Pilgrimage to Makkah and its significance
Before the start of Haj, I received an invitation from the Saudi English radio to participate in a program on the role of Haj in promoting cultural exchange among Muslims. As a scholar in cultural communication, I am aware that Makkah and the holy places are excellent venues for cultural exchange and have a tremendous impact, especially on those who are actually performing the pilgrimage.
An excellent example that instantly came to my mind about the cultural impact of Haj was Malcolm X; also know as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz. I read his autobiography, which was written by Alex Haley several times in English and Arabic decades ago.
Haley was able to describe the life of Malcolm in such a vivid way that one can feel his suffering as a boy and a young man and also get to know the process of his intellectual and psychological struggle, which led him to become a Muslim.
Malcolm X was described as an angry man with fiery political, economic and social outlook. His anger alarmed most ethnic segments of the US society. When he appeared on television, his powerful speeches shocked the American audience. He was against the Civil Rights Movement’s principle of nonviolence. He even described its leader Martin Luther King as a “chump” and its other leaders as “stooges,” and the 1963 March on Washington as “the farce on Washington.”
Malcolm called for segregation between ethnic groups rather than integration and he was known for his fiery statements — phrases like “by all means necessary” as an indication for using violence to defend his ethnic group and achieve its objectives. The most controversial statement, however, was “chickens coming home to roost never did make me sad; they've always made me happy,” which he said as a comment on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the person most loved by the majority of Americans.
Interestingly, the angry man visited Makkah, performed Haj and turned into a soft-spoken quiet “lamb,” as described by some critics. He had a change of mind and heart and became a totally different person. The reason for this change, according to his words, “There were tens of thousands of pilgrims from all over the world. They were of all colors, from blue-eyed blondes to black-skinned Africans. But we were all participating in the same ritual, displaying a spirit of unity and brotherhood… America needs to understand Islam… You may be shocked by these words coming from me. But on this pilgrimage, what I have seen, and experienced, has forced me to rearrange much of my thought patterns previously held.”
In his autobiography, Malcolm explained the desire of Muslim ethnic groups during Haj to live together in one camp — such as Turkish and Indonesians Muslims — as a sign of solidarity and a desire to share cultural commonalities rather than a desire to be segregated from each other. This deep explanation shows his intelligence and perceptiveness, which couldn’t probably have come from a Muslim who hadn’t experienced it personally.
But the question that came to my mind is, could Malcolm have had his change of mind if he hadn’t performed his pilgrimage to Makkah? I would say he most likely wouldn’t have decided to change his thought patterns if he hadn’t performed Haj.
Pilgrimage is a known practice in most religions of the world. It is a journey in search of moral or spiritual purification. Typically, it is a journey to a location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith. What makes pilgrimage in Islam different from others are: Pilgrimage to Makkah is one of the five pillars of Islam, i. e., performing Haj is an obligatory duty on every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it at least once in his or her lifetime; it must be performed at a particular time and at specific places (Mina, Muzdalifah and Arafat); pilgrims must wear ihram (white robe), and they must not shave, clip their nails, quarrel, hunt, kill any creature, uproot or damage plants, perform dishonest acts or carry weapons. If they do any of these, their pilgrimage will be invalid.
In contrast, pilgrimage in other religions, including Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism and Bahá'í faith could be performed at different places and times, with no specific dress code.
As a result, their events do not have that significance or number of pilgrims. People in those religions do not come from different countries and from different ethnic groups.
Consequently, the followers of these religions may not feel the sense of unity and brotherhood.
Muslims gather at one place during certain days of the lunar year and wear ihram (white robe). This shows that all are equal. Muslims from different ethnic groups, color and country mingle with each other, look at each other with humility and pray together to one God for mercy and forgiveness. This is hardly seen in other faiths and Malcolm realized its deep significance that transformed his life.
— Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Zuhayyan is a Saudi academician based in Riyadh.
