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“And
[due] to Allah from the people is a pilgrimage to the [sacred] House [of
God] for whoever is able to find thereto a way.’
Al-Quran, Al-Imran
3:97)
“But
as a commandment of Allah, Hajj should be observed only once, and
whoever observes it more than once it is a voluntary and extra worship
for him”
(Holy Prophet Mohammed (peace and blessings be upon him and
his progeny – Ahmad, Nasa’i and Darimi.) (Hussain)
Islam is growing rapidly and therefore is “the second largest
religion in the world” (Giddens, 93, p461). Community (2000) stated
that 26% of the 1996 world population of 5,771,939,007 was Muslim,
totalling nearly 1.5 billion people. With the number of Muslims having
increased by over 235% in the last 50 yrs, (Community, 2000) this puts
enormous pressure on the Holy City of Mecca. Nearly 2 million of these
people travel to Mecca for at least the duration of about 10 days, every
year.
The Growth of Islam
The growth of Islam in various countries include:
· Africa – 2.15%
· Latin America – 4.73%
· Asia – 12.57%
· North America – 25%
· Europe – 142.35%
· Australia – 257.01%
(Community, 2000)
Plate
1: Total Number of Pilgrims travelling to Mecca to observe Hajj
 The
growth of Hajj since 1949 has shown an increase of pilgrims by 100% for
every decade (Daham, '81). These figures have been affected mainly by
political and economic changes, including internal and external
conflicts. In Plate
1 a fluctuating decline is visible from the year 1983 until
1991, followed by a dramatic increase of almost 300,000 pilgrims in 1992
(Angawi, '75; Daham, '81). These changes may be attributed to the
ending of the Gulf War, which greatly affected the Pilgrimage.
The
Islamic pilgrimage, Hajj, is the fifth Pillar of Islam. It is held in
the [Islamic] month of Dhul-Hijja centred on the Holy Ka’ba in Mecca (Makka),
(Saudi) Arabia. Every adult Muslim should perform the Pilgrimage at
least once in his or her lifetime (Hinnells, 1997).
The
five Pillars of Islam are:
1. Shahada –Declaration of Faith
2. Salat- Prayer, five daily prayers
3. Zakat- Alms due to the poor
4. Ramadhan- Fasting the month of Ramadhan
5. Hajj- Islamic Pilgrimage to Macca
(Siddiqui’, 1999)
The
conditions (shurut) which make
the Hajj obligatory (wajib)
for a Muslim are: maturity (bulugh),
sanity (‘aql), and
capability (istita’ah).
There are three forms of Hajj: tamattu’,
qiran, and ifrad (Maghniyyah,
1995).
factors
that effect the number of pilgrims travelling to Hajj include:
· World politics- the degree
of political stability or instability within a country.
· World economy- the
combination of low growth and high inflation often influencing
government policies to limit the number of pilgrims travelling from
their country because of foreign exchange problems.
· Peace or war- the end of
conflict often reflecting a significant increase in the number of
pilgrims, as in Somalia in 1979, increasing by 138%
· Transportation- with three
means: air, land and sea, depending on distance, time and cost factors.
· Religious encouragement-
governments expressly either support or discourage religious practice
and the Pilgrimage.
· Restrictions placed on Hajj
applicants- limiting the number of pilgrims able to travel.
· Demographic features-
including age, levels of literacy, and socio-economic position.
· Weather- Hajj falls in the
12th Islamic month of Dhul-Hijja, which occurs during
different seasons, returning to the same season every 33 years. For this
reason, Hajj during the summer months is unfavourable]” (Daham, '81).
The
statistics stated by Daham ('81) and Angawi ('75) on the growth of Hajj,
describe the numerical values that affect all Pilgrims and Muslims
worldwide, however to enable an explanation for this growth, an
understanding of Islam needs to be the first priority.
The
moral system of Islam seeks to incorporate an entire society into
“oneness” in the belief expressed by Muslims as:
“La Illahah Illallah, Muhammed ur Rasool’ullah”.
This translated
into English means something like:
“There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his final servant and
Messenger.” And for Shiah Muslims, it is added after this:
“Ali un Waliullah, Khalifa to hoo bila fasl”.
This translated into
English means something like:
“Ali is a friend of Allah and was the intended true Caliph of the
Muslim state (without any doubt).”
“A
major goal of Islam is to provide mankind with a practical and realistic
system of life based on good, by which he/she can conduct his/her life.
It calls upon humankind not only to practice virtue but also to
establish it and to eradicate all that is harmful. It seeks the
supremacy of one’s conscience in all matters, so that what is harmful
cannot gain the upper hand in either an individual or a society. Those
who respond to this call are known as Muslims, which literally means
those who have submitted to God (Allah)” (Islamic Affairs Department,
2000). Alternatively, as is commonly understood by Muslims, the Qur’an
was revealed by Allah (S.W.T.) to his Prophet Muhammad (peace and
blessings be upon him and his progeny) as a “Guidance to Mankind”.
Classical
sociological theorists, Marx, Durkheim and Weber, all thought “the
significance of religion would decrease in modern times” (Giddens,
'93, p463). “Within the development of modern societies, Durkheim
believed the influence of religion would wane, with scientific thinking
increasingly replacing religious explanation” (Giddens, '93, p466).
However, “science and rationalist thought remain silent on such
fundamental questions as the meaning and purpose of life – matters
that have always been at the core of religion” (Giddens, '93, p487).
Science,
however, has played an important role in proving correct, vast amounts
of the scientific facts found within the Holy Qur’an. The Qur’an has
been a study for Scientists and truth seekers world-wide. Scientific
data found in the Qur’an includes conception, the embryo and many
geological facts (see Spiral
Galaxy), and knowledge taken for granted in modern times.
Most of this information was not understood by the Muslims 1400
years ago and was accepted in faith. These scientific facts have
contributed to many reversions to Islam in modern times, which
consequently increase the numbers at Hajj. Therefore, the great thinkers
quoted above (Marx, Durkheim and Weber) were not entirely correct as the
Qur’an is still proving itself scientifically.
The
growing need, evidenced by statistical numbers, for the return to
religion into the lives of the general population has stemmed a renewed
emphasis on truth and has inspired some enthusiasts to search for the
true religion of God.
Reverting to Islam often finds the new Muslim choosing between many
opinions provided from the five legal “Schools of Thought” within
Islam. One of those schools includes the Juffrite School of thought, who believe that the
descendants of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, (peace and blessings be upon
him and his progeny), are the rightful leaders of the Islamic faith,
directly guided by Allah (swt) and governing in accordance with the Qur’an.
As is quoted by the “Hadith of the Cloak” the Aylul Bayt, or
Household of the Prophet, consists of Imam Ali ('a), (cousin and
brother to the Holy Prophet), Lady Fatimah ('a) and their two sons
Imam Hassan ('a) and Imam Hussayn ('a). (Qur’an 33:33, Verse of
Purification; Sahih Bukhari and Muslim, Hadith spoken by Prophet
Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him and his progeny) narrated by
Umm Salamma).
The
number of people reverting to Islam is increasing, therefore the
population of pilgrims at Hajj increases every year. With the density of
the population staying within the one relatively small region of Mecca
and Medina for 10 days, many “medical problems can arise.” (Daham,
'81, p131) Other problems concern culture, language, tensions between
different Schools of Thought and a general sense of growing impatience
due to the over crowding.
“There
is no God but Allah. He will certainly gather you all together on the
Day of Resurrection which is sure to come.”
(Qur’an 4:87)
[References are available upon request.]
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