Hajj

Hajj, or HADJ, from an Arabic word meaning 'pilgrimage,' emphatically the pilgrimage to the Kaaba (q.v.) or black stone in the great mosque at Mecca, which every Mohammedan whose means and health permit is bound to perform once at least in his life (see MECCA). The hajj once performed, the pilgrim never omits to prefix the proud title of Hajji to his name. Those who are incapacitated through bodily infirmity from performing the holy journey themselves may send a substitute, who acts as their representative in almost every respect, but this substitute has no share whatever in the merits and rewards belonging to the Hajj. Members of the Greek and Armenian churches who perform the pilgrimage to Jerusalem are likewise known as Hajji.