Explore every episode of the podcast The Fifth Pillar

Like so many aspects of modern life, the Hajj is unfortunately another instance where human activity causes detrimental impacts upon our environment. In this episode, Abdal Hakim Murad explores ways we can imagine the Hajj of the present and future which enables conscientious commitment to safeguarding our natural world and our holy cities, as he recalls the changes that have taken place since his own pilgrimage.

Our testimony acknowledging the divinity of Allah was during the first of gatherings. In this episode, Rasul Miller and Sumaiyya Ayub explore the physical space of the earthly ka’ba and the heavenly, angelic realms, to understand the ka’ba in time and space.

Qiyama, the day of recknoning, is the final gathering. In this episode, Marcia Hermansen and Jörg Imran Schröter talk about the Hajj as ‘pen-ultimate’ gathering.

Part of the Hajj involves the practical necessities of travelling and living with millions of other persons. In this episode, Besnik Sinani, Haris Farqui and Amira Rizk explore how people ‘lived together’ during hajj and what can we learn about the nature of gathering in Islam through this experience.

"One of the key elements of the Hajj is the interplay of time between past (Adam and Abraham, Hajar, Muhammad) and present. The Sa’iy is one of the most poignant communal enactments of this time and space bending that takes place in Hajj. In this episode, Hadia Mubarak, Hamida Moalim and Djermana Kuric talk about what the walk between the two hills reveal about the nature of time and space during the Hajj.

The circumambulation of the Ka’ba is one of the most famous rituals of the Hajj. Why do Muslims perform the walk in counter-clockwise circles around the ka’ba and what significance does this have? In this episode, Francesco Chiabotti, Shazuan Sidek and Khadijah-Ali Campbell talk about the significance of spheres and circles in Islamic cosmology and how this can expand our understanding of gathering during the Hajj.

The ‘entering into the sacred’ or the donning of the ‘ihram’, removes worldly distinctions from pilgrims. Each person leaves part of their individuality behind, and becomes a body in the crowd. In this episode Mariam Sheibani and Shahid Hanif refelect on the symbolism of the ihram and what it tells us about the individual and communal aspects of the Hajj.

The gathering of the Hajj begins with the movement towards the Holy City of Mecca, as throngs of people travel, mostly in groups, to undertake the pilgrimage rites. In this episode we hear from Yahya Nurgat and Zakiyah Gangat on movement and the caravan, and what we gain or lose over time.

Hajj is unique among the pillars as the one which is entirely part of a gathering. In this episode we hear Adeyinka Mendes reflect on the individual and communal elements of this pillar and the spiritual consequences of this intentionally communal practice and what this meant for him during his hajj experience.

Welcome to a third season of ‘The Fifth Pillar’ with Cambridge Muslim Collge, now via podcast!

Our theme this year 'The Great Gathering’, in which we reflect upon the spiritual gifts of the Hajj in the Islamic tradition and within the larger human story of spiritual pilgrimage.

Scholars and pilgrims from all different parts of the world will draw out both continuity and divergence within the past and present, and considering how this great pilgrimage blurs time and space in theologically fascinating and spiritually enriching ways.

★ Support this podcast ★

Abdal Hakim Murad explores the courtesies (adab) of the hajj, as well as its ethical and political consequenceis of the Hajj and it's connection to the miracle of the sira.

Adeyinka Mendes encourages us to reclaim Hajj as a quest, connecting us with our ancestors, and the best of guides, Prophet Muhammad (saaws)/

Najah Nadi reflects on the hadith of the prophetic hajj which references the eigth day of Dhul Hijjah, the day to contemplate before Arafah.

Samir Mahmoud talks about the relationship of our heart to the Ka'aba.

Abdal Hakim Murad welcomes the blessed month of Dhul Hijjah with a reflection on the symbolism of pilgrimages: from Football to Glastonbury and of course the Hajj

Abdal Hakim Murad talks about the impact of the Makkan sanctuary on the operas of German composer, Wilhelm Richard Wagner - not the music but the story and meanings of the operas.

Mariam Sheibani reflects on how the movements of Hajar (as) that we imitate during the hajj demonstrate an outward struggle and an innward reliance on God.

Yasser Qureshy walks us through the significance of the rites of Hajj for us to understand the culimination of the pilgrimage as a celebration of our obedience to Allah.

Abdul-Rehman Malik speaks with Malik Badri about his meeting with Malcolm X in Sudan before his Hajj journey.

Bilal Ware explores examines the life of Mansa Musa in context of Hajj traditions in West Africa.

Amina Nawaz speaks with Dženita Karić about Muslim pilgrimage narratives from Bosnia.

Ingrid Mattson examines a narration from the Prophet Muhammad (saaws) about the arrival of Ibrahim, Hagar and Ismail when they arrived in Makkah and what this archetypal story means for our understanding of the birthplace of sacred spirituality.

Samir Mahmoud explores the significance of the sacred space of Makkah as a city, the building of the ka'ba and how the cultural and spiritual aspects of the hajj are manifest in the space itself sand how the space impacts spirituality.

Abdal Hakim Murad explores the essence of the hajj, its history and the cultural understandings associated with its practice.