Hajj Glossary: Commonly used Arabic terms for Hajj
| Adhan | The call to Prayer (salah), usually issued from the minaret of a mosque. |
| `Arafah or `Arafat | A desert location approximately 14.5 km (9 miles) east of Makkah where the pilgrim spends 9 Dhul-Hijjah as a rite of Hajj. The waqfah is performed at `Arafah. |
| Damm | Also known as kaffarah. The atonement required of a pilgrim for a willful violation of a prohibition or obligation while in the state of ihram. |
| Day of An-Nahr (Arabic: Yawm An-Nahr) | This day, 10 Dhul-Hijjah, is designated as the preferred day of sacrifice during Hajj. |
| Day of At-Tarwiyah (Arabic: Yawm At-Tarwiyah) | The start of the Hajj, on 8 Dhul-Hijjah. The pilgrim proceeds to Mina on this day. |
| Days of Tashreeq (Arabic: Ayyam At-Tashreeq) | These are 11, 12, and 13 Dhul-Hijjah. On these days, the pilgrim throws pebbles at the stone pillars, a ritual known as rami, in Mina. The name Tashreeq, related to the word for sunrise, comes from the practice in the past of drying the meat of the sacrifices in the sun on those days. |
| Dhul-Hijjah | The last month of the Islamic calendar. |
| `Eid Al-Adha | The Islamic public celebration of sacrifice performed on 10 Dhul-Hijjah. An animal such as a sheep or goat is sacrificed as a commemoration of Prophet Ibrahim’s (peace and blessings be upon him) willingness to sacrifice his son Isma`il for Allah. |
| Hadi | Hadi is a sacrificial animal immolated in the name of Allah by the pilgrim. It is to be slaughtered in Al-Haram and distributed among the poor and the needy. |
| Hajj | 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, ifrad, qiran and tamattu` (see individual entries below). |
| Al-Hajar Al-Aswad | The Black Stone built into the southeast 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 (peace and blessings be upon him). The Black Stone was personally installed in the wall of the Ka`bah by the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) himself during its reconstruction following its destruction by a flash flood. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also kissed it during his Farewell Hajj. Thus, touching and kissing Hajar Al-Aswad during `Umrah and Hajj is considered sunnah. |
| Halq | The complete shaving of the head by the male pilgrim on the 10th of Dhul-Hijjah. This is the last thing he does before getting out of the state of ihram. See also taqseer. For female pilgrims, the requirements of halq and taqseer are satisfied if they trim their hair by approximately half an inch. |
| Al-Haram Ash-Shareef | The mosque around the Ka`bah in Makkah, also known as Al-Al-Masjid Al-Haram or just Al-Haram, as well as the mosque in Madinah. The latter, also known as Al-Masjid An-Nabawi (the Prophet’s Mosque), contains within its premises the grave of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). |
| Hateem | The area adjacent to the Ka`bah on its west side, enclosed by a low semi-circular wall. Tradition has it that Hajar (wife of Prophet Ibrahim [peace and blessings be upon him]) is buried in this enclosure. It is highly recommended that the pilgrim offer sunnah Prayer 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 Al-Qudum. 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 sunnah Prayer after Tawaf Al-Qudum or an obligatory Prayer during this Tawaf, he must cover both his shoulders. In other words, idtiba` is practiced only while actually performing Tawaf Al-Qudum. Female pilgrims wear no ihram, so that the question of idtiba` for them does not arise. |
| Ifrad | The type of Hajj in which the pilgrim pronounces his intention to perform only Hajj (as opposed to Hajj and `Umrah) at the miqat while changing into ihram. |
| Ihram | (1) The distinctive garb of the male pilgrim worn during `Umrah or Hajj. It consists of two pieces of white, plain and unsewn cloth. The lower piece, called an izar, is wrapped around the midriff to cover the body from just above the navel to the ankles. The other piece, called a ridaa‘, is draped around the shoulders to cover the upper body. For women, their ordinary and unpretentious clothes of daily wear constitute their ihram. (2) The state of consecration of a pilgrim. While in ihram, the pilgrim may not use perfume or scented soap, shampoo, or lotion; engage in sexual intercourse or any type of foreplay; clip the nails; pluck, cut, or shave the hair. |
| lhsar | Al-lhsar (as used in the Qur’an) means blocking the path to the House of Allah. Allah says, (And complete the Hajj or `Umrah in the service of Allah. But if you are prevented (from completing it) send an offering for sacrifice.) (Al-Baqarah 2:196) |
| Istilam | The act of kissing the Black Stone Al-Hajar Al-Aswad at the beginning and the end of every circuit of the Ka`bah during Tawaf. If it is not possible to kiss the Black Stone for any reason, the pilgrim may extend his hand to touch the Black Stone and then kiss his own hand. If even that is not possible, he may raise his hand towards the Black Stone and then kiss his own hand. |
| Izar | Lower cloth of the male pilgrim’s clothes. |
| Jamarat | The three stone pillars in Mina that symbolically represent the locations where the devil (Shaytan) tried to tempt Prophet Ibrahim (peace and blessings be upon him) away from the path of Allah. The pilgrim stones these pillars on the 10th through the 13th of Dhul-Hijjah in commemoration of the rejection of the devil by Prophet Ibrahim and of his steadfastness to the cause of Allah. The Jamarat are located within a few hundred feet of one another in a line and are named as follows: |
| Al-Jamrah Al-Kubra | The last and biggest stone pillar in the line. This is also called Jamrat Al-`Aqabah. |
| Al-Jamrah Al-Ula | The first stone pillar in the line. |
| Al-Jamrah Al-Wusta | The second (middle) stone pillar in the line. |
| Ka`bah | A cubic structure originally built by Prophet Ibrahim (peace and blessings be upon him) and his eldest son Isma`il. It is now housed within Al-Haram Ash-Shareef in Makkah. During Hajj and `Umrah, the essential rite of Tawaf is performed around the Ka`bah. Every day, millions of Muslims perform Prayers (salah) facing the direction of the Ka`bah. |
| Kaffarah | Another name for damm. The atonement required of a pilgrim for a willful violation of a prohibition or obligation while in the state of ihram. |
| Kiswah | The black cloth that drapes the Ka`bah. It is embroidered in gold thread with the Shahadah, praises of Allah, and verses of the Qur’an. |
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