The Hajj (Arabic: حج‎)

is a pilgrimage to Mecca (Makkah). It is the largest annual pilgrimage in the world. It is the fifth pillar of Islam, an obligation that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so. It is a demonstration of the solidarity of the Muslim people, and their submission to Allah.

The pilgrimage occurs from the 8th to the 12th day of Dhu al-Hijjah, the 12th month of the Islamic calendar. Because the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, the event cannot be pegged to the Gregorian calendar, whose (solar) year is eleven days longer. In 2007, Hajj took place from December 17 to December 21. The next one will begin in the first week of December, 2008.

The Hajj is associated with the life of Muhammad, but the ritual of pilgrimage to Mecca predates Islam, and was considered ancient during his lifetime in the 7th century.

In 632 AD, when the Prophet Muhammad, Peace be upon him, led his followers from Madinah to Mecca, it was the first Hajj to be performed by Muslims alone, and the only Hajj ever performed by the Prophet Muhammad. It was at this point that the Hajj became one of the Five Pillars of Islam. The Kaaba had been cleansed of the previous idols, and the Prophet Muhammad ordained it as the house of God.

As it is a once in a lifetime obligation for every Muslim to be carried out, which better way than to trace the steps of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, than to follow the actual footsteps of the Prophet from Madinah to Mecca, and the Dar Al Taqwa Royal Marquis is the ideal starting point.

Click here to obtain a Step by Step Guide to the Hajj - courtesy of IslamiCity.com - This link will take you to an external website.