The Spirit of Hajj

born, and placed his other wife, Hajar, and their son Isma’il in Arabia (Makkah), where he constructed the Ka‘bah. Thus, the divine mission initiated through Prophet Ibrahim had two centres: Palestine, the focus of the earlier phase, and Hijaz (Arabia), the centre of the final phase. Initially, after Prophet Ibrahim, Palestine became the hub of divine guidance. It was in this region that all subsequent prophets of that era, including Prophets Ishaaq (Isaac), Yaqub (Jacob), Yusuf (Joseph), Dawud (David), Sulayman (Solomon), Musa (Moses), Yahya (John), and Isa (Jesus), were born. Prophet Ibrahim’s grandson, Yaqub (Jacob), also known as Israel, became the namesake of the Israelites (Bani Israel). However, when the Israelites declined spiritually and morally, despite repeated warnings from the prophets, they were divested of their role as the bearers of divine guidance. This sacred responsibility was then transferred to the descendants of Isma’il. By this time, a 2,000-year process had prepared them to serve as the custodians of God’s message. As a symbolic marker of this transformation, the direction of worship (Qiblah) was changed. Until then, all prophets after Prophet Ibrahim had prayed facing Bayt al-Maqdis. Now, the old Qiblah was replaced, and the Ka‘bah was established as the new Qiblah for worship. Reenacting Abrahamic History Hajj is a symbolic reenactment of Abrahamic history. It embodies the global mission initiated by Prophet Ibrahim