When The Hajj Held
- lawyerinlahore
- Jun 17
- 2 min read
Hajj is a major spiritual activity in Islamic faith and it is one of the five pillars in the Islamic faith. It is a yearly pilgrimage with the date of pilgrimage occurring in the twelfth and final Islamic calendar month called Dhul-Hijjah. The major days of Hajj start on the 8 th of Dhul-Hijjah and go till the 13 th with the most important day being the 9 th of Dhul-Hijja, which is the Day of Arafah. It is a holy time when millions of Muslims visit Makkah carrying out a number of religious rituals that are meant to recall the deeds of the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) and his clan.
Hajj is celebrated at different dates every year according to the Gregorian calendar because the Islamic Calendar is lunar and therefore lags approximately 11 days behind the solar year. Consequently, it has led to an earlier calendar shift of Hajj each year in the Gregorian calendar whereby Muslims get to sample the pilgrimage in various seasons with time. The beginning of Dhul-Hijjah in Saudi Arabia is declared officially, according to moon sightings, which assist in calculating accurate dates of Hajj. This custom preserves the relationship between Islamic rites and the natural cycle of the moon as a way of strengthening the spirituality rhythm of Islamic practice.
Hajj has to fall at a certain time not purely based on religious grounds but also considering the logistical aspects. Such a huge pilgrimage has to be organized and well coordinated by both the Saudi government and the countries that send pilgrims to organize it. This journey that one makes is of a lifetime and pilgrims would plan months in advance, both spiritually as well as physically, to make this expedition. The travel companies, Hajj organizers and the local religious leaders create awareness so that each of them is aware of the time and procedures of each mode such as Tawaf (circumvision of Kaabah), Sa-i (walking between Safa and Marwah), and being at Arafah.
It is the duty of every Muslim who is healthy and financially capable to visit Hajj once in his/her lifetime and on those selected days. Any failure to appear on the specific days would imply that the pilgrimage does not qualify as Hajj even though other forms of visits to the holy places (called Umrah) may be done any time during the year. Thus, days between 8 th-13 th Dhul-Hijjah will always be the time when millions of hearts and souls will be gathered around Makkah and show the unity of devotion, submission, and peace.
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