Hajj between Qur’anic Purpose and the Historical Formation of Its Rites

Introduction

Hajj is among the greatest rites mentioned in the Qur’an, and it is the only religious obligation qualified by the condition of ability:

﴿وَلِلَّهِ عَلَى النَّاسِ حِجُّ الْبَيْتِ مَنِ اسْتَطَاعَ إِلَيْهِ سَبِيلًا﴾ (Pilgrimage to the House is a duty owed to God by people—whoever is able to find a way to it.) [آل عمران: ٩٧]

An important question arises here: why are prayer, fasting, and zakat formulated as general obligations, whereas Hajj is tied to the condition of capacity and ability?

And why has some people’s understanding of Hajj shifted from an act of worship grounded in the affirmation of God’s oneness, remembrance, God-consciousness, and human gathering toward conceptions that emphasize the washing away of sins, guaranteed answers to supplication, or blessings associated with place? This is despite the Qur’an’s affirmation of God’s nearness to the human being:

﴿وَنَحْنُ أَقْرَبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ حَبْلِ الْوَرِيدِ﴾ (And We are nearer to him than his jugular vein.) [ق: ١٦]

﴿وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ﴾ (And when My servants ask you about Me, I am indeed near; I answer the supplication of the supplicant when he calls upon Me.) [البقرة: ١٨٦]

God is not confined to a place, nor does a human being need a particular location to be near Him, even as Hajj retains its distinctive place as a rite that brings the Muslim community together. Hence the importance of rereading Hajj from two perspectives: its original Qur’anic purpose and the historical and juristic formation of its rites over time.

First: The Origin of Hajj in the Qur’an

The Qur’an traces the origin of Hajj to Abraham’s call:

﴿وَأَذِّنْ فِي النَّاسِ بِالْحَجِّ يَأْتُوكَ رِجَالًا وَعَلَىٰ كُلِّ ضَامِرٍ يَأْتِينَ مِن كُلِّ فَجٍّ عَمِيقٍ﴾ (And proclaim the pilgrimage among people; they will come to you on foot and on every lean mount, coming from every distant mountain pass.) [الحج: ٢٧]

It then immediately explains the purpose:

﴿لِّيَشْهَدُوا مَنَافِعَ لَهُمْ وَيَذْكُرُوا اسْمَ اللَّهِ﴾ (That they may witness benefits for themselves and mention the name of God.) [الحج: ٢٨]

From these verses, the principal purposes of Hajj can be identified: affirming God’s oneness and rejecting the association of partners with Him, bringing people together around a single purpose, reviving the religion of Abraham, realizing remembrance and God-consciousness, establishing human gathering, and exchanging religious, social, and economic benefits.

Accordingly, Hajj in the Qur’an is not merely movement from one place to another, but an integrated undertaking of faith and social life.

Second: Why Is Hajj Alone Conditional upon Ability?

Hajj differs from other acts of worship because it combines multiple elements: travel and movement, the need for money, physical capacity, the availability of security, and adherence to a specified time. Hence the qualification: ﴿مَنِ اسْتَطَاعَ إِلَيْهِ سَبِيلًا﴾ (Whoever is able to find a way to it.). Ability here is not an exception to obligation, but a form of removing hardship.

﴿وَمَا جَعَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ مِنْ حَرَجٍ﴾ (And He has laid no hardship upon you in religion.) [الحج: ٧٨]

For this reason, Hajj has remained tied to a person’s actual capacity.

Third: The Months of Hajj in the Qur’an

﴿الْحَجُّ أَشْهُرٌ مَّعْلُومَاتٌ﴾ (Hajj is in well-known months.) [البقرة: ١٩٧]

The verse speaks of months, not a single day. The majority of exegetes have understood this to mean Shawwal, Dhu al-Qa‘dah, and part of Dhu al-Hijjah. Some researchers, however, hold that the expression may open discussion of a broader temporal span. In all cases, the Qur’anic text affirms the existence of a known time frame for Hajj.

Here the distinction emerges between the Qur’anic text, juristic interpretation, and historical practice.

Fourth: The Rites of Hajj in the Qur’an

Circumambulation.

﴿وَلْيَطَّوَّفُوا بِالْبَيْتِ الْعَتِيقِ﴾ (And let them circumambulate the Ancient House.) [الحج: ٢٩]

﴿وَإِذْ جَعَلْنَا الْبَيْتَ مَثَابَةً لِّلنَّاسِ وَأَمْنًا﴾ (And when We made the House a place of return for people and a place of security.) [البقرة: ١٢٥]

In its Qur’anic meaning, circumambulation is connected with returning to God, proclaiming His oneness, the unity of people around a single purpose, and realizing spiritual and social security. Worship of the building or of matter is not what is intended.

Safa and Marwah.

﴿إِنَّ الصَّفَا وَالْمَرْوَةَ مِن شَعَائِرِ اللَّهِ﴾ (Indeed, Safa and Marwah are among the ritual symbols of God.) [البقرة: ١٥٨]

The Qur’an establishes their standing as two rites among the rites of Hajj and ‘umrah. Tradition, by contrast, connected them with the story of Hagar and her movement in search of water. Here the distinction emerges between the Qur’anic text and traditional and historical explanation.

The Jamarat. The Qur’an does not mention the details of stoning the Jamarat in its present form. What does appear is:

﴿وَاذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ فِي أَيَّامٍ مَّعْدُودَاتٍ﴾ (And remember God during numbered days.) [البقرة: ٢٠٣]

The number of Jamarat, the manner of stoning, and their sequence were transmitted through reports and juristic practice. Tradition connects them with the story of Satan’s interception of Abraham. It is therefore more precise to say that their details are not explicitly mentioned in the Qur’an, but have become part of the historical practice of Hajj.

Zamzam. The name Zamzam does not appear in the Qur’an, nor is it mentioned as an independent rite or a condition of Hajj. Nevertheless, it has remained an important part of Islamic memory and the tradition associated with Hajj.

Fifth: How Did the Messenger Perform Hajj According to Tradition?

According to Islamic reports, the Messenger performed Hajj during the Farewell Pilgrimage, through which the greater part of the practical jurisprudence of Hajj took shape. The sources mention the following sequence: entering the state of ihram, then circumambulation, then the ritual traversal between Safa and Marwah, then proceeding to Mina, then standing at ‘Arafah, then spending the night at Muzdalifah, then stoning the Jamarat, then the sacrificial offering or slaughter, then shaving or shortening the hair, and then the circumambulations of ifadah and farewell.

Sixth: How Is Hajj Performed Today?

Contemporary Hajj rests on three overlapping levels.

The first: the Qur’anic foundation, which includes the Sacred House, circumambulation, Safa and Marwah, the sacrificial offering, remembrance, the Sacred Monument, departure from ‘Arafat, and the months of Hajj.

The second: the juristic heritage, which includes the sequence of rites, the number of circuits, stoning the Jamarat, the details of ihram, overnight stays, and movement between sites.

The third: modern organization, such as camps, transportation and trains, crowd management, permits and services, and health and security arrangements.

Thus, modern Hajj has come to combine: the Qur’anic text + the juristic tradition + contemporary administration.

Seventh: The Purposes of Hajj in the Original Message

The affirmation of God’s oneness; Hajj is an extension of Abraham’s call: ﴿حَنِيفًا وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ﴾ (Inclining to true faith, and he was not among those who associate partners with God.) | آل عمران: ٦٧

And remembrance: ﴿وَيَذْكُرُوا اسْمَ اللَّهِ﴾ (And mention the name of God.), and God-consciousness: ﴿وَلَٰكِن يَنَالُهُ التَّقْوَىٰ مِنكُمْ﴾ (But what reaches Him is God-consciousness from you.) | الحج: ٣٧

And equality; Hajj removes visible distinctions between people. And the gathering of the Muslim community; it is the largest religious and social gathering of Muslims. And benefits: ﴿لِّيَشْهَدُوا مَنَافِعَ لَهُمْ﴾ (That they may witness benefits for themselves.), which include spiritual, human, social, and economic benefits.

Eighth: How Has Some People’s Understanding of Hajj Changed?

Over time, additional conceptions emerged, including regarding it solely as a means of obtaining forgiveness for sins, linking supplication exclusively to place, focusing on blessings associated with place more than on inner reform, turning it into a source of social and symbolic value, and the expansion of its economic and organizational dimensions.

Nevertheless, a distinction must be drawn between belief in the merit and standing of Hajj and the belief that Hajj alone dispenses with the need for repentance and reform. The Qur’an connects forgiveness with repentance and action:

﴿إِلَّا مَن تَابَ وَآمَنَ وَعَمِلَ عَمَلًا صَالِحًا﴾ (Except for whoever repents, believes, and does righteous deeds.) [الفرقان: ٧٠]

And it connects the acceptance of rites with God-consciousness:

﴿لَن يَنَالَ اللَّهَ لُحُومُهَا وَلَا دِمَاؤُهَا وَلَٰكِن يَنَالُهُ التَّقْوَىٰ مِنكُمْ﴾ (Neither their flesh nor their blood will reach God, but what reaches Him is God-consciousness from you.) [الحج: ٣٧]

Ninth: Ability between the Individual and the Muslim Community

Ability has customarily been understood in terms of money, health, provision for expenses, and means of travel. Yet the verse did not say: whoever has financial or bodily ability. Rather, it said: ﴿مَنِ اسْتَطَاعَ إِلَيْهِ سَبِيلًا﴾ (Whoever is able to find a way to it.). A “way” may signify a route, possibility, access, and the realization of actual capacity.

A question concerning purposes thus arises: is only individual capacity intended? Or does the text admit a broader meaning concerning the capacity of the Muslim community and its collective circumstances?

The Qur’an connects Hajj with security: ﴿وَإِذْ جَعَلْنَا الْبَيْتَ مَثَابَةً لِّلنَّاسِ وَأَمْنًا﴾ (And when We made the House a place of return for people and a place of security.), the unity of people: ﴿وَأَذِّنْ فِي النَّاسِ بِالْحَجِّ﴾ (And proclaim the pilgrimage among people.), benefits: ﴿لِّيَشْهَدُوا مَنَافِعَ لَهُمْ﴾ (That they may witness benefits for themselves.), and the removal of hardship: ﴿وَمَا جَعَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ مِنْ حَرَجٍ﴾ (And He has laid no hardship upon you in religion.).

From here, a possibility may be explored in light of these purposes: does ability include the safety of the route? Freedom of access? The absence of coercion and obstruction? The realization of shared purposes? The safety of human gathering? This remains a field for reflection and inquiry, not a definitive ruling.

Conclusion

Hajj in the Qur’an is not merely a spatial journey, but an integrated undertaking grounded in the affirmation of God’s oneness, remembrance, God-consciousness, equality, human gathering, and the revival of Abraham’s message. Some of its rites have remained clear in the Qur’anic text, while other details have been transmitted through tradition, independent juristic reasoning, and historical practice.

The study of Hajj therefore always requires a distinction between the Qur’anic text: what appears in the verses; Islamic tradition: what has been transmitted through reports and juristic interpretations; and modern practice: what has been added in the way of organization and administration.

The question remains open: do we focus on the form of the rites alone, or on the purposes the Qur’an intended through Hajj? The ultimate goal is not movement alone, but the God-consciousness, awareness, and change that the journey leaves in the individual and society.