# Pillar 5: What is Hajj (Pilgrimage)? **Author:** Sh. Abdullah Oduro **Series:** 5 Pillars Made Plain **Published:** 2020-10-20 **YouTube:** https://youtu.be/bYLgzDQZW08 **URL:** https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-5-what-is-hajj-pilgrimage **Topics:** Acts of Worship, Sharia ## Description Hajj (pilgrimage) means intention – specifically, an intention to travel to the Ka’bah, seeking the pleasure of God. Sh. Abdullah Oduro explains how this definition combines two pillars of our faith: prayer and pilgrimage. In each, we find great blessings, igniting renewal and redemption in our... ## Transcript **[0:00]** What is this Hajj that we are talking about? Well, linguistically, Hajj means to intend something, to go somewhere. **[0:15]** In this particular case, you are intending to visit the Ka'bah, the house of Allah, which is symbolized as the house of Allah. Allah does not literally live in this house, but it was a house that was originally structured by Adam and the pillars of it were raised by Ibrahim and Ismail. **[0:33]** Ismail, may Allah have mercy on both of them. These two prophets were the ones that raised it as Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la says in the second chapter of the Qur'an. And when Ibrahim and Ismail raised the pillars of Allah, saying, that verily, O Allah, except from us, **[0:50]** verily, you are the all-hearing, the all-wise. So looking at this, that this was something that was built by Ibrahim and Ismail to serve as a central point for the Muslims to direct their prayer to. If you remember, when we talked about the prayer, we called it the Qibla. **[1:05]** When you walk into the mosque, you'll see the indentation in the wall of the mosque where the imam or the leader of the congregation usually stands, that is called the Qibla. That is the direction of where the Muslims pray. So it's all directing towards this structure, **[1:21]** being the Ka'bah. This shows the importance of the mosque, if we think about it, that the mosque has been termed as the house of Allah by the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam and also by Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la when he mentions that in these houses are the places where the name of Allah is exalted. **[1:39]** And no doubt about it, when you're in the mosque with other people, 20, 30, 100 sometimes for just one prayer, all of you are praising Allah, prostrating, bowing to Him. This is definitely a place of spiritual purification, **[1:55]** spiritual renewal, as we talked about, reflection, renewal, and redemption. This is definitely the place where that happens. So when you are going to the Grand Mosque, the most holy mosque in the world, where the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, **[2:10]** that it is one prayer in this mosque is equivalent to 100,000 prayers. If one is sincere, going to this house of Allah, traveling thousands of miles to come to this house, to show respect to it, to visit it, to circumambulate around it, **[2:26]** to pray to Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la, and to perform certain other practices in this season is without a doubt an understanding of why this is chosen to be a pillar of Islam. ## Other Episodes in "5 Pillars Made Plain" - [Pillar 5: Who Can Perform Hajj (Pilgrimage)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-5-who-can-perform-hajj-pilgrimage.md) - [Pillar 5: Where do Muslims Perform Hajj (Pilgrimage)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-5-where-do-muslims-perform-hajj-pilgrimage.md) - [Pillar 5: When do Muslims Go On Hajj (Pilgrimage)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-5-when-do-muslims-go-hajj-pilgrimage.md) - [Pillar 5: Why do Muslims Perform Hajj (Pilgrimage)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-5-why-do-muslims-perform-hajj-pilgrimage.md) - [Pillar 5: Introduction to Hajj (Pilgrimage)](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-5-introduction-to-hajj-pilgrimage.md) - [Pillar 4: Where Do Muslims Fast? | Convert Resources](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-4-where-do-muslims-fast.md) - [Pillar 4: Why Do Muslims Fast? | Convert Resources](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-4-why-do-muslims-fast.md) - [Pillar 4: When Do Muslims Fast? | Convert Resources](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-4-when-do-muslims-fast.md) - [Pillar 4: What is the Purpose of Fasting? | Convert Resources](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-4-what-is-the-purpose-of-fasting.md) - [Pillar 4: Who Should Fast? | Convert Resources](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-4-who-should-fast.md) - [Pillar 4: Intro to Fasting | Convert Resources](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-4-intro-to-fasting.md) - [Pillar 3: Zakat Al-Fitr](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-3-zakat-al-fitr.md) - [Pillar 3: Where Should We Give Zakat (Almsgiving)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-3-where-should-we-give-zakat-almsgiving.md) - [Pillar 3: Who receives Zakat (Almsgiving)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-3-who-receives-zakat-almsgiving.md) - [Pillar 3: When do we give Zakat (Almsgiving)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-3-when-do-we-give-zakat-almsgiving.md) - [Pillar 3: Why do we give Zakat (Almsgiving)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-3-why-do-we-give-zakat-almsgiving.md) - [Pillar 3: What is Zakat (Almsgiving)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-3-what-is-zakat-almsgiving.md) - [Pillar 3: Intro to Zakat (Almsgiving)](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-3-intro-to-zakat-almsgiving.md) - [Pillar 2: Where Can Muslims Pray?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-2-where-can-muslims-pray.md) - [Pillar 2: When Do We Pray?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-2-when-do-we-pray.md) - [Pillar 2: Who Should Pray?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-2-who-should-pray.md) - [Pillar 2: Why do we pray?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-2-why-do-we-pray.md) - [Pillar 2: What is Prayer?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-2-what-is-prayer.md) - [Intro to Pillar 2: Prayer](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/intro-to-pillar-2-prayer.md) - [Pillar 1: Why Do We Make the Shahada (Testimony of Faith)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-1-why-do-we-make-the-shahada-testimony-of-faith.md) - [Pillar 1: Where Should We Make the Shahada (Testimony of Faith)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-1-where-should-we-make-the-shahada-testimony-of-faith.md) - [Pillar 1: When Should We Make the Shahada (Testimony of Faith)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/when-should-we-make-the-shahada-testimony-of-faith.md) - [Pillar 1: Who is the Shahada (Testimony of Faith) For?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-1-who-is-the-shahada-the-testimony-of-faith-for.md) - [Intro to Pillar 1: Shahada (Testimony of Faith)](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/intro-to-pillar-1-shahada-testimony-of-faith.md)