The Hajji

1. The Hajji • To become a Hajji, a muslim must perform the Hajj • The Hajj is a journey to Mecca, the holy city of Islam • Before you go on a Hajj you must get your affairs at home in order • The Hajj will enable you to get a better place in the afterlife • You can perform the Hajj for yourself or for someone else

2. The Hajj Every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so is obliged to make the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in his/her lifetime. The government of Saudi Arabia issues special visas to foreigners for the purpose of the pilgrimage, which takes place during the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah. Entrance to the city itself is forbidden to non-Muslims, and the entire city is considered a holy site to Islam.

3. Preparations • Travel in groups to lower costs • Women must travel with males. • Male pilgrims are required to dress only in an ihram, a garment consisting of two sheets of white unhemmed cloth, the top draped over the torso and the bottom secured by a belt; plus a pair of sandals . • Female pilgrims traditionally wear a simple white or black dress with a headcovering. • While the pilgrim is wearing the ihram, he may not shave, cut his nails, or wear jewelry.

4. Mena

5. Haram

6. Performing the Hajj • Perform a tawaf, which consists of circling the Kaaba four times at a hurried pace, followed by three times, more closely, at a leisurely pace, in a counter-clockwise direction.

15. You contact a company to sacrifice an animal for you. They let you know by phone when the sacrifice was made.

16. After the sacrifice, men and women cut their hair shorter.

17. Gimra The final ritual is to stone three pillars. You use seven stones for each pillar. The pillars represent the devil and his work in their lives.

18. After stoning the devil, many male pilgrims will then shave their head; women may cut off a lock of their hair. This is a symbol of rebirth, signifying that the pilgrim's sins have been cleansed by the completion of the Hajj.

19. settee A long wooden bench with a back. A small or medium-sized sofa.

20. Jarring bell To make or utter a harsh sound

21. frowned in a contemplative manner Deeply, often wistfully or dreamily thoughtful. Suggestive or expressive of melancholy thoughtfulness

22. discovered novel inadequacies Strikingly new, unusual, or different Not adequate to fulfill a need or meet a requirement; insufficient. new shortcomings in his wife

23. salient inadequacies Worthy of notice; significant.

24. confabulating with her sister To talk casually; chat.

25. Gujarati The Gujarati language is a language spoken in India and Pakistan, mostly in and around the Gujarat state. A Gujarati can refer to any speaker of that language.

26. crimson sandals A deep to vivid purplish red to vivid red

27. urgent, supplicating • To make a humble, earnest petition; beg.

28. His earlier vexation The act of annoying, irritating, or vexing. The quality or condition of being vexed; annoyance. A source of irritation or annoyance.

29. cohabit To live together in a sexual relationship, especially when not legally married.

30. excoriating humiliation Strong, harsh, like tearing your skin off Hassen was extremely humiliated when his brother left. He felt that his brother was ashamed of them, their family. It is all about Hassen's feelings.

31. white Herrenvolk • A master race. The white people felt they were superior to the other races.

32. intransigence • refuse to change. Hassen realizes that by refusing to accept his brother, he is spoiling his spirituality. He is undoing the forgiveness he received during the Hajj.

33. decrepit broken down busses.

34. muezzin The crier who calls the faithful to prayer five times a da

35. minaret • A tall slender tower attached to a mosque, having one or more projecting balconies from which a muezzin summons the people to prayer. • After prayers and after reading from the Koran, Hassen feels good again. He feels he can go on with his life and it is not necessary to forgive Karim. He feels he can keep on hiding this "unfinished business" in his life.

36. accentuated • emphasize, stress:

37. tentative • Uncertain, not sure what he must answer. • Hassen is so influences by Catherine's presence that he forgets how much he hates Karim. He is willing to change his opinion about Karim.

38. recalcitrant • stubborn: Hassen says it is not easy for him to forgive Karim even though Catherine says she is the one to blame. If Catherine is the one to blame, then Hassen has no reason to hate Karim and Hassen has been hating the wrong person all his life. Karim did not leave, Catherine made him leave.

39. culpable • be guilty of something: Hassen finds it difficult to think of Karim as not guilty. • He also does not think that although Catherine says she is guilty, that he can blame Catherine for Karim leaving. • It seems as if Hassen prefers to blame his brother.

40. exuded • smell given off: In the car, Hassen is overwhelmed by Catherine's beauty and perfume. • Catherine to him is businesslike while Salima is cowlike and fat. • He admires Catherine for her beauty. • Sees Karim because of Cathering. • Hassen should forgive Karim because he wants to, not for someone else.

41. emaciated • extremely thin • Karim is very ill. • There is almost nothing left of him. • This is his deathbed. • Hassen is overcome with emotion and promises Karim he will help him. • Karim feels at peace

42. parlour • room where people talk sit and relax • They imply Hassen had a sexual visit with Catherine.

43. transfixed • your attention is fixed on something as if under a spell.

44. raucous • Rough-sounding and harsh: raucous laughter • The white boys in the lift taunts Hajji Hassen. • The laughter hurts Hassen.

45. seminary • A school, especially a theological school for the training of priests, ministers, or rabbis.

46. penitentiary • A prison • Hassen thinks of his youth with Karim, the fun they had. • He thinks of the pain he felt when Karim left. • He felt the same way in the lift when the white boys taunted him. • It was as if Karim was taunting Hassen because Hassen was Indian and Karim white. • Hassen is ashamed of who he is and places that feeling of shame on Karim and the white boys.

47. pliability • can change easily. • Hassen is disgusted with himself that he allowed • Catherine to change his mind. If nothing else, at least Hassen has his principles to stand on and he almost changed that.

48. feel you are worthy of respect. self-respect. Feel you must be respected because you have an important position Hassen's dignity is his position as a Hajji. He is proud that he stayed with his family and did not change into a white. If he accepts Karim it will look as if he accepts what Karim did and the fact that Karim rejected them. According to him Karim lives in sin an as a Hajji, he cannot be associated with sin. Ironically Hassen sins by not forgiving Karim. dignity

49. depreciated • To lessen the price • Hassen is not going to allow this incident with Karim to change him into a lesser person. • He is not going to allow Karim to depreciate his value as a Hajji.

50. prodigious effect • great effort • With a great effort Hassen shakes of the influence Catherine had over him and decides not to help his brother.