Pilgrimage in Arabic means Hajj.
The Meaning of Hajj
As mentioned in this narration of this hadith making the pilgrimage to the House of Allah, or the Kaaba.
Linguistically, hajj means, “He repaired, or betook himself, to, or towards a person … or towards an object of reverence, veneration, respect or honor.”
In the shareeah, it means a particular going or traveling at a particular time to a particular place for the purpose of worshiping Allah. In other words, it is the journeying to Makkah during the months designated for the performance of Hajj as an act of worship for the sake of Allah.
The Importance of Hajj
The performance of Hajj is an obligation upon every Muslim who has the means to perform it.
The reward for the performance of the Hajj is great.The Prophet (peace be upon him) said,
“Whoever performs the Hajj for the sake of Allah and does not commit any lewdness or sins returns like the day in which his mother gave him birth,” that is, without any sins.
Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) also said,
“One Umrah until the next Umrah is an expiation for what is between them. And the Hajj that is accepted by Allah and performed properly has no reward other than Paradise.”
Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim.
Another hadith reads:
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was asked, “What is the best deed?” He stated,
“Belief in Allah and His Messenger.” He was then asked, “What next?” He said, “Jihad in the way of Allah.” He was again asked, “What next?” He replied, “The Hajj which is performed correctly and accepted by Allah.”
Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim.
Furthermore, Hajj is equivalent to jihad for women and people who are not capable of jihad. In one hadith, the Prophet was asked whether or not women are required to take part in jihad. He answered,
“Yes, upon them is the jihad which does not contain fighting: Hajj and Umrah.”
Hajj has numerous benefits to it. Besides those mentioned in the hadith, one can note that it is a place for Muslims from all around the world to come and worship Allah together. This is an excellent opportunity for Muslims to meet each other, understand each other and get closer to each other. Furthermore, all differences between them are swept away as they all dress in a similar fashion and perform the same rituals. The poor, the rich and all others are all standing in the same manner in front of Allah.
Allah says in the Quran,
“In it are clear signs [such as] the standing place of Abraham. And whoever enters it shall be safe. And [due] to Allah from the people is a pilgrimage to the House – for whoever is able to find thereto a way. But whoever disbelieves – then indeed, Allah is free from need of the worlds.”
Al-Qur’an 3:97
Similarly, when responding to the question of Islam in the hadith of Gabriel, the Prophet (peace be upon him) also specifically pointed out that Hajj is obligatory upon the one who has the means to perform it.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said,
“If anyone breaks [a bone] or becomes lame, he comes out of the sacred state and he must perform the Hajj the following year.”
The deduction from this hadith is that if one can perform the Hajj whenever he wishes, the Prophet (peace be upon him) would not have explicitly mentioned that the person should perform the Hajj in the following year.
Another hadith states,
“Hurry to perform the Hajj, that is, the obligatory one, as none of you knows what may happen to him.”
It is also narrated that Umar ibn al-Khattaab once said,
“I considered sending men to those lands to see who had the means but did not perform the Hajj. They should have the jizya applied to them as they are not Muslims, they are not Muslims.”