Key Dates & Timeline
Hajj takes place during this specific month of the Islamic lunar calendar.
Dhul-Hijjah?
This is the act of circling the Kaaba seven times in a counter-clockwise direction.
Tawaf
This is the sacred state of purity a pilgrim must enter before performing Hajj, which includes wearing specific white garments.
Ihram
This cube-shaped building sits at the center of Islam's most important mosque, the Masjid al-Haram, and is the focus of Tawaf.
Kaaba
Hajj is considered this number pillar among the Five Pillars of Islam.
Fifth Pillar
On the 8th of Dhul-Hijjah, pilgrims officially begin Hajj by traveling to this tent city to spend the day and night in prayer.
Mina
This ritual involves walking or running seven times between the hills of Safa and Marwa.
Sa'i
For men, the Ihram clothing consists of this many unstitched white sheets of cloth.
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This well, located near the Kaaba, miraculously sprang up to provide water for Hajar and her infant son Ismail.
Zamzam Well
Many Hajj rituals, including Sa'i and the sacrifice, honor the trials and obedience of this Prophet and his family.
Prophet Ibrahim
This central ritual of Hajj, known as the climax or most important day, takes place on the 9th of Dhul-Hijjah.
The Day of Arafah (or Wuquf at Arafat)
Jamarat is the ritual performance where pilgrims throw pebbles at three stone pillars. It symbolizes the rejection of this.
Devil (Shaytan)
This is the specific geographic boundary lines around Mecca where pilgrims must enter the state of Ihram.
This is the name of the specific hill/mountain within the plain of Arafat where Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) delivered his Farewell Sermon.
Jabal al-Rahmah (The Mount of Mercy)
The ritual of Sa'i commemorates this woman's desperate search for water for her baby in the desert.
Hajar
On the night of the 9th of Dhul-Hijjah, pilgrims leave Arafah and travel to this open plain to collect pebbles and sleep under the stars.
Muzdalifah
Before leaving Mecca permanently, pilgrims must perform this final ritual circling of the Kaaba.
Tawaf al-Wadaa (The Farewell Tawaf)
This is the name of the sacred prayer or chant repeated aloud by pilgrims throughout Hajj, beginning with "Labbayk Allahumma Labbayk".
Talbiyah
Embedded in the eastern corner of the Kaaba, this sacred object is kissed or gestured toward at the start of each circuit of Tawaf.
Black Stone (Hajar al-Aswad)
According to Islamic tradition, the Kaaba was originally built (or rebuilt) by these two individuals.
Prophet Ibrahim and his son Prophet Ismail
Eid al-Adha (the Festival of Sacrifice) and the major rituals of stoning the pillars and shaving/cutting hair begin on this calendar date.
The 10th of Dhul-Hijjah
This Arabic term refers to the ritual standing and supplicating at Mount Arafat from noon until sunset.
Wuquf
This Arabic term refers to the act of a male pilgrim completely shaving his head after completing the primary pillars of Hajj.
Halq
These are the three days following Eid al-Adha (the 11th, 12th, and 13th of Dhul-Hijjah) spent staying and stoning the pillars in Mina.
Days of Tashreeq
According to a famous Hadith, a person who performs Hajj correctly and sincerely returns home as pure as this.
newborn baby