By Asad Pervez
Boston (USA)
Around two million people from around the world are currently in Mecca participating in the annual pilgrimage of Hajj. Each year, an estimated 20,000 Americans travel from the United States to Mecca to take part.
As one of the five pillars of Islam, every Muslim who is of sound mind and has the means is obliged to make the Hajj pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime. Hajj is a pilgrimage, when undertaken with the right intent and spirit can transform a person entirely, offering what is described as a ‘spiritual rebirth.’ Those who attend the Hajj with sincerity do not return the same.
A well-known historical example is Malcolm X’s 1964 pilgrimage to Mecca, which profoundly shattered his previous beliefs about race and catalyzed a shift from Black separatism toward universal human rights and multi-ethnic unity. The experience of Hajj compelled him to radically re-evaluate his worldview, and he subsequently abandoned the Nation of Islam’s teaching that white people were inherently evil.
During the pilgrimage, he wrote handwritten letters home from Mecca. He reflected: “You may be shocked by these words coming from me. But on this pilgrimage, what I have seen and experienced has forced me to rearrange much of my thought-patterns previously held, and to toss aside some of my previous conclusions.”
“There were tens of thousands of pilgrims, from all over the world. They were of all colors, from blue-eyed blonds to black-skinned Africans. But we were all participating in the same ritual, displaying a spirit of unity and brotherhood that my experiences in America had led me to believe could never exist between white and non-white people.”
What is it about the Hajj that produces this level of transformation? To understand this, we must go back almost 4,000 years, to the Prophet Abraham, who found himself standing before a megalomaniac king in what is now modern-day Iraq — a king who also proclaimed himself a god. As the Quran narrates (2:258), Abraham told the king that it is God alone who gives life and brings death. The king then brought out two prisoners, killed one and freed the other, and declared: “I too give life and deliver death.” To this theatrics, Abraham replied: “God brings the sun up from the east — bring it up yourself from the west.”
Predictably, the king did not welcome this response, and the people cast Abraham into a great fire. But God commanded: “Fire! Be cool and a means of safety for Abraham” (21:68). Abraham walked out unscathed. God then instructed him to leave the kingdom along with his wife and nephew.
During his journey, Abraham was blessed with a son, Ishmael, in his old age. He was then commanded by God to leave the infant and his mother, Hagar, in a barren valley. As Abraham walked away, Hagar asked whether this was God’s will. When he confirmed it was, her only reply was: “Then God will take care of us.”
When Hagar’s water ran out and the infant began to cry from thirst, she rushed frantically between the mounts of Safa and Marwah, searching desperately for help. Then, as the traditions narrate, the angel Gabriel struck the ground where the infant’s feet were kicking, and fresh water began to gush forth. It flowed so abundantly that Hagar cried “stop, stop” — or, in her language, “Zam Zam.” That place is called Mecca today, and the Zamzam water remains an active natural spring that has quenched the thirst of pilgrims for 4,000 years.
Abraham and his son Ishmael then built the Ka‘ba — the House of God — as a symbol of love and devotion, much as humanity has always built monuments to commemorate what it holds most dear. When the Ka‘ba was complete, Abraham felt that no one would travel to such a remote desert place merely to seek God. God reassured him: “Call mankind to the Pilgrimage. They will come to you, on foot and on every kind of lean camel, by every distant track” (22:27). Today, millions come from every corner of the world.
Throughout his life, Abraham was tested with many trials, and he met each one with unwavering faith and devotion. God honored him in the Quran with the title “God’s close friend” (4:125). Whenever Satan attempted to tempt him from God’s path, Abraham would pick up a stone and hurl it to repel the temptation.
The rites of the annual Hajj pilgrimage are an act of remembrance — a reliving of the sacrifices made by Abraham, Hagar, and Ishmael — and an endeavor to embody the spiritual qualities that defined this remarkable family.
It begins with leaving home in a state of pure intention, seeking God alone. Pilgrims then remove their everyday clothing and enter the state of Ihram — both an inward spiritual state of humility and an outward one of modest dress. For men, this consists of two simple pieces of white unstitched cloth; for women, it is loose, modest clothing that covers the body. This first act may be the most symbolically powerful of all. In our daily lives — in our towns, cities, offices, and homes — our clothing signals our place in the world. A uniform speaks of authority; branded clothing, of wealth; a passport, of privilege; a crown, of power; a worn garment, of poverty. But when Hajj begins, all of that falls away. Every pilgrim is dressed the same. Every pilgrim stands equal before God — possessing nothing, for everything we have is given to us by God, belongs to God, and can be reclaimed by God.
Each subsequent rite carries its own profound meaning. The circumambulation of the Ka‘ba — circling it seven times — represents a pilgrim’s commitment to living a God-centered life, with the Divine at the heart of every decision. The seven runs between the mounts of Safa and Marwah retrace the footsteps of Hagar, who kept her faith in God even in the most desperate of circumstances. The stoning of the pillars enacts our inner struggle against baser impulses and temptations. The gathering at Mount Arafat calls to mind the Day of Judgement, when all of humanity will stand before God with nothing to offer but their deeds. And finally, pilgrims shave their heads or cut their hair as a mark of spiritual renewal — a fresh beginning.
The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said that whoever performs Hajj sincerely for the pleasure of God will return as if newly born. The celebration of Eid Al-Adha marks the culmination of Hajj. It is a day that affirms a profound truth: that a life lived with God at its center — one that bears the struggles, pains, and personal sacrifices that inevitably accompany that path — will one day find its home in the presence of God. The Quran calls such souls “souls at peace” (89:27). Eid Al-Adha is a foretaste of that blessed day, a worldly encounter of the tranquility and awe that awaits (Writers hails from Center for Peace & Spirituality USA)
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