Today is the Day of Arafat, where the pilgrims arrive and engage in prayer while standing and facing towards the sun. Then in the evening they will depart for muzdalifah in time for Eid ul Adha the next day.<\/p>\n
In the chapters in the above book on 19th century Indian Islam I noted something interesting: reformist neo-orthodox movements are repeatedly attributed to hajjiis, those who made the pilgrimage to Mecca<\/span>,
\nin particular those who had resided in the city for long periods of
\ntime. The prestige that they attained upon their return resulted in
\ntheir initiation of “reforms” to bring local practices (often loosely
\nclassified as “Sufi”) into line with Meccan norms. The same “reforms”
\nwere initiated by Hui<\/a>
\nwho had returned from Mecca. And sure enough, the chapter on Southeast
\nAsian Islam notes that the modernist reformist Muslims who rose to
\nchallenge the traditional expressions of Javanese Islam were also
\ninspired by movements founded by hajjiis!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\nThe impact of hajjis upon their home cultures is undeniable – hajjis are accorded a deference and respect simply by virtue of having literally completed a fifth of their total lifetime religious obligations in one grueling physical marathon. Razib assumes that hajjis tend to act as a normative force, bringing their diverse societies more into line with what they observed in Mecca, but I think he is mistaken – hajjis do not imbibe Meccan Islam, they actually bring their own traditions with them, so if anything Hajj is where the diverse strands of Islam mix and meet and evolve<\/span>. The hajjis then take a bit of that diversity and adaptation home with them, where it influences their home cultures. <\/div>\n<\/div>\nThe Saudi establishment may think it is succeeding in enforcing its normative vision of Islam during the Hajj, but all they really succeed in doing is inculcate a resentment against them and an undermining of whatever religious authority they may possess. For example, my friend Taha Raja, who performed Hajj in 1427, lamented how the Saudi authorities prevented Shi’a from paying their respects at the sacred burial ground of Jannatul Baqi<\/a>:<\/div>\n<\/div>\nthe Saudi local police has a huge banner outside which says that one
\nshould not consider coming to the gravesite anything but a reminder of
\ndeath and what it means to you. It says, paying respects to the dead
\nshould not be more than just that. They misuse a hadith to make this
\npoint. This is all well and good, but again Islam is a huge body of
\npeople with many different interpretation. We are not here to debate
\nwho is right and wrong but rather to allow muslims of various
\ntraditions to express himself freely and show the beautiful diversity
\nof our culture. Why keep the Baqi grounds closed at all times except
\nfor a meager 3 hours in a day? Why prevent people from allowing them to
\npay their respect their way at the gravesite? What purpose does it
\nserve for the police other than impose and opress their own Muslim
\nbrothers?
[…]
It is sad that the Saudi government is trapped in
\ntheir Wahabi principles and are missing the opportunity to serve their
\nfellow brothers and show the diversity and yet unity in Islam. Instead
\nof receiving barakaat (blessings) of prayers from their Muslim brothers
\nfor serving them, they receive the wrath of Millions of Muslims feeling
\na little disappointed after every Haj. What a missed opportunity
\nindeed!!!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\nThat resentment against the rigid doctrine of the Saudi authorities is a source of energy that helps keep these traditions alive. <\/div>\n<\/div>\nHowever, it is also true that performing Hajj does tend to increase the muslim’s religious orthodoxy (and thus, orthopraxy). The muslim comes away from Hajj with a sense of purpose and renewed determination for their religion. But the association between religious orthodoxy and religious intolerance of the kind promoted by the Saudi establishment is a false on<\/a>e:<\/div>\n