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!