The pilgrimage to Mecca, known as Hajj, expresses the beliefs Islam on an individual and community level. This expression by the Muslim people and community is inevitable on the Hajj because of its importance to the religion, being one of the five pillars, meaning it has to be done by every Muslim at least once in their life, or to the best of their ability.

Muslims have six main beliefs called the Articles of Faith. These are belief in Allah as the one and only God, belief in angels, belief in the holy books, belief in the prophets, belief in the Day of Judgement and lastly belief in Predestination. The Hajj is classified as a significant practise because within the pilgrimage Muslims relate to the six Articles of Faith, for example Muslims commemorate a number of events in the life of Abraham (ie belief in the Prophets) (Marchant 2009). In particular on the Hajj a Muslim traces Mohammed’s footsteps when he did the pilgrimage, further emphasising the incorporation of the Articles of Faith and hence the Islamic community’s beliefs. (Anisa Mehdi, John Bredar 2003)

The Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam which directly reflect the beliefs of Muslims. The five pillars are Shahadah-declaration of faith, Salat-saying prayers five times a day, Sawn-abstaining during daylight hours in Ramadan (ninth month of the Muslim year), Zakah-giving money to the poor, and finally the Hajj. The Qur’an states “Pilgramage thereto is a duty men owe to God” meaning that the Hajj is obligatory for every Muslim (Qur’an). The first four pillars are all essential parts undergone in the Hajj and express the beliefs of Islam on an individual level. The ‘rules’ that are the five pillars give Muslim’s the guideline to follow during Hajj and hence the beliefs of Islam are seen within them. (Marchant 2009)

Within Hajj there are many aspects which emphasise Allah as the one and only God, such as the name itself meaning submission, and following the five pillars leads a Muslim to submit to the faith and hence God (Marchant 2009). The quote from the Qur’an highlights that God is a central theme of hajj: “Hajj shall be observed in the specified months…” “Whatever good you do God is fully aware thereof…” (Qur’an). One significant practise undergone during Hajj is the circling of the Ka’ba. Circling the Ka’ba expresses the beliefs about submission to Allah and that he is the one and only God. The ka’ba is a shrine in the holy city of Mecca built by Ibrahim (Abraham more commonly known as in English) and Ishm’il (Ishmael) at the command of Allah and was built to highlight that only God should be worshipped. (Mohammad, Mamdouth N. 1996)

The belief in Judgment Day is another important part of Hajj that expresses the beliefs of Islam. Mount Arafat is known as the Mount of Mercy to the Muslim community. It is believed to be the place where Muhammad delivered the Farewell Sermon to the Muslims who had accompanied him for the Hajj (Marchant 2009). Mount Arafat is significant during the Hajj because pilgrims have to spend the afternoon of the ninth day (of the Muslim calendar) there and failing to do so invalidates the pilgrimage (Anisa Mehdi, John Bredar 2003).

Islamic belief of Allah as the one and only God is also expressed in the stoning of Satan during Hajj. This is a process where Muslim’s replicate when Abraham resisted the Devil’s advice to not kill his son, but he threw stones at the devil because of his faith in Allah. Modern day Mina (where it occurred) boasts three white Pillars representing the Devil and on the third day of Hajj the Muslim throws several pebbles at the pillars. These pillars show the Muslims dedication to Allah and emphasise not to be influenced by the Devil. (Iraj Bashiri 2004)

A community based ritual of the Hajj is the donning of the Ihram which is obligatory for Hajj. The Ihram is a white dress-like garment and is the only garment allowed to be worn by the pilgrim during Hajj rituals. Because everyone has to wear it the community beliefs of Hajj in general are expressed, as everyone looks alike no one gets judged and the core beliefs of Islam are clearly expressed. The Ihram is taken off in a later stage of Hajj as a symbol of purity. They do this before the Tawaf (circling the ka’ba). (Iraj Bashiri 2004)

On a personal level the Hajj allows a Muslim to ask themselves questions of life, such as: What am I doing with my life? Am I going in the right direction? Etc. Being taken out of normal day-to-day life allows a Muslim to be more focused and increase the possibility that the questions can be answered. (Clark, H 2007) suggests that it is these questions which is the expression of belief for a Muslim.

The Hajj is a significant practise which expresses the various beliefs of Islam for the individual, whether it be questions about life or discovering new ways of life, and also on a community level. This is done with the various rituals undergone by Muslims during the Hajj and all of the rituals express the Islamic beliefs.