Hajj & Umrah

INTRODUCTION Hajj, the fifth pillar of Islam, brings together Muslims of all races and creed to adopt two unidentifiable white pieces of cloth in an awesome demonstration of Islam's total disregard of insignificant issues like race, social position and nationality. Annually, several million people make the pilgrimage to Makkah from every corner of the globe, providing a unique opportunity of those different nations to meet one another, making it the largest gathering in the world. It is a clear-cut act of worship, but also it is symbolic and represents the spirit's return to itsplace of origin. Hajj is an essential duty (fardh) for all Muslims, who are physically and financially able to perform it. Allah Ta'ala has prescribed certain rites that a pilgrim should uphold for his pilgrimage to be correct. The primary condition is intention (niyyah), while the others will be mentioned in their places. The meaning of the pilgrimage (Hajj meaning effort) is to leave all worldly activities