In Hajar's footsteps: What does Hajj mean for one Muslim woman

Every year, in the final month of the Islamic lunar calendar, millions of Muslims from around the world travel to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, to perform the Hajj.

Hajj is a sacred pilgrimage that every Muslim adult, who has the financial means and physical strength, has to perform at least once in their lifetime.

For centuries, women could go on the pilgrimage only with a male member of the family. That restriction was lifted in July 2021 as part of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman’s reforms to modernise the kingdom.

This has been a big relief for women who don’t have husbands, brothers, or male family members, or who simply prefer to travel to Hajj alone.

Fahriye, a 41-year-old Turkish woman, is one of them.

She is now in Mecca, among more than 1.5 million Muslims from around the world, seeking what for many is a process of spiritual purification. Hundreds of thousands more pilgrims are expected to arrive over the weekend.

“Here, I am playing the role of Hajar. She took her son, obeyed the command of God with love, and left her home and relatives to come here, alone and unprotected. I have embarked on this journey with that same awareness,” she says.

Fahriye was referring to Prophet Ibrahim’s wife, Hajar. Her story resonates with millions of faithful who have gathered in Mecca because one of the main steps of Hajj, the ritual walk called "Sai," traces Hajar’s footsteps and is something that Prophet Muhammad himself did.

Although Fahriye had hoped to travel to Mecca with her husband, he had to stay because of personal reasons. He suggested she go with a group of friends.

Fahriye says her pilgrimage has become a transformative and solitary experience, shaping her outlook on the world and beyond.

The removal of the condition for women to travel for Hajj only with a male relative has opened the doors for the holy journey for many Muslim women who cannot be accompanied by men for one reason or another, she says.

"InshaAllah (God willing) this will lead to many blessings."

Reuniting on Al Safa

Fahriye, a mother of three, says travelling by herself wasn’t easy, and the actual journey began the moment she convinced herself that she really wanted to go on the pilgrimage.

The pilgrimage so far has been a profound spiritual, emotional, and physical experience, which has made her appreciate the difficulties Hajar must have faced so long ago.

Thousands of years ago, at God's command, Prophet Ibrahim abandoned Hajar and her son, Prophet Ismail, in a desolate desert.

As the story goes, Hajar began questioning Prophet Ibrahim’s decision to leave them at the mercy of harsh weather.

But once Hajar realised it was God's will, she submitted wholeheartedly, saying, "Then He will not abandon us."

Left alone in a place devoid of life's essentials, Hajar was worried about Prophet Ismail who kept crying from thirst and hunger. With no vegetation, or water in sight, she began a desperate search for help, running back and forth between Mecca’s hills of Al Safa and Al Marwa.

She ran desperately between the two mountains seven times, hoping to find help. On God’s command, a spring of water miraculously sprouted out from the ground - the holy water known as Zamzam.

Hajar’s running between the mountains has now become one of the most important parts of the Hajj pilgrimage as millions of Muslim pilgrims retrace her steps.

Originally a slave from Egypt with no status, fame, or wealth, Hajar held a profound faith in God, and her legacy continues to command millions of women and men to walk in her footsteps to this day.

Thousands of years after Hajar's journey, in 613 CE, the Prophet Muhammad called the unbelievers to join Islam when he gave them the call from the Al Safa mountain.

"If I were to tell you there's an army on the other side, would you believe me?" Prophet Muhammad had asked. “Of course. You are trustworthy and truthful. We always believe you,” came the reply.

Yet, when he declared himself as the Messenger of Allah, many people of Mecca denounced him. His own relatives cursed and mocked him, and forced him to leave the city.

After Islam spread, Prophet Muhammad returned to Al Safa two decades later, surrounded by thousands of believers.

Since then, millions of Muslims have converged on the spot to express their faith and submit themselves to God’s will.

'Whirlpool of love'

Despite being with her group of friends, Fahriye says she often chooses solitude during Hajj, believing it mirrors Hajar's close connection with God, away from worldly distractions.

“I reflect on Hajar's connection with Allah. Was her unwavering trust and submission because she was alone? Was it because she was removed from the worldly chatter that distracted her from worshipping Allah?”

She finds solace in tawaf, the act of circling the Kaaba seven times during the pilgrimage, as millions move together in the same direction, and describes how this ritual transports her away from worldly distractions.

“In the midst of the crowd, you may lose yourself, but amidst the whirlpool of love (tawaf), you find your essence. Even if it's a ritual you perform repeatedly, each time brings a different spiritual state. It breaks the monotony and the cycles of personal life,” she tells TRT World.

“I let myself flow like water... This is the essence of Hajj. Titles, features, identities, labels, statuses, ranks, races... all fade away here. It doesn't matter who you are; here, you are simply a guest of Allah, much like Hajar.”

“I start to believe that this place is not of the world I inhabit.”