The Hajj
The Muslims’ pilgrimage
to Mecca (also called
Makkah)
Muslims go on a pilgrimage called the
Hajj.◼ Muslims from all over the world go to Mecca
(also called Makkah) - an important place in Saudi Arabia.
More than 3 million
Muslims go on
the pilgrimage
every year!
Why do they go?
◼ They go on the Hajj because the Qur’an (their
holy book) tells them that they must go at
least once in their lives.
◼ The Hajj is one of the five duties (or pillars) of
the Muslim religion.
We have looked at some of the other pillars
already:
2) shahadah (statement of faith-Muslims say
this everyday- ‘there is only one God called
Allah and Muhammed (pbuh)is his messenger.
3) salat- praying five times a day
4) zakat- giving money to charity
5) sawm-fasting during the month of Ramadan.
Remember, Muslims say pbuh after the
name of a prophet (messenger). Pbuh
stands for ‘peace be upon him’.
◼ Muslims believe that it will bring them closer
to God and closer to other Muslims.
They follow the first pilgrimage made by
Prophet Abraham (pbuh) 4000 years ago and
later by Prophet Muhammad(pbuh).
You have heard of Abraham in
Christianity too. Can you
remember Mrs Kay’s assembly
about Abraham and his son on
the mountain?
• Mecca is also the birth place of
Muhammed (pbuh). Remember,
Muhammed is a prophet and
Muslims believe Allah spoke to him
and then these words were written
down to form the Qur’an.
Muslims have to prepare carefully for
the Hajj!
◼ Muslims must not owe anybody any money when
they go on the Hajj.
◼ This means they work very hard to save the money.
◼ Some people are too ill to go, but they will pay for
someone to go for them. Often, they will ask a family
member to go on their behalf and when they are in
Mecca, that person will say prayers and perform all
the parts of the pilgrimage for their poorly relative.
What do they do there?When Muslims first arrive in Mecca, they
change their clothes and wear white cloth
called ihram.
◼ Men and most women
must wear a white cloth –
this is so all people are
equal – there is no
difference between the
rich and the poor.
◼ As part of the hajj, Muslims take part in several activities in and
around Mecca to remember stories from the Qur’an about
Abraham (pbuh) and Muhammed (pbuh).
◼ One of the most important parts of the pilgrimage is to walk in a
circle around a black cube building – called the Ka’bah. They
do this at the beginning and at the end of the pilgrimage,
walking around it seven times.
What do they do there?
4000 years ago, Allah told
Abraham (pbuh) to build a stone
structure to worship him. This is the
place where the Ka’bah stands now.
So, the Ka’bah is the first place that
Allah was worshipped.
Please click on the video link below. It is a good introduction
to the hajj.
However, for today’s lesson, please STOP the video at
3 minutes.
We will watch the rest next week when we learn more about
the rest of the activities Muslims take part in on their
pilgrimage to Mecca.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/class-clips-video/what-is-hajj/zndfcqt
Your tasks for today:
1) Talk to your grown-up about some of
the reasons why Muslims go on a
pilgrimage to Mecca.
Please write these in your book.
Some useful words to include might be:
five duties/pillars, hajj, Qur’an, Allah,
Muslims, Abraham (pbuh) and
Muhammed (pbuh).
2) Look at this picture below. What is
this cube-like structure and why is it
important for Muslims and the hajj?
Please cut out this
picture to stick in your
book and then write your
answers next to it.
Clue: if you ask your
grown-up to go through
the powerpoint again,
you will find the answer!
3) Look at the picture below.
Most Muslims dress in white
(the cloth is called ihram)
when they get to Mecca for
the hajj.
Why is it important to
Muslims that everyone
dresses in a similar way?
Please print this page off
and write the answer in your
book.
4) Last task (optional)Imagine that you are a tour operator (like the lady in the video).
This is a person that organises trips for people. You have got to
organise the pilgrimage to Mecca for a Muslim family from Lincoln.
How would the family get there?
Ask your grown-up to help you. Some questions to think about are
here:
a) Where is the nearest international airport to Lincoln?
b) How would you get there?
c) The nearest airport to Mecca is called Jeddah. How long would
the flight take from Britain?
d) How would you get from Jeddah to Mecca?
That’s a lot of planning and travelling!