Ḥajj

Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam — the obligatory pilgrimage to Mecca that every Muslim who is physically and financially able must perform at least once in their lifetime. It takes place in the month of Dhul-Hijja and involves a series of precisely defined rituals: entering the state of ihram, performing tawaf around the Kaaba, walking between Safa and Marwa, standing at the plain of Arafah, spending the night at Muzdalifa, casting stones at the pillars in Mina, and offering sacrifice. Al-Ghazali insists that Hajj, more than any other pillar, is designed to overwhelm the ordinary self — its scale, its community, its physical demands, and its symbolic richness all conspire to shake the pilgrim free of complacency.

As understood in the classical tradition of Imam al-Ghazali and the scholars of his school.