Pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj)…

…is required by every physically and financially able Muslim once in their lifetime. Many Muslims may tell you to make hajj this year or as soon as you can. True, one should *hasten* in performing hajj when they have the ability because you don’t know how long you’ll live, but not to do so without knowing well what they are embarking upon. If you have not been practicing and studying Islam for at least 6 months to a year, then it may be wiser to post-pone it. And Allah knows best. Especially if your praying is inconsistent. Otherwise, you may finish your hajj, come home after spending several thousand dollars, but later learn some things that make you feel you need to return and perform it again more perfectly.

There are many step-by-step books available about performing Hajj correctly. Once you have performed it the first time you never need to repeat it although it is recommended. As for the salaat, even if you prayed the five prayers on time for eighty years and then decided that you felt you did not have to pray anymore, then you would have completely failed that pillar of Islam. Hajj on the other hand consists of many different actions performed at numerous places for several days along with millions of other people. This recipe makes hajj the one act of worship in which Muslims make the most mistakes.

The pilgrimage also serves as a reality check on the Muslim world. You will see Muslims from every country on earth, the wealthiest of the wealthy and the poorest of the poor. These Muslims may be gathered in one place, but their hearts are not united and this realization can be very discouraging for people expecting Muslims to come together and hold hands. Muslims come to hajj from different sects, and some Muslims come to Hajj with different intentions. They may want to be called “Hajji” and earn a title to their name, so they see the hajj as being like an obstacle they have to surmount in order to earn that accolade. Others may come for begging and to make money off tourists—even “earning” tens of thousands of dollars in the process! Other Muslims perform hajj like a sport competition, pushing and shoving their way through worship. Whoever makes hajj with a shred of his heart desiring something from this world, their worship is rejected. However, seeing these occurrences may make a Muslim better appreciate their own community and feel humble, less significant as a Muslim, which is something we want. Sometimes us converts need this reminder since we may be praised often by our communities and made to think we are more special than everyone else. I never felt so humble as the night I spent resting under the stars of Muzdalifah, thinking of the Muslim community I came from, and suddenly realizing how much I loved everyone I knew there. Hajj contains many other great benefits for your heart and spirit. The afternoon on the plane of ‘Arafaat for praying to Allah, thanking Him for His blessings, and asking for guidance and salvation is a truly emotional experience. Seeing hundreds of thousands of Muslims, walking together from all different directions heading towards the next station and the Jamarat is truly awe-inspiring and reminds many people of the Day of Judgment. The best tips for a successful hajj are finding a reputable group with scholarly assistance, complying with the group’s schedule, and complete patience and satisfaction with whatever setbacks you experience. One of the problems all hajj groups face every year without exception is too many chiefs and not enough Indians. Some men think they know better ways of doing things so they split from the group, disobey the leader, and complicate things for everyone else.

For whenever you do embark on hajj, just like anything and everything else in Islam and in life, do your research beforehand. Hajj is one of the 5 pillars of Islam. With it, your Islam is standing, and without it your Islam is about to fall over. But because it is always considered “the fifth”, getting accustomed to the first four would be higher priority. In addition to reading before packing your bags, you will benefit greatly from the experiences and advice of other Muslims who already performed it. Hearing stories from those who performed hajj decades ago and those who performed it more recently can enlighten you to the changes made to ease congestion, accommodate more pilgrims, and insure safety.

And just as hajj is a once-in-a-lifetime requirement, it should have some impact on your life if you performed it correctly and solely for Allah’s Pleasure. When you finish and return home to your people, after having seen what you have seen and done what you have done, you should be stronger as a human, more aware of your own self, and a better Muslim. It is not necessary that people see a “glow” in your face or the like, but that is considered a sign of acceptance from Allah and that you have truly bettered yourself from the experience.

A last thing I feel needs address–although it is not an official pillar of Islam–for non-Arab Muslims, learning Arabic may be more of a life-long journey than pillars of Islam except the prayer. Read more to find out how necessary it is (or not) and how to proceed…