrate the day as Id al Adha, the major feast of the Muslim
year. The sacrifice ends the hajj proper. The pilgrim may then
bathe, shave, cut his hair, and resume normal clothing.
Lastly, the pilgrims go to the Grand Mosque in Mecca. In the
sanctuary, the pilgrims walk around the Kaaba seven times and
point to the stone or kiss it as a symbol of the continuity of
Islam over time and of the unity of believers. They then pray
in the Place of Abraham, the spot within the mosque where the
patriarch prayed. During this time, the pilgrims may also reenact
the running between the hills of Safa and Marwa and may drink
from the sacred well of Zamzam, commemorating the frantic search
by Hagar to find water for her son Ismail, and the opening of
the well of Zamzam by the angel Gabriel, which saved the future
father of the Arabs. These rites constitute the umra.
Some pilgrims conclude their pilgrimage with a visit to the Prophet's
Mosque in Medina.
The rite of pilgrimage not only has special significance in the
life of Muslims but also has profound political significance for
the Saudi monarchy. The king has claimed for himself the title
Khadim al Haramayn, or "custodian of the two holy mosques," a
title that complements the Saudi claim to legitimacy. To prove
themselves worthy of the title, Saudi monarchs must show that
they are not only capable of defending the interests of Arabian
Muslims but also of defending the holy sites of Islam for the
benefit of Muslims the world over. The Saudis have therefore invested
heavily over the years in facilitating the arrival, transportation,
feeding, and accommodation of pilgrims arriving annually for the
rites of the hajj. New airport buildings, road networks, water
supplies, and public health facilities have been provided. Much
publicity has accompanied government contributions to the comfort
of pilgrims. The government distributes bottled water, juices,
and boxed lunches during the climbing of Mount Arafat; stations
ambulances staffed with first-aid teams in strategic locations;
shows health education videos on airplanes and ships bringing
pilgrims; and relieves pilgrims of the task of having to slaughter
their sacrificial animal. The Islamic Development Bank now sells
vouchers for sacrificial animals, which are chosen by the pilgrim
and then slaughtered, processed, and frozen for distribution and
sale in slaughterhouses in Mina.
Since the late 1980s, the Saudis have been particularly energetic
in catering to the needs of pilgrims. In 1988 a US$l5 billion
traffic improvement scheme for the holy sites was launched. The
improvement initiative resulted partly from Iranian charges that
the Saudi government was incompetent to guard the holy sites after
a 1987 clash between demonstrating Iranian pilgrims and Saudi
police left 400 people dead. A further disaster occurred in 1990,
when 1,426 pilgrims suffocated or were crushed to death in one
of the new air-conditioned pedestrian tunnels built to shield
pilgrims from the heat. The incident resulted from the panic that
erupted in the overcrowded and inadequately ventilated tunnel,
and further fueled Iranian claims that the Saudis did not deserve
to be in sole charge of the holy places. In 1992, however, 114,000
Iranian pilgrims, close to the usual level, participated in the
hajj.
To symbolize their leadership of the worldwide community of Muslims
as well as their guardianship of the holy sites, Saudi kings address
the pilgrimage gathering annually. The Saudis also provide financial
assistance to aid selected groups of foreign Muslims to attend
the hajj. In 1992, in keeping with its interests in proselytizing
among Muslims in the newly independent states of the former Soviet
Union, the Saudi government sponsored the pilgrimage for hundreds
of Muslims from Azerbaijan, Tashkent, and Mongolia.
Data as of December 1992
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