The Religions Book

268 THE CENTRAL PROFESSIONS OF FAITH

built by Ibrahim (Arabic for

Abraham) and his son Ismail

(Arabic for Ishmael) in order to

house a black stone given to

Ibrahim by the angel Jibrail

(Gabriel). The stone was meant

to symbolize God’s covenant

with Ismail. In pre-Islamic times,

the Kaaba was also a pilgrimage

site for followers of polytheistic

religions. At that time, the

Kaaba was filled with shrines to

various tribal gods. But under

Muhammad’s guidance, it was

cleansed of these shrines and

restored as a symbol of worship

of the one God, Allah.

Before arriving at the Kaaba,

Muslim pilgrims must purify

themselves. To do so, men wear

seamless white robes and cut their

hair, and some even shave their

heads. Similarly, some women

wear white robes, but many others

choose to wear simple clothing that

is traditional to their country of

origin. In this state of purity, both

men and women refrain from sexual

activity, and from wearing jewelry

or perfume. They also refrain from

bathing, arguing, or anything that

might taint their purity. In essence,

everyone in their white robes

represents not only purity, but unity

and equality as well. On the one

hand, the hajj is meant to be free

of hierarchy and disunity, placing

emphasis on total devotion to God

and Muslims’ special worship

The hilal or crescent moon that

appears after the new moon announces

the beginning and the end of the

fasting month of Ramadan, although

this period may also be calculated.

Whoever performs hajj for

the sake of pleasing God...

shall return from it as free

from sin as the day on which

his mother gave birth to him.

Hadith Sahih

Bukhari 26:596

...eat and drink until

the white thread of dawn

appears to you distinct

from the black thread,

then complete your fast

until the nightfall.

Sura 2:187

enormously joyous occasion.
Families visit one another to share
in special meals and to exchange
gifts and sweets. Businesses often
close for part of the celebrations,
which can sometimes continue
for several days.

Pilgrimage to Mecca
The fifth pillar of Islam is hajj:
making a pilgrimage to the holy
city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia,
which begins after the month of
Ramadan. Every adult Muslim
who is physically able, and has the
financial means to make the trip,
should perform the pilgrimage at
least once in his or her lifetime. To
do so, Muslims travel by whatever
means possible to Mecca. Many
Muslim travel agencies even offer
special hajj packages to groups
and individuals to help ensure
a memorable and problem-free
experience. As pilgrims near the
city, they often shout, “I am here,
oh Lord, I am here!” The main
focus of the pilgrimage is the
Kaaba, the cube-shaped structure
sitting at the center of Mecca’s
Grand Mosque. According to
tradition, the Kaaba was originally