If a Muslim can aford to, is well and has no debt upon his neck, Allah has made the pilgrimage to Makkah obligatory, once in his life. The rituals of Hajj date back to the time of Prophet Abraham and commemorate some of the trials he and his family faced in Makkah. It is also a journey to the Ka`ba; the symbolic house originally built by Prophet Adam.
The Hajj is a time when Muslims from all around the world of diferent races, colours and languages come together in a spirit of universal brotherhood to worship the One God together. The men wear only two white pieces of cloth, making them one people without any class or distinction. The rich, the poor, the black and the white stand side by side, equal in the eyes of Allah apart from their deeds.
The celebrations of the Hajj and the Eid Al-Adha are a remembrance for those who are needy, and a day of worship to Allah. The meat of the sacrifce is distributed to the needy, and extra prayers are ofered.
“Hajj is [during] well-known months, so whoever has made hajj obligatory upon himself therein [by entering the state of ihram], there is [to be for him] no sexual relations and no disobedience and no disputing during hajj. And whatever good you do – Allah knows it. And take provisions, but indeed, the best provision is fear of Allah. And fear Me, O you of understanding.” (Qur`an 2,197)