A Sacred Invitation
The Hajj pilgrimage is a Pillar of Islam. This obligation upon every able-bodied Muslim is universal, reaching across the entire globe. The command is the same for the entire diversity of Islam, with its ever-widening range of ethnicity, nationality and position in society. It is the greatest gathering on earth, and at the same time an assembly of individuals. Regardless of a pilgrim’s origin, the call to Mecca is a sacred invitation to the House of Allah.
Caliph Harun Al-Rasyid
Abbasid Dynasty
763-809 AD / 146-193 AH
Biography
The Abbasid Caliph Harun Al-Rashid was born at Rayy, Iran in 763 AD / 146 AH. He was the son of Caliph Al-Mahdi and Khayzuran, originally a slave girl from Yemen, who was later freed. She played a significant role during the reigns of her husband and her son. Harun Al-Rashid was raised at court under the supervision of a personal tutor, Yahya Ibn Khalid Barmakids. The Barmakids were a noble Persian family that provided strong support for the Abbasid dynasty. Harun Al-Rashid ascended the throne in 786 AD / 169 AH, after the death of Caliph Al-Hadi.
Extracted from the book: En Route to Mecca – Pilgrims’ Voices Throughout the Centuries
Publisher: Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia
(This book is published in conjunction with the En Route to Mecca: Pilgrims’ Voices Throughout the Centuries exhibition, launched in October 2009.)
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