The History of the Hajj

 

The Hajj did not begin with Prophet Mohammad, may Allah be pleased with him. In fact, for centuries before his birth, the people of Arabia made pilgrimage to the holy Kaaba in Mecca.
Most of the people who visited the Kaaba during this time were pagans and worshiped hundreds of different idols. But the Hajj did not start out as a pagan ritual.
The Kaaba was first built by the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) and his son Ismail (Ishmael), peace be upon them both. They built this structure to worship Allah, the only deity worthy of worship. The Kaaba is the first building devoted to the monotheistic worship of Allah alone.
After the construction of the Kaaba, Prophet Ibrahim would continue to visit the Kaaba every year. Initially, the people of Mecca followed Ibrahim and Ismail’s faith and worshiped Allah alone. But after the prophets died, and the city continued to grow, the original purpose of the Kaaba and the Hajj were forgotten.
The Hajj became a celebratory occasion, and the worship of Allah was replaced with the worship of pagan idols. The people of Arabia continued to make pilgrimage to Mecca and visit the Kaaba, but they did so only to make merry, commit immoral acts, and worship false deities.
Then Allah sent Prophet Muhammad to mankind with the message of Islam. After several years of struggle, Mecca was conquered by the Muslims, paganism was wiped, and the Kaaba was cleansed of all idols.
Prophet Muhammad reestablished the monotheistic qualities of the Hajj. Once again, the pilgrimage to Mecca was devoted towards the worship of Allah alone.

Souce : http://islamiclearningmaterials.com/hajj/