Lesson video

Hello, my name's Mr. Ross.

I'm so looking forward to working with you today.

I know we're going to do an absolutely brilliant job together.

So today's lesson is called Hajj: the impact on believers, and it's part of the unit pilgrimage: why might some people visit Jerusalem, Karbala or Makkah? By the end of today's lesson, I want us to be able to explain how Hajj has an impact on believers' lives before, during, and after the Hajj.

We're gonna be thinking of three keywords throughout our lesson.

Don't worry, I'm gonna be there all the way through the lesson to help you understand these.

Our first key word is Eid ul-Adha, and that is the festival of sacrifice in Islam.

The second key word is Hajji, and that's a Muslim man who has been on Hajj.

Our third key word is called Ummah, and that's about the worldwide community of Islam being together.

And as I said, don't worry, we're going to be here all the way through the lesson so that you'll be able to understand those keywords as we go through.

Our lesson's going to be in two parts.

The first part is about the impact of believers before they go to Hajj.

And then our second part of our lesson is all about the impact to believers during and after the Hajj.

We're gonna start off with what is the impact to believers before the Hajj? Here's Iqbal, and Iqbal has just about finished the Hajj.

You can see he's standing there with all his family at the end of Hajj.

Muslims are required to make the Hajj at least once in their lifetime if they're physically able and can afford to do so.

The pilgrimage has a huge impact on pilgrim's lives.

This impact begins even before they leave home and get to Makkah.

Before going on Hajj involves lots of preparation and lots of planning.

So going on Hajj can be very expensive.

For British Muslims, it can cost approximately 11,000 pound.

What do you think they need that money for? Well, that money is needed for flights to Saudi Arabia, transport to Makkah, like on a bus, and accommodation, somewhere to stay when they're actually on the Hajj.

And here, you can see the tent city in Mina.

Many Muslims might save up for a long time, so that one member of their family could go.

Sometimes two people from the family can go.

But actually, they might do more than just buy things and get ready to save money for things.

Muslims also prepare spiritually as well as physically before Hajj, before they leave.

Iqbal was telling the class about what he did to get ready for Hajj.

He said, "Before leaving on Hajj, I tried hard to pray more and I read the Qur'an regularly to help me draw closer to God." So thinking about what we've just been talking about, which of these is not an impact Hajj has on Muslims before they leave the Hajj? Is it saving up for pilgrimage, reading the Qur'an, buying new clothing to look smart on the Hajj, or is it praying more regularly? Which of these is not an impact Hajj has on Muslims before they leave? Pause the video.

Have a think.

Yes, you can see, buying new clothing to look smart on Hajj is not something you might do to prepare for it.

Look at this picture.

It's the Ka'bah in Makkah, and it's happening during the Hajj.

What do you notice about the people? All those little white dots all around the Ka'bah.

What do you notice about them? Have a think.

Talk to someone.

What can you see? What might be happening? Well, there are thousands of people circling the Ka'bah all at once.

And they come from all countries, from all different cultures and from different nationalities.

Izzy says that at least two million pilgrims go on Hajj every year from all over the world.

Let's check that understanding then.

True or false, there can be around two million pilgrims going on Hajj every year.

Is this true? Is this false and why? Yes, it's true.

And it's true the number of Muslims going on Hajj each year has reached around two to three million people.

That's a lot of people in one place at one time.

There are, however, approximately two billion Muslims in the world.

They could not all go on Hajj at the same time as this would put people in danger and overwhelm Saudi Arabia.

And so Saudi Arabia has given each country that might have Muslims in it a quota, an amount of people that are allowed to go on the Hajj from that country.

And it's linked to the number of Muslims who live there.

The Saudi Arabian government has set up a special website to help people apply for the Hajj.

This is to stop too many accidents happening and with lots of people in the same place.

Let's have a little look at this chart.

It's got some data about the Hajj quota on it.

We've got the countries down the left hand side, and the quota of people who are allowed to go on Hajj on the right hand side.

So what does it tell us? And does this surprise you? Well, Indonesia has the largest number of Muslims in the world, and so is allowed the highest number of pilgrims. The UK has a much smaller number of Muslims than countries like India and Pakistan, but it has a larger percentage of Muslims than the United States, so the quota of people who are allowed to go on Hajj is bigger than that for the United States.

Let's have a quick check for understanding on all that.

Is it true or false, any Muslim in the world can make Hajj whenever they choose? Is it true and false? And give me a reason why.

Yes, it's false.

And the reason why it's false is that Muslims need to book their visit through the Saudi Arabian Hajj website.

Every country has a quota for the number of pilgrims, and the data shows that some countries have a larger quota than others.

Let's think of our task for this part of the lesson.

Izzy explains how she thinks Hajj might have an impact on believers before the pilgrimage, and she says, "Going on Hajj is quite easy.

Any Muslims can go when they choose, and most Muslims do not need to do anything special before they leave." Explain why you think Izzy is incorrect.

You can start your sentence with "Izzy is incorrect because." Can you think of maybe two or three sentences, or three things that you could say to Izzy to show that she's incorrect? Pause the video, have a think.

Talk to the person next to you and write me two or three sentences about why you think Izzy is incorrect.

So, what did you come up with? Why did you think Izzy was incorrect? Well, here's some sentences I've written down.

Izzy is incorrect because going on Hajj can cost around about 11,000 pound, so many Muslims will have to save up to go.

Saudi Arabia limits the number of pilgrims from different countries, so Muslims have to apply through a special website.

And finally, many Muslims will prepare spiritually before Hajj.

They might pray more and read the Qur'an more.

I wonder what you wrote down.

I'd love to see.

So our second part of our lesson now is about the impact on believers during and after the Hajj.

And we're going to be finding out a little bit more about Iqbal.

Here's Iqbal, and he's standing by the Ka'bah at the end of his Hajj.

Iqbal is a British Muslim from Croydon who went on Hajj last year.

He had reflected on the impact, he thought about the impact that the pilgrimage had had on him last year.

Now, listening to a real person's experience is an important way we can understand how religion impacts people.

It's important to remember though that this is their experience.

This is one person's experience and that different people might have different feelings or different experiences.

So let's just do a quick check on that you've understood that little bit.

So hearing about one person's experience of Hajj can tell us how every Muslim may feel.

Is this true? Is it false? And is it, and why? Pause the video, have a think.

And tell me.

Yes, it's false.

And everyone, I think the reason for that is that everyone will have different feelings and different experiences, but we can learn a lot about hearing from someone's real experience of the Hajj.

So what does Iqbal say about before he left, before he went on Hajj? How did he feel when he got there? Well, he said, "Even getting to Makkah was a bit of a test of my faith, as there was so much to get ready.

But when I got there, I felt completely unplugged from all the worries of my daily life." Let's just take what Iqbal has said and have a little bit of a closer look at some of the things he said.

Well, Iqbal found that preparing for the Hajj tested his faith as it was so difficult applying through the website.

"It was a bit of a test to my faith," he says.

And when Iqbal arrived, he felt that he could leave all his worries behind him.

And for some Muslims, Hajj can mean they can unplug from their daily life.

So here he says, "When I got there, I felt completely unplugged from all the worries of my daily life." So when we look at what someone says, it's really important to start picking out those little bits and see what they mean by that.

So how do you think Iqbal felt when he first saw the Ka'bah? He said, "Seeing the Ka'bah for the first time, I instantly felt goosebumps and tears roll down my cheek.

It was a blessed moment when I finally got to go for Hajj.

I felt excited and grateful to be there." Again, let's have a little look at what some of the things that he said, but think of the important bits that came out from what he said there.

Well, seeing the Ka'bah for the first time had a huge impact on Iqbal.

He said he felt goosebumps and he cried, and he felt blessed and grateful to be there.

And this can show how powerful the feelings are that Hajj can create.

And here it's highlighted, he says, "I instantly felt goosebumps and tears rolled down my cheek." Let's do a quick check for understanding on that.

So which two of these statements reflect how Iqbal felt about the Hajj? Is it A, he got goosebumps when he saw the Ka'bah? Was it B, he was worried about how much the Hajj would cost? Was it C, he left his worries from daily life behind? Or was it D, he felt upset and this made him cry? Pause the video and have a think which of those two statements are correct? Yes, you're right, it's sentence A, he got goosebumps when he saw the Ka'bah, and C, he left all his worries from daily life behind.

Remember he said he felt unplugged.

Let's think then a little bit about things that happen on the Hajj.

Well, here we've got the stoning of the pillars at Jamarat.

So, what does Iqbal say was the impact of his visit to Jamarat? He says, "Throwing stones at the Jamarat was a blessed moment.

It was like I was throwing all my sins away.

I felt so new and my faith seemed so much stronger." Just have a little look at what Iqbal says there.

Can you pick out one or maybe two things that he said was special for him about for when he got to Jamarat? Well, at Jamarat, Muslims remember Abraham throwing stones at the devil, and Iqbal felt that all his sins were being thrown away.

This shows that Hajj might make people feel forgiven and their faith stronger.

So think again about what the impact believers have during Hajj.

Which two of these statements reflect how Iqbal felt about stoning the pillars at Jamarat? Did he feel goosebumps? Did he feel like he was throwing away his sins? Or did he feel his faith felt much stronger? Which two things had a huge impact on Iqbal when he was at the pillars of Jamarat? Well, yes, he felt like throwing his sins away, and his faith felt much stronger.

Here he is at Eid ul-Adha.

And again, let's think about what did Iqbal feel when he celebrated Eid ul-Adha on the Hajj? He says, "Celebrating Eid ul-Adha while I was on pilgrimage was such an inspirational moment.

I felt connected to all the Muslim people around the world, and this is true Ummah." So let's have a think about Iqbal celebrating Eid ul-Adha actually on the Hajj.

What did he say and how did he feel when he was celebrating Eid ul-Adha? He says, "Celebrating Eid ul-Adha while I was on pilgrimage was such an inspirational moment.

I felt connected to all the Muslim people around the world.

This is true Ummah." Let's have a little look at those sentences that are written there from Iqbal.

Can you find something special about those sentences? Can you pick out two or three key things that he said there? Well, Iqbal talks about feeling connected to other Muslims in the world.

And he says, "The Muslim community around the world is called the Ummah." Iqbal found one impact of Hajj with feeling a connection to the Ummah.

So let's do a quick check.

True or false, pilgrims feel like part of the worldwide community of Muslims when making Hajj? Is this true? Is this false? And why? Pause the video and decide whether it's true or false, and give me a reason why.

Yes, it's true.

And the reason why it's true is that Iqbal said he felt connected to all the Muslim people around the world.

This is called the Ummah.

So, here's Iqbal and his family again, and they finished the Hajj now.

Even after returning home to the UK, Iqbal has learnt a lot from being on Hajj.

He can now be known as a Hajji, and this title signifies a Muslim man who has completed the Hajj.

Similarly, a Muslim woman who has completed the Hajj is known as Hajjah.

The impact of Hajj continues even after he has made the pilgrimage.

So how do you think Iqbal might behave or think differently after the Hajj? You might want to pause the video.

Have a little think about that.

What I want you to do is discuss how do you think Iqbal might behave or think differently after the Hajj? Jacob might have said, "He might have felt his faith was stronger.

He might have prayed more." What do you think? Well, he describes the impact of Hajj here.

He says, "Every day on Hajj, I prayed for Allah to give the best in this world and in the afterlife.

I promised I would spend more time talking to God, and even a year later, I still do at least one extra prayer a day." So what I'd like you to do is just look at that statement that Iqbal has said there, and I want you to discuss it with other people, and I want you to decide what does Iqbal say he promised to do once he returned from Hajj? Think if you can think of maybe two sentences that he said, what can you pull out from what he said and think of two sentences that make sense? Well, you might have said Iqbal promised to spend more time with God.

And he still does an extra prayer each day, even after one year.

This is Mr. Rehman.

Mr. Rehman is another British Muslim who's recently completed Hajj.

So he's also a Hajji.

Like Iqbal, listening to him provides us with more information about the impact on Hajj.

What I'd like you to do is listen to Mr. Rehman, explain how he felt Hajj made a difference to him.

<v ->My name is Mr. Rehman</v> and I went on the Hajj a few years ago.

The impact that journey has had on me is quite profound because it's made me realise what a true Muslim would be.

It's made me think about what my life is all about and how I submit myself to God.

It's made my prayers feel more real because when I pray, I feel like I'm communicating with God, and that makes me feel more realistic.

And just overall, I feel like it's made me into a better person because it kind of makes me put everything into perspective and to understand what the important things are in my life, and for me, my faith is the most important.

<v ->I wonder if you can think of three things</v> that Mr. Rehman said about the impact Hajj had on him.

Well, Laura says, "It made him think about how he submitted himself to God." Jacob said, "He felt it made his prayers feel more real." And Izzy said, "He felt it made him into a better person." Let's have a true or false quiz.

Hajj does not have an impact on a Hajji when they return.

Is this true or false? And why? Pause the video, have a think.

True, false, explain why.

Yes, it's false, and the reason why it's false is that both Iqbal and Mr. Rehman both talked about how they had drawn closer to God and prayed more since they'd returned from Hajj.

So our task for this part of the lesson.

I want you to describe the impact that the Hajj pilgrimage might have on Muslims. And I want you to write me two sentences about the impact during Hajj, and write two sentences about the impact after Hajj.

And I've got some quotes there that might help you.

So, "I felt connected to the Muslim community, the Ummah." "It was like throwing all my sins away." "Hajj made me a better person." "I still do one extra prayer a day." So pause the video, have a think, put your thinking cap on, and write me four sentences about the impact on Hajj during Hajj, and the impact of Hajj after the Hajj.

I wonder what you've written.

Well, let's see what I've written and see if you've got the same.

Your answers could include, "The Hajj pilgrimage can have a huge impact on Muslims. For example, Iqbal said that the Hajj made him feel connected to the Muslim community, and that stoning the Jamarat was like throwing his sins away." You might have said something like, "When Muslims return from Hajj, it still has an impact.

Iqbal said that he still does one extra prayer a day, and Mr. Rehman explained that he felt Hajj had made him a better person." You might want to look at your sentences and share them with the person next to you and see if you've got the same.

Well, today we've learned quite a lot about what the impact of Hajj is on different people.

And for many Muslims, Hajj is a once in a lifetime experience.

It requires careful preparation and planning.

And Hajj has both a physical and spiritual impact on many Muslims' lives.

Hajj continues to have an impact on people's lives even after it's over.

And that listening to people's experiences can help us understand the impact of Hajj on their lives more.

I'm really pleased with the way you have worked today.

You've worked really, really hard.

And thank you so much for working with me.

Look forward to working with you again soon.

Bye for now.