Item 5 in Five Pillars of Islam
Hajj — Pilgrimage to Mecca
Undertake pilgrimage to Mecca at least once when physically and financially able.
- Position
- 5
- Form
- Practice or observance
- Obligation
- Mandatory
- Wording status
- Editorial paraphrase
- Intended audience
- Muslims
- Last reviewed
- 28 June 2026
Names and terminology
Canonical name: Hajj — Pilgrimage to Mecca
Original term: Ḥajj
Source wording
Editorial paraphrase: Undertake pilgrimage to Mecca at least once when physically and financially able.
Literal meaning
Undertake pilgrimage to Mecca at least once when physically and financially able.
Broader interpretation
Interpretation depends on the framework's historical purpose, intended audience and relationship to its other principles.
Ethical purpose
To shape conduct or character in a way consistent with the wider ethical framework.
Modern application
Modern application requires attention to consent, rights, evidence, foreseeable harm and changing social conditions.
Criticism and difficult cases
Application can become difficult when this principle conflicts with another duty, when harm is indirect, or when ancient social assumptions do not fit modern conditions.
Truth By Reason analysis
Truth By Reason assesses this principle according to evidence, rights, intentions, foreseeable consequences and consistency with the treatment of all affected beings.
Ethical themes
Sources
- Sahih al-Bukhari 8 Primary source