Ramadan & Hajj

The fifth pillar of Islam: the pilgrimage to Mecca performed during Dhu al-Hijjah, obligatory once for every able-bodied financially capable Muslim.

The meal that breaks the fast at Maghrib — the moment of sunset. Traditionally begun with dates and water, followed by prayer and the main meal. One of the two rewarded moments of the fasting person.

The sacred state for Hajj or Umrah, entered with specific intentions and white seamless garments for men; many normal acts become forbidden.

The fourth pillar of Islam: abstaining from food, drink, intimacy and sinful acts from dawn (Fajr) to sunset (Maghrib) during Ramadan.

The pre-dawn meal eaten before Fajr during Ramadan; a Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ to give strength for the day's fast.

The act of walking seven times around the Kaaba in an anticlockwise direction; a core ritual of both Hajj and Umrah.

The "lesser pilgrimage" to Mecca, can be performed any time of year; consists of Ihram, Tawaf, Sa'y, and shaving/cutting hair.

Standing on the plain of Arafah on 9 Dhul-Hijjah — the essential pillar of Hajj without which the pilgrimage is not valid.

Obligatory charity given before the Eid al-Fitr prayer: a measure of staple food per person that purifies the fast and feeds the poor on Eid.

Compensation of feeding a poor person for each missed fast, prescribed for those permanently unable to fast — such as the chronically ill or the very elderly.

The start of the daily fast at dawn, when eating and drinking stop; many Ramadan timetables list an imsak time a few minutes before Fajr as a precaution.

The designated boundaries — both of place (makani) and of time (zamani) — at which the pilgrim enters the state of ihram for Hajj or Umrah.

The stoning of three pillars at Mina during Hajj — commemorating Ibrahim's rejection of Satan's temptations — by casting small pebbles at the jamarat.

The ritual walking/running seven times between the hills of Safa and Marwah; commemorates Hagar's search for water for baby Ismail.

The pilgrim's chant during Hajj and Umrah: "Labbayka Allahumma labbayk..." — "Here I am, O Allah, here I am..."