Read Journeys, chapter 11

Read Dialogue, chapters 20, 22

The Hajj and the Eucharist

Introduction

Yusuf was a government official in our town in Somalia. He had a terrible temper. When he went on the pilgrimage to Mecca, the town was hopeful that when he returned with the new name, Hajji, his temper would be gone. Alas, he came back with his temper still working over time.

1. The Hajj

1.1 Every Muslim is to go on a pilgrimage to Mecca if possible.

1.2 The pilgrimage takes place during the time of the Feast of Sacrifice (‘Id al-Adha).

1.3 The pilgrimage commemorates the three prophets of Islam who Muslims say established the true worship of Allah at the Ka’bah.

• Adam: the first prophet
• Abraham: the second prophet
• Muhammad: the final prophet

1.4 Themes within the pilgrimage give special attention to the plight of Hagar and Ishmael when they left Abraham’s home. The sacrifice and eating of goats at the climax of the pilgrimage is commemoration of the Muslim belief that Ishmael was saved from death by the substitutionary sacrifice of a ram (Saaffat :Those Ranged in Ranks 37:107).

1.5 All pilgrims dress the same; they all worship in Arabic; they all circle around the Ka’bah.

1.6 Muslims believe that the black stone within the Ka’bah is a sign of God’s covenant with all true believers. It is a sign of His guidance (Islam) that God has sent down.

2. The significance of the pilgrimage

2.1 Every pilgrim returns home with a new name: Hajji or Hajjiah.

2.2 All pilgrims go to the same geographical center and worship in the same language and way.

2.3 All pilgrims are equal before God and one another for all dress the same.

2.4 The pilgrimage binds Muslims to the unchangeableness of Islam the same faith and guidance revealed to Adam, Abraham, and Muhammad.

2.5 The pilgrimage celebrates what they believe was the beginning of the Muslim nation through the events surrounding Abraham and Ishmael.

2.6 The pilgrimage also commemorates the significance of the black stone for the Muslim movement, as they believe, beginning with Adam.

3. The Christian Eucharist (communion)

3.1 Christians regularly partake of broken bread and a cup of juice in their worship together, remembering the crucifixion of the Messiah.

3.2 They gather for this eucharistic meal in hundreds of thousands of congregations worshiping in several thousand languages around the world.

3.3 There is no cultural, language, or unity of worship pattern in the Eucharist, yet the meal unites Christians in grace, fellowship, and joy.

4. The significance of the Eucharist

4.1 It is a time for confession of sin and receiving of forgiveness.

4.2 It is a commemoration of the Messiah’s crucifixion and sacrificial death for our forgiveness and salvation.

4.3 It is a reminder that the Messiah will return again and bring to fulfillment His kingdom. It is a looking forward with hope and expectation.

4.4 It is a celebration of the bonds of unity created through the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit within the Church.

4.5 It is a commitment to go forth and serve as the Messiah served within our broken world.

4.6 It is a joyful receiving of God’s boundless grace in Christ Jesus our Lord.

4.7 It is a celebration of and recommitment to the Messiah who stands in the midst of the Church wherever two or three meet in his name.

4.8 The Eucharist is a celebration of the gift of salvation: sins forgiven, adoption into the family of God as sons and daughters of God, abundant life now and eternally, living within the shalom of God, the fullness of the Holy Spirit, redemption, and new life in Jesus.

4.9 The Eucharist is an expression of worship, not as a duty, but as a right and joyous relationship with God through Christ and in the joy of the Holy Spirit; it is the fellowship of breaking bread and eating together, participating in the fullness of life we have in Jesus who is the breath of life.

Conclusion

• Both the Hajj and the Eucharist invite believers to come together in a pilgrimage. But the nature and meaning of the pilgrimages are very different.
• The Hajj is a commitment to submission to God’s guidance sent down to prophets of the past at the Ka’bah. The Hajj remembers that a ram was sacrificed as a substitute for shmael.
• The Eucharist is a celebration of God’s grace and forgiveness in Christ who gave His life for our salvation. The Eucharist remembers that Christ is the Lamb of God who was took our place on the cross, and therefore we are redeemed from death.
• As Christians we invite Muslims to consider this question: Why did God provide a ram as a substitutionary sacrifice for a son of Abraham? Isn’t this a sign? We believe that sacrifice is a sign pointing to Jesus, who is the Lamb of God who took our place on the cross.
• There is a yearning for the Eucharist within Islam: Maida: The Table 5: 112-115. The disciples of Jesus beseech Him to bring a table from heaven, and Jesus replies that the table is provided!