All Muslims are required to perform Haj — the fifth pillar of Islam — once in a lifetime, if he/she is physically fit and have no financial constraints.

Since the beginning of Islam, Haj is the biggest and most important gathering of Muslims. It is a religious journey wherein all Muslims from across the world converge on Makkah and perform all the rites in tandem without any discrimination. Haj pilgrimage consists of several steps.

Muslims are required to follow a fixed pattern from the time they arrive in the holy city of Makkah. When a pilgrim arrives in Makkah, he/she is supposed to circumambulate the Kaaba, do the Saay and then proceed to Mount Arafat, then Muzdalifah and Mina. On the 10th day of Dul Hijjah, Muslims celebrate the Feast of Sacrifice (Eid Al-Adha). The question is: What can and should Muslims learn from the Haj pilgrimage?

Each year millions of Muslims come to Saudi Arabia to perform Haj during Dul Hijjah, which is the last month of the Islamic calendar. This is a time of year when Muslims from different areas of the world with different cultural, linguistic, ethnic and financial backgrounds gather in a relatively small area. However, it is difficult to distinguish between them on those lines, as everybody is clad in similar white robes known as Ihram, as a sign of modesty. During this huge event, there is no segregation between men and women. Poor and the affluent perform the same rituals and nobody receives any preferential treatment.

The most amazing thing one witnesses during Haj is the exemplary unity and love between Muslims from every nook and corner of the world. People usually wonder as to why the same feelings are not witnessed after Haj or between the Muslims world in general.

The Haj rituals need strict discipline and organization and it is heartening to note that pilgrims act in a very proper manner. One fails to understand as to why we lack proper discipline in our daily lives. Haj, like other acts of worship, teaches us to lead our lives in a proper manner. It is kind of a training program for Muslims to spend the rest of their lives in a proper fashion. It instills spirit of brotherhood among followers of different schools of thought. We see people adhering to different schools of thought praying together without any problem. Why then we start bickering over petty issues once we complete Haj?

During Haj, Muslims show respect for time and the environment, they should try to do the same after Haj and in their respective countries. All pilgrims stay patient during the entire exercise, they should try to do the same after Haj, as this will help resolve many of our issues.

Haj is a golden opportunity for all Muslims to renounce violence and hatred. The world is witnessing violence and chaos in various Muslim countries. Unfortunately, it is Muslims killing Muslims for apparently no reason. Each side is claiming to be on “the right path,” but when these same people perform Haj they live in the same tents in Mina. During Haj we see movements of millions of people in a very synchronized and orderly manner in very short time so it is very essential to learn many things from such massive movements in our daily life. Haj is not only a religious duty but it is a way of teaching Muslims how to act in their routine lives. The main purpose of Haj is to instill in Muslims a spirit of brotherhood, unity and teaches them to live in harmony with one other and with people of other faiths.

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