An Abrahamic Hajj Tradition Accepted by the Qur'an: Qalaid

Abstract

The Abrahamic tradition that the Arabs value most was ha jj: The hajj, which means to visit Ka`ba was the greatest means of getting closer to Allah. The Ka`ba was the house of Allah. And the visitors of the Ka`ba were Allah's guests. For this reason, the Arabs used to great respect to the visitors and they never used to attack a man in the harem (the area around the Ka'ba). The same respect included visitors' travels to the Ka`ba. There were two Abrahamic traditions that ensured the safety of visitors and sacrifices: Haram months and qalaid. Baram months were Dhu l-Qa`dah, Dhu l-Hijjah Muharram and Rajab. And the Arabs did not used to attack anyone in those months. For visits outside the haram months, the visitors used to use the qalaid as a primitive visa. Qalaid is the plural of the word qilada, meaning necklace. The Arab, who saw the qiladas, used to understand that the person who wore the qilada wanted to go to the Ka`ba or had returned home from the Ka`ba. Qiladas used to be knitted from wool ropes and they used to be hung on animals' neck or humps. Sometimes horseshoes used to hang on these qiladas. On the way back from Ka`ba, the barks of the harem trees used to hang on the qiladas instead of the horseshoes. The Qur'an orders Muslims not to disrespect the qiladas. This order also reveals that the Qur'an recognizes the qilada tradition. Allah's Apostle (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) and Sahaba are also known to continue this tradition.