Hajj – A first-person
account of the journey
On November 5th, 2011 the Los Angeles
Times newspaper posted an article of a first-person account of a pilgrimage to
Mecca, the Hajj. The experience described by the female according to her was
breathtaking and the most heartfelt experience she has ever had. She also
elaborates on the significant difference between the prayers at the Kaaba and
during the Hajj. Muslims pray five times a day while facing the Kaaba, which is
the holiest site in Islam. The prayer rituals consist of circuits of prayer
which are called the umrah.
The Hajj prayer is a completely different prayer
and what she expressed was that “I simply prayed from the heart. It was a
liberating experience for me, to not be mandated to say such and such words at
such and such time” (like for the five daily prayers). She comments on the
feelings she experienced: “Hajj offered an opportunity for freestyle praying,
something I had never done before at such length, or with such joy. I literally
counted all the blessings in my life and found myself tearing with happiness,
and gratefulness, over and over again”. The article goes into more specifics of
what exactly goes on during the pilgrimage, what prayers are carried out, the
most meaningful parts to her, and the locations of where the entire group stops
to commence these prayer rituals.
The
day spent in prayer in the desert plain is considered the crux of the hajj
pilgrimage.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSPWGwFyd1s (Raw video – Pilgrimage
to Mecca)
My personal assessment of this article is that
hearing a first-person account of the actual pilgrimage really gives you a
personal understanding into what he/she experiences as they go through every
stage of the journey; this gives insight into the emotions felt during the
journey and even the spiritual enlightenment acquired by those individuals.
But, as sacred and enlightening as the journey
must be, how can one really remain in such a purified state (ihram) from the beginning
of the Hajj to the very end? Aren’t there limits to the extent one would go to
make such a pilgrimage? Having said that, because of the modern times we now
live in, it appears that the success rate of those who actually carry out the
entire Hajj these days is higher than it used to be.
Also see: http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/11/04/huge-hajj-gathering-comes-against-backdrop-of-arab-spring/?hpt=wo_c2
Also see: http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/11/04/huge-hajj-gathering-comes-against-backdrop-of-arab-spring/?hpt=wo_c2
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