The Social Relevance of Hajj

THE SOCIAL RELEVANCE OF HAJJ seven rounds. This act of Sa’i teaches the lesson that a person’s efforts should be restrained within certain boundaries. Without limits to their pursuits, they would wander aimlessly. However, when boundaries are established, individuals remain focused within them. They continuously return to the same points where their fellow pilgrims continue their activities. This is the case with the other rituals of Hajj as well. All the rituals of Hajj are performed with a unified focus, despite their various aspects. It is as if there is a divine force like a magnet attracting all the scattered elements towards a single point. When people from different countries arrive at the sites of Hajj, they discard their national clothing and wear a common garment called Ihram. Wearing the Ihram involves donning an unstitched white cloth, one around the waist covering the lower body, and the other is draped over the shoulders covering the upper body like a shawl. Consequently, millions of individuals are dressed in identical attire of the same colour. The Gathering at Arafat After engaging in various rituals all these people gather in the vast field of Arafat and a remarkable scene unfolds at that moment. It appears as if all the differences among human beings have suddenly vanished. People