The fifth pillar is that the annual pilgrimage

The hajj

The fifth pillar is that the annual pilgrimage (hajj) to Mecca prescribed for each Muslim once during a lifetime—“provided one can afford it” and provided an individual has enough provisions to go away for his family in his absence. A special service is held within the sacred mosque on the 7th of the month of Dhū al-Ḥijjah (last within the Muslim year). Pilgrimage activities begin by the 8th and conclude on the 12th or 13th. All worshippers enter the state of iḥrām; they wear two seamless garments and avoid sexual activity , the cutting of hair and nails, and certain other activities. Pilgrims from outside Mecca assume iḥrām at specified points on the way to the town . The principal activities contains walking seven times round the Kaʿbah, a shrine within the mosque; the kissing and touching of the Black Stone (Ḥajar al-Aswad); and therefore the ascent of and running between Mount Ṣafā and Mount Marwah (which are now, however, mere elevations) seven times. At the second stage of the ritual, the pilgrim proceeds from Mecca to Minā, a couple of miles away; from there he goes to ʿArafāt, where it's essential to listen to a sermon and to spend one afternoon. The last rites contains spending the night at Muzdalifah (between ʿArafāt and Minā) and offering sacrifice on the Judgment Day of iḥrām, which is that the ʿīd (“festival”) of sacrifice. See Eid al-Adha.

Many countries have imposed restrictions on the amount of outgoing pilgrims due to foreign-exchange difficulties. due to the development of communications, however, the entire number of tourists has greatly increased in recent years. By the first 21st century the amount of annual visitors was estimated to exceed two million, approximately half them from non-Arab countries. All Muslim countries send official delegations on the occasion, which is being increasingly used for religio-political congresses. At other times within the year, it's considered meritorious to perform the lesser pilgrimage (ʿumrah), which isn't , however, a substitute for the hajj pilgrimage.

Sacred places and days

The most sacred place for Muslims is that the Kaʿbah sanctuary at Mecca, the thing of the annual pilgrimage. it's far more than a mosque; it's believed to be the place where the heavenly bliss and power touches the world directly. consistent with Muslim tradition, the Kaʿbah was built by Abraham. The Prophet’s mosque in Medina is that the next in sanctity. Jerusalem follows in third place in sanctity because the first qiblah (i.e., direction during which the Muslims offered prayers initially , before the qiblah was changed to the Kaʿbah) and because the place from where Muhammad, consistent with tradition, made his ascent (miʿrāj) to heaven. For the Shiʿah, Karbalāʾ in Iraq (the place of martyrdom of ʿAlī’s son Ḥusayn) and Meshed in Iran (where Imām ʿAlī al-Riḍā is buried) constitute places of special veneration where Shiʿis make pilgrimages.

Prophet's Mosque

Prophet's Mosque

Prophet's Mosque, Medina, Saudi Arabia .

Ali Imran

Shrines of Sufi saints

For the Muslim masses generally , shrines of Sufi saints are particular objects of reverence and even veneration. In Baghdad the tomb of the best saint of all, ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī, is visited per annum by large numbers of pilgrims from everywhere the Muslim world.

By the late 20th century the Sufi shrines, which were managed privately in earlier periods, were almost entirely owned by governments and were managed by departments of awqāf (plural of waqf, a spiritual endowment). The official appointed to worry for a shrine is typically called a mutawallī. In Turkey, where such endowments formerly constituted a really considerable portion of the national wealth, all endowments were confiscated by the regime of Atatürk (president 1928–38).

The mosque

The general religious lifetime of Muslims is centred round the mosque. within the days of the Prophet and early caliphs, the mosque was the centre of all community life, and it remains so in many parts of the Islamic world to the present day. Small mosques are usually supervised by the imam (one who administers the prayer service) himself, although sometimes also a muezzin is appointed. In larger mosques, where Friday prayers are offered, a khaṭīb (one who gives the khuṭbah, or sermon) is appointed for Friday service. Many large mosques also function as religious schools and colleges. within the early 21st century, mosque officials were appointed by the govt in most countries. In some countries—e.g., Pakistan—most mosques are private and are travel by the area people , although increasingly a number of the larger ones are appropriated by the govt departments of awqāf.

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