3 - Pagan Origins of Muslim Ḥajj Sacrifice

Summary

Why do Muslim exegetes and jurists appropriate to their definition of the prescribed Ḥajj sacrifice what they report as being pre-Islamic pagan hunting activities? The Ḥajj rituals performed by Muslims outside of Mecca, from ʿArafāt to al-Muzdalifah and Mināʾ, closely parallel the ritualized hunt-like competitions reported to have been a part the pre-Islamic ḥajj at the Dhū al-Majāz fair. Specific rituals, exemplified by the practice of the prophet Muhammad, for acquiring, transporting, killing, and apportioning the sacrificial victim continue customs linked with pre-Islamic fertility rites. Certain hunting rituals, including the offering of wild animals to goddesses, are attested in epigraphic and archaeological evidence from pre-Islamic Arabia. Rock-art sites, ancient hunting grounds including kites and other natural traps, and the practices of modern pastoralists help to illustrate what Arabic Islamic sources describe as hunting rituals performed in and around Mecca.