| Adhan |
The call to prayer (salat);
usually issued from the minaret of a mosque. |
| Arafat |
A desert location approximately nine miles east
of Makkah where the pilgrim spends the 9th of Zul
Hijjah as a rite of Hajj. The is
performed at Arafat. |
| Ayyam ut
Tashreeq |
The 11th, 12th, and 13th days of the month of Zul
Hijjah. On these days, the pilgrim performs Rummy in Mina. |
| Dum |
Also known as khaffarah. This is the atonement
required of a pilgrim for a willful violation of a prohibition or
obligation whilst in the state of Ihram.
|
| Eid ul-Adha |
The festival of sacrifice performed on the 10th
day of Zul-Hijjah.
An animal such as a sheep or goat is sacrificed as a commemoration of
Prophet Ibrahim's (pbuh) willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael for
God. |
| Ezaar |
Lower cloth of Ihram. |
| Hajj |
Hajj is one of the five pillars or central
duties of Islam. It is a set of acts of worship to be performed in and
around Makkah at least once in a lifetime by every Muslim satisfying
certain conditions. There are three types of Hajj (see below). |
| Hajj ul
Ifrad |
The type of Hajj where the pilgrim pronounces
his niyyah (i.e.intention) to perform only Hajj at Miqat while
changing into Ihram.
|
| Hajj ul Qiran |
The type of Hajj where the pilgrim pronounces
his intention to perform both Umrah and
Hajj together with the same Ihram
at Miqat.
|
| Hajj ut Tamattu |
The type of Hajj where the pilgrim pronounces
his intention to perform only Umrah at Miqat when changing into Ihram. A
second niyyah,
and a second change into Ihram follow on the 8th of Zul
Hijjah for the performance of the remaining rites of Hajj. |
| Hajar ul
Aswad |
The sacred Black Stone built into the
south-east corner of the Ka'bah at
a height of approximately four feet. The stone does not belong to the
geology of the region and is a part of the original construction of the
Ka'bah by Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh). The Black Stone was personally installed
in the wall of the Ka'bah by the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) himself during
its reconstruction following its destruction by a flash flood. The Prophet
(pbuh) also kissed it during his Last (Farewell) Hajj. Thus, touching and
kissing (Istilam)
of Hajar ul Aswad during Umra and Hajj is considered sunnah. |
| Halq |
The complete shaving of the head by the male
pilgrim on the 10th of Zul Hijjah. This is the last thing he does before getting out of the state
of Ihram. See Taqseer also. For female pilgrims, the requirements of
Halq and Taqseer are satisfied if they trim their hair by approximately
half an inch. |
| Haram ash
Shareef |
The mosque around the Kabah in
Makkah, as well as the mosque in Medina. The latter, also known as Al
Masjid un Nabawi, contains within its premises the grave of Prophet
Mohammed (pbuh). |
| Hateem |
The area adjacent to the Kabah on
its west side, enclosed by a low semi-circular wall. Tradition has it that
Hajar (wife of Prophet Ibrahim [pbuh]) is buried in this enclosure. It is
highly recommended that the pilgrim should offer salat us
sunnah and supplications to Allah in this area. However, this is not a
part of the official rites of Hajj. |
| Idtiba |
The mode of Ihram used
during Tawaf
ul Qudoom. The male pilgrim drapes one end of the top part of his
Ihram over his left shoulder back-to-front. The other end goes across his
back, under his right arm, across his front, and is finally draped over
his left shoulder. Idtiba is not observed in any other type of Tawaf.
Also, when the pilgrim offers salat us sunnah after Tawaf ul Qudoom or an
obligatory salat during this Tawaf, he must cover both his shoulders. In
other words, Idtiba is practiced only while actually performing Tawaf ul
Qudoom. Female pilgrims wear no Ihram, so that
the question of Idtiba for them does not arise. |
| Ihram |
The distinctive garb of the male pilgrim worn
during Umra or Hajj. It consists of two pieces of white, plain and unsewn
cloth. One of the pieces (ezaar) is
wrapped around the midriff to cover his body from just above his navel to
his ankles, and the other (reda) is
draped around his shoulders to cover the upper body. For ladies, their ordinary, and unpretentious clothes of
daily wear constitute their Ihram. |
| Istilam |
The act of kissing Hajar
ul Aswad at the beginning and the end of every circumambulation
(circuit) of the Ka'bah during Tawaf. If
it is not possible physically to kiss Hajar ul Aswad for any reason, the
pilgrim may extend his hand to touch the Sacred Stone and then kiss his
own hand. If even that is not possible, he may raise his hand towards
Hajar ul Aswad and, thereafter, kiss his own hand. |
| Jamraat |
The three stone pillars in Mina which
symbolically represent the locations where the devil (shaitan) attempted
to tempt Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh) away from the path of Allah. The pilgrim
symbolically stones these pillars on the 10th through to the 13th of Zul
Hijjah in commemoration of the rejection of the devil by Prophet Ibrahim,
and of his steadfastness to the cause of Allah. The Jamraat are located
within a few hundred feet of one another in a line and are named as
follows: |
