https://journal.hzrc.ac.ir/ Hajj and Ziarah Research Journal en daily 1 Sun, 22 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0330 Sun, 22 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0330 https://journal.hzrc.ac.ir/article_718123.html In situations where a child’s performance of Hajj harms the parents, the parents are not permitted to prevent the child from fulfilling the obligatory Hajj. However, this situation necessitates a careful examination of the rulings related to the performance of recommended (non-obligatory) Hajj, Umrah, and the implications of delaying the obligatory Hajj under such circumstances. While there is a consensus among jurists that an adult child does not require parental permission to perform the obligatory Hajj, and harming parents does not nullify the obligation of performing Hajj but may affect its immediacy, scholarly opinions differ regarding the necessity of parental consent—permission of the father or both parents—for undertaking the recommended Hajj by an adult child. According to the predominant view among jurists, parental permission—whether from the father, the mother, or both—is not a prerequisite for an adult child to undertake the recommended Hajj. However, in cases where the performance of the recommended Hajj results in harm to the parents, it is commonly held that causing harm to parents precludes the actualization of the recommended Hajj and thereby renders it invalid. Nevertheless, it appears that the validity of an adult child’s recommended Hajj is not contingent upon the absence of parental harm. Rather, the recommended Hajj remains valid, and if its performance or its preparatory stages result in harm to the parents, the adult child is deemed to have committed a sin. This perspective allows for combining the permissibility of the recommended Hajj and the prohibition of causing harm to one’s parents, as the prohibition of the recommended Hajj in the case of harming the parents pertains to an external factor not intrinsic to the essential elements, conditions, or characteristics of the act of worship. Furthermore, contrary to the widely accepted opinion of jurists that the permission of a legal guardian is a necessary condition for children to perform Hajj, and given that Hajj performance is not inherently a financial act, it may be argued that the performance of recommended Hajj and Umrah by a child, like their other acts of worship such as prayer and fasting, does not require their guardian’s authorization. https://journal.hzrc.ac.ir/article_719076.html Historical cemeteries are a manifestation of "history and civilization", "identity" and "the right to dignity of the survivors and the buried". Therefore, they have been given importance in various legal systems and numerous legal rules have been considered for the purpose of preserving and protecting historical cemeteries and access to them. Accordingly, the main issue of this article is to examine the historical area of ​​Baqi as one of the historical tombs of importance from various aspects in the light of comparative law standards and legal behaviors and rules established in different countries. This descriptive-analytical article has finally reached the conclusion that the protection of historical cemeteries and the criminalization of their "destruction and desecration" in different countries indicate a continuous and non-fluid custom in different systems. Also, several principles are required for Baqi, including the "right of access and easement", "participation of stakeholders in the management of Baqi" and "prevention of harmful use of this land". https://journal.hzrc.ac.ir/article_717964.html Among the hadiths concerning the practice of grave visitation, a limited number of narrations suggest that the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) initially prohibited such visits. These include hadiths such as, ‘Whoever visits graves is not from us,’4 and ‘I only forbade you from visiting graves’5—narrations that some Wahhabi scholars have invoked to challenge the legitimacy of grave visitation, portraying it as an abandoned practice and incompatible with the tradition of the predecessors. Conversely, there are numerous hadiths indicating the permissibility of grave visitation and suggesting the abrogation of the aforementioned narrations. Employing a library-based research method and drawing upon Sunni hadith sources, while examining the documentary and textual evidence of the aforementioned narrations, this study seeks to address several key questions: What is the status of the transmission and authenticity of the aforementioned prohibitive narrations? How are these narrations positioned within Sunni hadith literature? What are the opposing narrations that indicate their abrogation? And by what means can this abrogation be proven? The findings of the study indicate that not only do the prohibitive narrations suffer from documentary weaknesses, but they have also been conclusively abrogated, as evidenced by the clear and authoritative contradictory narrations within Sunni sources. https://journal.hzrc.ac.ir/article_720296.html Throughout the history of Islamic territories—and particularly in Iran—the Hajj has held significant political and governmental dimensions. Muslim rulers, who positioned themselves as custodians and enforcers of Sharia, sought not only to fulfill their duties but also to enhance their legitimacy through their engagement with the institution of Hajj. From the early stages of their conversion to Islam, the Ilkhanate actively organized pilgrimage caravans to Mecca, utilizing the Hajj for both political and economic gain. However, the decline of the Ilkhanate dynasty and the ensuing period of political fragmentation in Iran adversely affected the organization and execution of the Hajj. With the rise of the Timurid dynasty, renewed emphasis was placed on the political and economic potentials of the Hajj. In the context of inter-Islamic rivalries, the Hajj occasionally assumed the character of a sensitive and decisive phenomenon. The pilgrimage of Hajj thus became a platform for asserting influence and prestige among competing Muslim powers. This study employs a descriptive-analytical approach to investigate the political and economic functions of the Hajj during the period extending from the fall of the Ilkhanate to the end of the Timurid era. The findings suggest that, beyond its role in legitimizing rule, the Hajj served multiple purposes, such as distributing information, providing personal safety, skipping from courtly intrigues, enabling commercial exploitation along pilgrimage routes, and transferring provisions and endowments to Mecca. https://journal.hzrc.ac.ir/article_717963.html Hajj represents a strategic act of worship within Islam, revered by all Muslims. Its elevated status and the collective recognition that it commands provide a unique opportunity to foster unity among the Muslims and to lay the foundations for a transnational Islamic civilization. Within this framework, Ayatollah Khamenei has consistently emphasized the critical importance of practicing the principle of “coexistence” during the Hajj pilgrimage. Among many essential prerequisites for achieving genuine coexistence, according to narrations and verses, one can refer to proper negligence and awareness. This article employs a content network analysis approach to examine the core themes embedded in Ayatollah Khamenei’s recent discourses on Hajj—particularly over the past two years, amid heightened discourse surrounding the temporary suspension of the pilgrimage. By integrating these thematic insights with references to hadith literature and narrative sources, the study explores the conceptual and practical dimensions of coexistence articulated in the Supreme Leader’s statements. The findings identify six key dimensions: the meaning, depth, scope, consequences, obstacles, and prospects of coexistence within the context of Hajj. https://journal.hzrc.ac.ir/article_719073.html Hajj is not merely a personal act of spiritual devotion but a profound collective experience that transcends national, ethnic, and cultural boundaries, fostering a shared identity among its participants. From the perspective of cultural communication theory, Hajj is understood as a transformative experience with significant implications for Muslim identity formation. Within this theoretical framework, Hajj functions as a cultural discourse wherein both individual and collective identities undergo processes of transformation. This article adopts a descriptive-analytical methodology, utilizing the lens of intercultural communication theory to investigate the role of the collective Hajj experience in shaping the cultural and social identities of Muslims. Through an analysis of both verbal and non-verbal forms of interaction among pilgrims, the study illustrates how shared religious rituals and intercultural encounters contribute to the development of solidarity, empathy, and a unified Islamic identity. The findings suggest that Hajj extends beyond its function as an individual act of worship; it serves as a dynamic platform for intercultural exchange, fostering tolerance, mutual understanding, and reinforcing common elements of identity across diverse ethnic and national backgrounds within the Muslim ummah.                        https://journal.hzrc.ac.ir/article_721989.html Religion provides mechanisms for the realization of social justice by providing moral values ​​and identity by strengthening the sense of collective belonging. In Islam, social justice is considered one of the fundamental principles and core values. Islam considers justice as a criterion for regulating social, economic, and political relations between individuals and institutions. Islamic religious teachings place special emphasis on eliminating inequalities, supporting the oppressed, and fairly distributing resources, and consider the implementation of social justice to be a religious and moral duty for Muslims. As one of the largest Muslim gatherings, Hajj has an extraordinary capacity to strengthen social justice in various dimensions. This ritual, emphasizing equality, unity, and spirituality, can lead to a strong impetus for creating social and economic changes. In this article, using the documentary data collection method and qualitative analysis method, we seek to answer the question of what solutions exist in Hajj to influence the establishment of social justice in Islamic societies. Based on the findings of this research, Hajj offers solutions to influence the establishment of social justice through five mechanisms: identity-religious, socio-political, individual, communicative, and economic. https://journal.hzrc.ac.ir/article_731251.html The rituals of Hajj, one of the fundamental pillars of Islam, have always held a special place in the religious and social unity of Muslims. However, the performance of these rituals during the early Abbasid Caliphate (132-232 AH) faced serious threats and security crises such as banditry, armed rebellions, religious and political conflicts, as well as environmental crises including drought and outbreaks of contagious diseases, which jeopardized the safety of pilgrims and the stability of the Hijaz region. The primary objective of this study is to identify, analyze, and explain the various dimensions of these challenges and to examine their security impacts on the order and public safety of the Hajj rituals. To achieve this goal, a library-based methodology combined with a descriptive-analytical approach has been employed; accordingly, by collecting and reviewing credible sources, the events, causes, and consequences of the security threats to Hajj have been described, assessed, and analyzed. The results indicate that these crises and disturbances related to the Hajj rituals during this period not only endangered the physical and financial security of the pilgrims but also weakened the political cohesion of the Caliphate, leading to repeated interruptions in the performance of the rituals and increased costs related to travel and securing the Hajj. https://journal.hzrc.ac.ir/article_731252.html Pilgrimage (ziyarah) among Muslims—similar to many other religions—is regarded as a devotional act and a means of attaining closeness to God, with the most prominent example being the Hajj. Within the Muslim community, it is particularly the Twelver Shi‘a who, by emphasizing the visitation of their religious leaders and saints, have given this practice distinctive importance. Given the wide range of sacred sites available to a Shi‘a believer, a central question arises: what criteria and factors shape the choice of a pilgrimage destination? To address this, the present study, employing a descriptive-analytical method with a historical approach, examines and identifies the key components that determine the prioritization of pilgrimage sites. The findings indicate that the selection of a pilgrimage destination is influenced by a combination of internal and external factors. Among the internal criteria are the spiritual status of the religious figure being visited and the perceived oppression or martyrdom associated with them. The external factors, on the other hand, consist of economic, geographical, and social considerations, such as financial capacity, distance and difficulty of travel, risks of the journey, and environmental insecurities. These external constraints, as acknowledged by religious texts, significantly affect the pilgrim’s decision-making process. Furthermore, such limitations often direct pilgrims toward alternative forms of maintaining spiritual connection, including proxy pilgrimage (ziyarah by representation), remote pilgrimage, and virtual pilgrimage. These practices serve as adaptive mechanisms that allow believers to sustain devotional ties even when physical travel is restricted. https://journal.hzrc.ac.ir/article_731720.html Abstract Pilgrimage, as a central form of religious experience, contributes not only to individual spiritual development but also to identity formation and social cohesion in Islamic cities. Recent physical expansions, however, have distanced pilgrimage sites from the principles of Islamic urbanism, reducing the quality of pilgrims’ experiences. A phenomenological approach, focusing on the pilgrim’s lived experience and their relationship with the sacred space, is therefore essential for both theoretical understanding and practical urban planning. This study aims to identify the phenomenological components of pilgrimage within the framework of Islamic urbanism and examine how the experiential and meaningful dimensions—across the three pillars of the pilgrim, the sacred site, and the pilgrimage phenomenon—can inform the development of Islamic urban frameworks for pilgrimage sites. The research is fundamental and qualitative, employing an analytical–interpretive method, with data collected through documentary and library-based studies. Findings show that the phenomenological components of pilgrimage can be organized into three main pillars: the pilgrim, including individual motivation, religious beliefs, hospitality, social interactions, negative experiences, and self-awareness; the sacred site, encompassing spatial meaning, geometry and abstraction, transitional spaces, symbolic markers, connection with nature, centrality, and authenticity; and the pilgrimage phenomenon, including ritual practices, knowledge of the Imam, existential transformation, intercession, ethical commitment, and connection with collective memory. https://journal.hzrc.ac.ir/article_732682.html The present study aims to systematically analyze the message of the Supreme Leader to the 403rd Hajj Congress, considering the specific conditions of the contemporary world, especially Muslims. This message is examined with the central signifier of the spread of the doctrine of exemption from polytheists in Hajj to Islamic societies, and attempts to provide a comprehensive understanding of the position of the central signifier and its peripheral radius in the space of civilizational conflict and discursive hostility in four layers from the level of the text to its cognitive depth. Now the basic question is how can exemption from enemies be spread among Muslim nations and states? The authors, using a descriptive-analytical method based on library resources, present an example of the method of discourse analysis in a message, including words, propositions, clauses, logical flow, connection between sentences and clauses, to provide a general insight manifested in the text and the sequence of practical effects on it, and the aim is to explain the current duties of Muslims against enemies. The research findings are the spread of absolution from enemies through the pilgrims' messages, the generalization of hatred of enemies among Muslims, and the elevation of the social precedent of the Hajj rituals, which, by focusing on the teachings of Islam and emphasizing commonalities, can provide the necessary capital to support the Palestinian cause and prevent the excesses of common enemies. https://journal.hzrc.ac.ir/article_732762.html The timing of Hajj performance (imtithāl) following the realization of capability (istiṭā‘ah) has long been a subject of contention among jurists. Relying on the apparent import of certain texts and claiming consensus (ijmā‘), the majority of jurists advocate for “Religious Urgency” (fawriyyah shar‘iyyah). This implies that delaying Hajj is not merely risking the loss of the obligation but is inherently detested by the Lawgiver and religiously unlawful. Conversely, this study employs a descriptive-analytical method and a critical re-examination of the jurisprudential corpus to test the hypothesis of “Rational Urgency” (fawriyyah ‘aqliyyah). The findings indicate that the threefold evidence (the Qur’an, the Sunnah, and Reason) fails to establish a religious restriction necessitating immediate performance. A meticulous analysis of six categories of relevant narrations—including those threatening death as a Jew or condemning procrastination (taswīf)—reveals that the language of these texts either addresses the “principle of discharging the duty before death” or emphasizes the “special importance” of this religious pillar; they do not denote a devotional prohibition of delay, provided there is assurance of continued life. Furthermore, the claims of consensus and the practice of the pious (sīrah) were deemed to lack independent probative value due to the probability of being based on existing textual evidence (madrakī). Ultimately, by distinguishing between the “religious obligation to hasten” and the “rational necessity of preventing loss,” this study adopts “Rational Urgency” as the preferred view. This conclusion, while preserving the exalted status of Hajj, resolves the practical impasses faced by pilgrims in the contemporary era. https://journal.hzrc.ac.ir/article_733659.html Victor Turner’s theory of communitas, with its emphasis on solidarity, equality, and collective unity, has exerted a profound influence on anthropological studies of pilgrimage. Nevertheless, contemporary research demonstrates that the broad and uncritical application of this theoretical framework lacks sufficient explanatory power to account for the full range of dynamics and complexities observed in actual pilgrimage settings. Adopting a critical review of the literature, this article re-examines the concept of communitas within pilgrimage studies and argues that Turner’s classical formulation privileges an egalitarian and cohesive experience while paying comparatively limited attention to conflict, social differentiation, and the persistence of hierarchical structures.The analysis is organized around three interrelated axes: (1) the tension between structure and anti-structure in the pilgrimage experience; (2) the simultaneity of solidarity and conflict in pilgrim interactions; and (3) the role of power relations, institutional control, and ritual management in shaping experiences of communitas. Drawing on critiques by scholars such as Alan Morinis, Michael Sallnow, John Eade, and Simon Coleman, the article demonstrates that pilgrimage cannot be understood merely as a homogeneous arena of social solidarity, but rather as a multilayered and context-dependent field in which communitas emerges alongside tension, competition, and the reproduction of social inequalities. https://journal.hzrc.ac.ir/article_734233.html This study undertakes a typological and historical analysis of the evidence concerning the presence of non‑Muslims or the prohibition of their entry into prominent mosques during the Umayyad era (41–132 AH). The central problem of the research is to determine at what levels, with which functions, and under the influence of what political and social contexts such presence occurred, and how it relates to later jurisprudential formulations regarding the sanctity and boundaries of mosques. Accordingly, the main research question is formulated as follows: What pattern do the historical sources reveal with regard to the presence of, or restrictions on, non‑Muslims in prominent Umayyad mosques? The study adopts a descriptive–analytical method, drawing on data collected from primary historical, narrative, geographical, and architectural sources. After assessing the reliability of the sources and their historical contexts, the evidence is analyzed through a fourfold typology comprising technical–architectural, administrative–bureaucratic, scholarly–discursive, and military forms of presence. The findings indicate that throughout most of the Umayyad period, the presence of non‑Muslims in prominent mosques was largely realized through the first three types, whereas military presence was coercive, exceptional, and normatively condemned. This pattern reflects the fluid and pragmatic nature of historical practice in the Umayyad era, without implying jurisprudential authority for that period. By contrast, an examination of developments from the late first century AH onward shows that, particularly through the policies of ʿUmar b. ʿAbd al‑ʿAzīz, a normative framework prohibiting entry gradually emerged and became institutionalized in mosque jurisprudence. https://journal.hzrc.ac.ir/article_734237.html این مقاله با هدف واکاوی دیپلماسی حج جمهوری اسلامی ایران در پرتو توافق ۲۰۲۳ با عربستان سعودی و پیامدهای آن برای گفت‌وگوی ادیان، با اتکا بر چارچوب نظریه «قدرت نرم» جوزف نای انجام شده است. پرسش محوری آن چگونگی بهره‌گیری ایران از این توافق برای سرمایه‌گذاری مجدد در قدرت نرم از طریق سه منبع فرهنگ، ارزش‌های سیاسی و سیاست خارجی است. پژوهش حاضر با روشی تحلیلی-توصیفی و با استفاده از داده‌های اسنادی و میدانی، به بررسی این موضوع می‌پردازد. یافته‌ها نشان می‌دهد توافق ۲۰۲۳ با تبدیل حج به عرصه‌ای برای اعمال قدرت نرم، امکان فعال‌سازی مجدد این سه منبع را فراهم کرده است. در بعد فرهنگی، از ظرفیت نمادین حج برای نمایش فرهنگ ایرانی-شیعی استفاده شده؛ در بعد ارزشی، گفتمان‌سازی حول وحدت اسلامی و عدالت‌خواهی صورت گرفته؛ و در بعد سیاست خارجی، دیپلماسی میدانی و هنجارسازی به افزایش مشروعیت بین‌المللی ایران انجامیده است. در نهایت، این موفقیت دیپلماتیک، جایگاه ایران را در گفتمان درون‌اسلامی تقویت کرده و زمینه را برای ایفای نقش مؤثرتر در گفت‌وگوی بین‌الادیانی هموار ساخته است. https://journal.hzrc.ac.ir/article_734238.html Al-Masjid al-Nabawi in the Prophet’s time was not merely a place of worship for Muslims; it functioned as a multi-purpose institution for guidance, social engagement, interfaith dialogue, and the governance of the emerging Islamic polity. One of the most striking manifestations of this role is the Prophetic practice in responding to the presence of non-Muslims within the mosque. Employing a historical-analytical approach and drawing on primary sources of early Islamic history and sīrah, this study addresses the following question: How did the Prophetic practice employ al-Masjid al-Nabawi as a focal point for guidance and for the cultural–political engagement of non-Muslims? The findings indicate that, through a deliberate and guidance-oriented policy, the Prophet (peace be upon him) managed the presence of polytheists, People of the Book, and tribal delegations in the mosque, using this space as a platform for invitation to Islam, dialogue, the communication of the Islamic message, and the consolidation of political order. This practice reached its height in the ninth year after the Hijrah, known as the “Year of Delegations” (ʿĀm al-Wufūd), when dozens of delegations from various tribes and groups entered the Prophet’s Mosque: many embraced Islam, while others, maintaining their faith, remained within frameworks of security and peaceful coexistence. These historical indications suggest that, in the Prophetic model, al-Masjid al-Nabawi became an active bridge between Islam and non-Muslims, playing a fundamental role in the spread, consolidation, and institutionalization of the Islamic community and polity.