AES 130 Communications Skills

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Culture Capsules: People, Places, and Processes Mohammed Alrugaib & Shigeyuki Murata Please listen our welcome message!

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Hajj
Mohammed Alrugaib

 

" Labayk Allahuma Labayk. Labayk La shareeka laka Labayk. Inn al hamda. wa Annimata. laka wal mulk. La shareeka Lak" is a prayer chanted by Muslims in Hajj translated as follows "Here I am at your service, oh Lord, here I am - here I am. No partner do you have.  Here I am. Truly, the praise and the favor are yours, and the dominion. No partner do you have".

Muslim Pilgrims gather in Makkah - Saudi Arabia which is the holeyest city in Islam besides Madenah and Al-Quds in Palestine to perform rituals based on those performed by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) during his last visit to the city in the 7th century. The five pillars of Islam are as follows: First, is faith or belief in the Oneness of God and the finality of the Prophethood of Muhammad. Second, is the establishment of the daily five prayers. Third, are the charities for the poor people. Fourth, is fasting. Fifth, is the pilgrimage to Makkah for those who are able physically and financially. Performing the Hajj is the spiritual head of a Muslim's life which provides a clear understanding of the relationship with God. It also teaches a Muslim that he has performed the fifth pillar of Islam by following the path of the Prophet Muhammed and that he become part of the nation that has more than one billion faithful followers spread across the world. The Hajj can be summarized in five steps according to its order.

First, all faithful Muslims who want to do Hajj should make statement of intention. Physically, they have to wear special white clothes called Ihram. Ihram has a very special impact on Pilgrims. No one can tell a person's social or economic class based on the clothes he wears. The pilgrims are simply, and above all else Muslims. They understand that they are now focusing more than ever on other people's faces rather than their clothes. These faces represent almost every race or nationality on earth. It focuses on the personality of a person. Those Pilgrims could be Indians, Bosnians, Chinese, Spaniards, Africans, Laotians, French, Americans and many others.

Second, they all gather in one spot which is the grand holy mosque in Makkah which is known as AL Haram in the 8 th day in the month of Hajj according to the Arabic calendar. This activity called " Twaf Al Qudom ". What they do, is typically the same as what Prophet Mohammed did about 1400 years ago. We should follow his foot steps because he was and still is the beloved great teacher. Pilgrims walk seven times round the Kaaba, which is a building in the middle of the mosque, in an anticlockwise direction. After that, Pilgrims move to Mina which is couples of miles away from Makkah to spend the night praying and preparing for the most spiritual part in Hajj which is the Stand in Arafa . They move either by buses or walking.

The real Hajj starts in the 9 th day which is known as Youm Arafah or Alwaqfah (The day of Arafah). All Pilgrims must gather in Arafah living in tents and performing the daily fife prayers in Namirah Mosque. Also they might climb the Mount of Mercy and ask God forgiveness  for any sins they have committed and for blessings.

Fourth, after sunset, millions of pilgrims move to Muzdalifah which is an area between two mountains to spend the night there. In the morning of next day, which is the 10 th, they go back to Mina to do an important part of the Hajj which is the stoning. This day also called Eid Al Adha. They should throw seven stones at pillars called Jamarat which represent the devil. The pillars located at three spots where Satan have tempted the Prophet Abraham. It brings to mind Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son when God tested his faith. Then, God replaced his son with sheep. The story was shared by Islam, Judaism and Christianity. However, Pilgrims should cut their hair to be free. They can takedown their Ihram and wear their usual clothes as the last steps of the formal Hajj.

Still, there are things to do such as going to Makkah for the farewell Tawaf and spending the last three days in Mina. Each day, they should do the stoning of the three pillars. Last day, they should leave before the sunset, otherwise they have to complete the stoning for the extra day.

The topic of our group is "Religious events of Saudi Arabia and Japan." Saudi Arabia has national religion: Islam. On the other hand, Japan doesn't have one outstanding religion, but has many religions and many Japanese don't practice a particular religion. Some of these Japanese pick up events from various religions.

Obon, the festival of the dead, is one of the most important events for Japanese people. It is an annual Buddhist ritual which takes place on August 15 (solar calendar). Actually, not only Japanese Buddhist but also most government offices and companies celebrate "Obon" by being closed around August 15. It is said that the iron pot in Hell is opened for the deceased just on this day during the year. Then, ancestor can go back to their home. To attend the family Obon celebration, people who live far from their hometown return home during that time because many companies provide employees with Obon holidays. That's why Bon season is the time for Japanese families to get together.

     The origin of Bon stemmed from the Buddhist observance in China, and it was introduced to Japan in the 7 th century. People believe that ancestors' spirits come back to their home during Obon. Obon is an abbreviation of Ullambana which means "to hang upside down." It implies the unbearable suffering that the deceased have to bear when being hung upside down. The meaning of Bon lies first in filial piety and repaying one's gratitude, secondly in the notion of hell and paradise, thirdly in the idea of making offerings to the community of monks.

The ritual of Obon is from a story of Mokuren Sonja, a disciple of Sakyamuni (Siddhartha Gautama who was a spiritual teacher from the ancient Indian subcontinent and the historical founder of Buddhism), in the Urabon Sutra. The story says that when he used supernatural powers to look on his mother who had died, he discovered that she had fallen into the path of hungry ghosts and she was suffering. To save her, he asked Sakyamuni what he should do, and he was told to make offerings to the priests who had completed their summer retreat. His mother was saved and was be able to become Buddha.

     Obon celebration has three elements. First, it is the festival of spirits of ancestors. The most important sentiment of the human mind and heart is knowing and repaying obligation toward ancestors. Second, in the celebration, people wish for rich crops. The first one and the second one are related. The spirits of ancestors become God and give good crops to their descendents. Thus, we offer crops to God and celebrate together. Third, it is also the festival of the soul. The soul is the subject of the transmigration. The soul is still alive even if the body is dead. The transmigration of the soul will change through doing good or bad deed while the body is alive.

Generally, the main activity for the celebration is visiting the family tomb and lighting lanterns. Bon-Odori is held in public places.Bon Odori, meaning simply Bon dance , is an event held during Obon. It is celebrated as a reminder of the gratefulness one should feel toward one's ancestors. Each region has a respective local Bon dance, as well as respective music accompanying the dance.

     Obon is one of the most popular religious celebrations in Japan. People celebrate the return of their ancestors during Obon, around 15 th August and they get together to attend family celebration. Also, they have events to celebrate Obon. Obon is a Japanese old custom.

The topic of our project is the religious events in both Saudi Arabia (Hajj) and Japan (Obon).   In Saudi Arabia all citizens are Muslims, but in Japan there is no national or specific religion. Hajj and Obon have a few things in common such as they both occur once a year, involve both families and individuals and both events are national holidays. Although the two countries, Saudi Arabia and Japan, are located in Asia, Hajj and Obon have more differences than similarities.

The first obvious difference is that Hajj, a Muslim celebration, takes place in Mecca, Saudi Arabia on Du Alhejjah, the last month of Arabic calendar, starting on the 8 th and ending on the 13 th . On the other hand, Obon is celebrated in any location and occurs around August 15 th . Another difference is that while Muslim Pilgrims celebrate Hajj, Obon, which is actually a Buddhist event, is attended by many people including non-Buddhists. Also, the purpose of Hajj and Obon are different. Muslims celebrate Hajj to ask God for forgiveness for their sins, but Japanese attend Obon to celebrate the return of their ancestors' souls. Finally, during Hajj, Muslims must make the specific five steps to perform Hajj by wearing the white Ihram and making Tawaf around the Qaaba, spending the first night in Mina, Standing in Arafah on the next day, performing the stoning and hair cutting and spending the last three days in Mina.   In contrast, there are various ways to celebrate Obon. For example, Japanese visit the family grave, light lanterns, and also Bon -Odori (Bon dance) is held in public places as a reminder of the gratefulness to their ancestors.

  In conclusion, there are many differences between Hajj and Obon, where and when they take place, who celebrates them and why and how the people celebrate them. The differences range from locations and dates to purposes and ways. This contrast is very interesting. These religious events are one aspect of each culture. In other words, they reflect each culture and form parts of the rich heritage of both Saudi Arabia and Japan.

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