Lesson video

Hello, my name is Mr. Womack and I am delighted to be working with you today.

I've just got a feeling that we're going to do a really great job, so let's get started then, shall we? Today's lesson is called Hajj, a sacred duty for Muslims. And it comes from the unit pilgrimage.

Why might some people visit Jerusalem, Karbala, or Makkah? By the end of this lesson, you will be able to explain what happens on Hajj and how it reminds Muslims of important events of stories.

Here are the key words that we're going to use today.

We're going to practice saying them now, I'm going to say a word and then you are going to give it a try.

So let's try the first one, Hajj.

Hajj the pilgrimage to Makkah and one of the five pillars of Islam.

Secondly, Makkah.

Makkah, the most holy place for Muslims. And finally, Kabah.

Kabah, a stone building in the great mosque which Muslims turn toward when praying.

We're going to keep referring back to these keywords throughout the lesson, so keep your eyes peeled.

Here is the lesson outline for today.

In the first part of the lesson, we're going to look at why is Makkah important to Muslims. And in the second part, what are the first four steps of Hajj? And finally, what are the final four steps of Hajj? We're going to start with why is Makkah important to Muslims? Here is Laura.

Laura explains how we use social science in religious education.

Laura says, "Social scientists are interested in how people live.

They consider how context such as where they live, or when they lived affects this.

We can better understand people's worldviews by looking at photographs or analyzing data.

We can survey or interview people to find out more about their worldview." In this lesson, we will be listening to someone with a Muslim worldview to help us learn about the hatch pilgrimage to Makkah.

Iqbal is a British Muslim living in Croydon, near London.

Iqbal says, I recently went on a long journey, a pilgrimage to Makkah.

This pilgrimage is known as Hajj, and you can see Iqbal's journey on the left hand side of the slide.

Makkah is a city in Saudi Arabia, a country in the Middle East.

Iqbal says, "Makkah is the most holy place for Muslims. Sometimes Makkah is spelt Mecca." So let's take a moment to check out our understanding.

Which of the following is the most holy place for Muslims? Is the answer A, Croydon.

B, Makkah.

Or C, Hajj? You're going to want to pause the video now, whilst do you think which of these is the right answer? The right answer is B, Makkah.

This is the most holy place for Muslims. Well done if you got that one right.

Look at this photograph of Makkah and discuss the following.

Firstly, what can you see? And secondly, what might this tell us? You're going to want to pause the video now.

Whilst else do you take a closer look at this photo.

I wonder what you saw.

Well, here's Iqbal to tell us more about Makkah.

Iqbal says, "Makkah is vast, it's very hot and dry.

There are skyscrapers in the distance.

Did you spot the cube shape object in the middle of the building.

The tiny dots around it are people." Iqbal explains why Makkah is important to Muslims and why they might go on Hajj.

Iqbal says, "Makkah is a sacred place for Muslims. It is the birthplace of prophet Muhammad.

The Quran was revealed to Mohammed in a cave near Makkah.

So let's take a moment to check our understanding again.

Why is Makkah a holy place for Muslims? This time you're going to need to select two correct answers.

So will you choose A? It is the birthplace of the prophet Muhammad.

B, it is a vast important city with skyscrapers.

Or C, the Quran was revealed here to prophet Muhammad.

You're going to want to pause the video now whilst you think which two of these are the correct answers.

The correct answers are A, it is the birthplace of prophet Muhammad.

and C, the Koran was revealed here to prophet Muhammad.

Really well done if you got that answer right.

So look more closely at the center of the photo.

Why might this be important to Muslims? Iqbal tells us a little more.

Iqbal says, "The cube shaped building is known as the Kabah.

It is made of stone and covered in a black cloth with gold designs.

The Kabah is the most holy site in Islam.

Iqbal says, "Most Muslims believe Ibrahim and his son, Ishmael laid the foundation of the Kabah as the first place of worship to Allah." He continues, "Every time Muslims around the world pray, they face towards the Kabah and this shows how holy it is." So let's take a moment to check our understanding with a true or false question, true or false? Muslims face the Kabah in Makkah when they pray.

Is the answer true or false? And why going to want to pause the video now.

What do you think about your answer? The answer is true.

The Kabah is the most holy site in Islam, and most Muslims believe it was built by Ibrahim and his son Ishmael.

Really well done if you got that answer right.

So it's time for a task now.

Jun is explaining why Makkah is important to Muslims but one of his sentences is incorrect.

Your job is to identify the correct sentences and then explain why the remaining sentence is incorrect.

Jun says, Makkah is important because it was the birthplace of the prophet Muhammad.

Makkah is also important because you find the Kabah there.

Muslims face the Kabah when they pray.

Many Muslims believe it was built by the prophet Muhammad.

You going to want to pause the video now whilst you identify the correct sentences and then explain why the remaining sentence is incorrect.

I look forward to seeing what you put.

Well, I wonder what you said.

Here are the correct sentences.

Makkah is important because it was the birthplace of the prophet Muhammad.

Makkah is also important because you find the Kabah there, and Muslims face the Kabah when they pray.

Here's the remaining sentence that is incorrect.

Many Muslims believe it was built by the prophet Muhammad.

Well that statement is incorrect because most Muslims believe the Kabah was built by the prophet Ibrahim.

Good job on putting loads of effort into completing that task.

Well we've reached the second part of our lesson, looking at what are the first four steps of Hajj.

Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and these are the five key acts that every Muslim is expected to do in their lifetime.

Muslims are required to make the journey to Makkah for Hajj at least once in their life if they are physically able and could afford to do so.

Iqbal explains more about his Hajj pilgrimage.

"Hajj is made up of eight steps.

Each step is followed in order and reminds Muslims like me of stories about people who are important in Islam.

So let's take a moment to check our understanding.

Which two of the following statements about Hajj are true.

Will you choose A, Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam.

B, Hajj can take place anywhere in the world.

or C, the steps of Hajj remind Muslims of important people in Islam.

You going to want to pause the video now, whilst you think which two of these are the right answers? The right answers are A, Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and C, the steps of had to remind Muslims of important people in Islam.

Really well done if you got those answers right.

So we're going to look a little more closely now at the steps of Hajj, and we're going to do so with the help of Iqbal who's going to tell us the story of his experience of going on pilgrimage.

Step one, wearing Ihram.

The plane from Heathrow touches down in Jeddah airport in Saudi Arabia.

Getting out, Iqbal and his wife Nadia, feel a relative cool of the Arabian night.

He feels a surge of elation.

They have been preparing for Hajj for a long time.

It is a once in a lifetime pilgrimage as part of their obligation to Allah.

The Hajj begins at a place just outside Makkah called the Miqat, or entry station to the Hajj.

Here Iqbal bathes and with the other pilgrims puts on the Ihram, plain white clothes made from two white sheets.

He is now in a state of purity, clean and ready for the pilgrimage.

Iqbal be wears white clothes like all the pilgrims to symbolize purity and that everyone is treated equally.

It doesn't matter if you are rich, poor, from the UK, Pakistan, Egypt, or anywhere in the world as everyone dresses the same and does the same things.

Being on Hajj is a step away from the world to focus purely on Allah.

Women may also wear white clothes.

Iqbal says the prayer spoken by all Muslims. He says, here I am at your service ooh Allah.

Here I am at your service.

You have no partner.

Here I am at your service.

All praise and blessings belong to you.

All dominion is yours and you have no partner.

So let's check our understanding with a true or false question.

Only Muslim men are required to make the Hajj pilgrimage.

You're going to want to pause the video now, what you think is the answer, true or false, and why? The answer is false.

The five pillars apply to both men and women.

Iqbal's wife, Nadia made the pilgrimage too.

And let's try another question.

Why do Muslims wear Ihram, white clothes for Hajj? You need to select two correct answers.

Will you choose A to stay cool? B, to show everyone is equal.

Or C to symbolize purity, You are going to want to pause the video now whilst you think which two are right? The correct answers are B, to show everyone is equal, and C to symbolize purity.

Well done if you got that answer right.

So back to the steps of Hajj.

Step two, circling the Kabah.

The next day Iqbal wakes up early.

The rising sun surrounds him, with a pinkish light and the temperature is rising.

He bathes and prays before making his way to the great mosque.

Hundreds of thousands of other pilgrims are there, entering this sacred space, Iqbal joins with the other pilgrims as they slowly circle the Kabah seven times.

This is called the Tawaf.

Around him, Iqbal can see Muslims from all over the earth.

At this moment, they're all connected by the circling.

Iqbal looks at the rich black cloth or Kiswa covering the Kabah.

It is made by over 200 craftspeople on the world's largest sewing machine and replaced every year.

It can see the burnished gold and calligraphy around the base, and on each circuit Iqbal gets closer to the Kabah, until he's near enough to touch it, or to stretch his hands toward it.

He's standing at the center of the most holy place in Islam, the place he faces five times every day when he prays from Croydon.

Step three, drinking Zamzam water.

After completing the circuits of the Kabah, Iqbal walks to the nearby Zamzam well.

Many of the stages of Hajj help Muslims reflect on the story of Abraham or Ibrahim.

As he's known in Arabic.

He is a great prophet for Muslims, as well as Christians and Jews.

In the Quran, it tells the story that Abraham had a wife called Hagar.

Allah commanded Abraham to leave Hagar and his son Ishmael in the desert by Makkah as the desert's son beat down on them, they grew more and more thirsty.

Hagar began to look desperately for water, and ran seven times between the two nearby hills, but she found no water.

Suddenly she looked up and saw the Angel Jibril coming towards him in awe, she saw a spring of water had opened up.

Falling to her knees in thanks.

She cupped her hands and drank the cool pure water.

Then shaking with relief she offered it to her Ishmael, who gulped it down with tears of joy.

Iqbal drinks slowly from the Zamzam water.

As he sips it gratefully he remembers that story and imagines how desperate Hagar must have felt.

So let's check how we're understanding with a quick question.

Which story is remembered at the well of Zamzam? Is the answer A, the story of Adam and Eve.

B, prophet, Muhammad.

or C, Hagar and Ishmael.

You're going to want to pause the video now.

What you think which of these is the right one? The correct answer is C.

The story remembered at the well of Zamzam is the story of Hagar and Ishmael.

Well done if you got that answer right.

Step four, running between the hills of Safa and Marwah.

After a break, Iqbal joins other pilgrims in reacting the story of Hagar running between the two hills called Safa and Marwah seven times.

Iqbal is surrounded by crowds of people.

It is now early afternoon, and the heat is intense.

Because it's so hot in Makkah, the route has been covered to shelter pilgrims from the heat, but it's still a real effort to travel the distance.

Some pilgrims jog and some walk.

There are elderly people with sticks, young mums holding babies and people of all ages and backgrounds.

The crowds move with some saying prayers aloud, others in their own thoughts and Iqbal thinks of Hagar desperately running and looking for water for her baby.

It takes two hours to complete the distance between the hills seven times, and by then everyone is very tired.

That evening, Iqbal travels 10 kilometers to Mina where he spends the night in a camp with other Muslims. He gets food from a nearby tent and chats with people about the pilgrimage before drifting off to sleep under a desert sky full of stars.

Well it's really good to hear about all those exciting rituals that Iqbal had completed as part of the first four steps of Hajj.

Let's see if you can remember them.

Can you put the first four steps in order, using the pictures on the slide, you're going to want to pause the video now whilst you consider what order should these pictures be in.

Well done for completing that short task.

Your first picture should be A, here's Iqbal wearing his Ihram.

and B, circling the Kabah, C, drinking the Zamzam water.

And finally D, running between the two hills just like Hagar did.

Well done for completing that short task.

It's now time for a longer task.

So your job is to use the following sentence stems to explain the meaning of the first four steps of Hajj.

The first one is pilgrims wear Ihram, white clothes because the second is pilgrims circle the Kabah seven times, the Kabah is important because? Thirdly, drinking Zamzam water reminds pilgrims of? And finally running between the hills of Safa and Marwah reminds pilgrims of.

So you're going to want to complete those sentence stems using the knowledge that you've acquired through this lesson.

You're going to want to pause video now once you complete this task and I look forward to seeing what you put.

I wonder what you said.

Maybe you said something like this.

In the first one, pilgrims wear Ihram white clothes because you might have said it shows that all pilgrims are equal to each other no matter who they are.

For the second one, pilgrims circle the Kabah seven times, the Kabah is important because, you might have said Muslims believe it was built by Ibrahim and all Muslims face it to pray every day.

For number three, drinking Zamzam water reminds pilgrims of, you might have said the story of the well which opened in the desert to save Ibrahim's wife, Hagar and his son Ishmael from dying of thirst.

For number four, running between the hills of Safa and Marwah reminds pilgrims of, you might have said Hagar's desperate search for water for her son Ishmael.

Really well done for putting in lots of effort to complete that task.

Well that brings us to the last part of our lesson.

What are the final four steps of Hajj? Step five, the plain of Arafat.

On the second day of Hajj, Iqbal wakes up with the sun streaming through his white tent.

The morning sun is already hot, and this day is going to be scorching.

Iqbal knows as he prays that this is one of the pivotal moments in Hajj.

Iqbal travels from Mina to the plain of Arafat.

This is where the prophet Muhammad gave his final sermon and also where Muslims believe Allah forgave Adam and Eve.

It's his holy ground.

As he approaches Iqbal can see the mountain is awash with pilgrims. The white of Ihram clothes stands out against the blue sky.

It's nearly 46 degrees Celsius and some pilgrims have umbrellas to stop the feast as its sun.

Iqbal stands alongside the other pilgrims to join in the prayers to Allah.

The heat at midday is extraordinary and provides a hint as to what the day of judgment will be like.

He stands there until sunset, praying for others and for forgiveness.

This was the moment he had come to Hajj for.

So let's take a moment to check our understanding.

Why is the plain of Arafat such an important step of Hajj? You need to select two correct answers.

Will you choose A, it is where Hagar search for water for her baby.

B, is a place to stand and pray for forgiveness.

Or C, it's where the prophet Muhammad gave his final sermon.

You're going to want to pause the video now.

What do you think? Which two of these are the right ones? The right answers are B.

It is a place to stand and pray for forgiveness.

And C, it is where the prophet Mohammed gave his final sermon.

Really well done if you got that answer right.

So let's get back to the steps of Hajj.

Step six, throwing stones at the Jamarat.

On the third day, Iqbal wakes at dawn.

Again he prays and saves the moment of coolness before the furnace light heat of the day.

With hundreds of thousands of other pilgrims. He visits the three pillars called Jamarat in the city of Mina.

At this spot, Muslims believe that the devil tempted Abraham, the devil tempted the prophet three times, and each time Abraham rejected him by pelting him with seven stones.

The day before, Iqbal collected 49 stones.

They're small and jagged and he has them in a small bag.

Conscious he is surrounded by thousands of other pilgrims all pressing forward to do the same thing.

He throws the stones at the pillar.

Nowadays these pillars are encased in huge concrete funnels to accommodate the millions of pilgrims each year.

Each group has seven stones represents different aspects of repentance.

Iqbal thinks of things he's sorry about in his life, and things he would like to change.

So let's do a quick true or false question.

Stoning the pillars of the Jamarat is a symbol of rejecting the devil.

Is the answer true or false and why? You're going to want to pause the video now whilst you think of your answer.

The answer is true.

When they throw stones at the pillars, Muslims, remember the story of Ibrahim rejecting the temptations of the devil.

Well done if you got that one right.

Step seven, shading of the hair at Eid-ul-Adha.

Iqbal it al spends the next few days joining in the celebration of Eid-ul-Adha.

This is the second holy festival in the year.

Male pilgrims might shave their head or trim their hair and female pilgrims cut the tips of their hair.

The shaving of the head represents total submission to Allah.

As the hair is cut away, huge piles build up around the barbers, they symbolize pride, and all the things that take people away from focusing on God.

And now onto step eight, circling the Kabah.

Finally, after days of exhausting rituals, the heat and the crowds, Iqbal joins the other pilgrims as they return to the great mosque and perform Tawaf again, circling the Kabah.

Once again, Iqbal feels connected to the world of Islam, and the sense that all equal.

Iqbal knows his time in Makkah is nearly over, and his head is swimming with all the experiences he has had.

Iqbal has now completed Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam.

A man who has completed the Hajj is called a Hajji.

A woman who has completed it is called a Hajja.

So it's time to check how we're understanding.

Looking at the images which stage of the Hajj is missing? You're going to want to pause the video now whilst do you think which stage of Hajj is missing? The missing stage was the throwing of stones at the pillars of Jamarat.

Well done if you got that one right.

It's time for our final task now, and it's time to explain what happens during the final four stages of Hajj and which stories or events they remind Muslims of.

And while you're doing that, think about which stage would you find most difficult.

You're going to want to pause the video now once you complete this task.

And I look forward to seeing what you put.

I wonder what you said.

Maybe you said something like this, for the stoning of the pillar.

You might have said Muslims throw stones at the pillars at Jamarat and this reminds Muslims of the story of Ibrahim rejecting the devil.

For shaving the hair you might have said, Muslim men may have their head shaved during Eid-ul-Adha, and this reminds Muslims of the importance of submitting to Allah.

And for Tawaf you might have said, Muslims circle the Kabah seven times anti-clockwise.

Everyone moves around the circuit together showing everyone is equal.

Really well done for putting in lots of effort to complete that task.

And that brings us to the end of our lesson.

So let's summarize what we've learned today.

We found out that Makkah, is a city in Saudi Arabia, and is a sacred place for Muslims. We found out that many Muslims will hope to make Hajj to Makkah in their lifetime.

That Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam.

And finally, the steps of Hajj have a symbolic meaning which remind Muslims of stories about people who are honored in Islam.

Well, that concludes our learning today, and it's been a real joy working with you, and I look forward to seeing you again to do the same next time.

Well done.