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.

Breaking the fast at sunset (Maghrib); the Prophet ﷺ recommended doing so quickly, traditionally with dates and water.

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

The sacrificial animal slaughtered on the Day of Eid al-Adha and the days of Tashriq in remembrance of Ibrahim's sacrifice, with the meat shared with family, friends and the poor.

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.

An obligatory charity given at the end of Ramadan before the Eid prayer — a measure of staple food (or its value) per person — that purifies the fast and feeds the poor on Eid.

A compensation of feeding a poor person for each missed fast, prescribed for those who are 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..."