millions of pilgrims from all over the world will be converging on makkah in the coming days. they will retrace the footsteps of millions who have already made the spiritual journey to the valley of makkah since the time of adam.
hajj literally means "to continuously strive to reach one's goal." it is the last of the five pillars of islam. (the other four are a declaration of faith in one god and in prophet muhammad, the five daily prayers, offering regular charity, and fasting the month of ramadan.) pilgrimage is a once-in-a-lifetime obligation for those who have the physical and financial ability to undertake the journey.
hajj is essentially a reenactment of the rituals of the great prophets and teachers of faith. pilgrims symbolically relive the experience of exile and atonement undergone by adam and eve after they were expelled from heaven. they also retrace the footsteps of hajar as she ran between the hills of safa and marwah, searching for water for her thirsty baby. lastly, the pilgrims also commemorate the willingness of abraham to sacrifice his son for the sake of god. god later substituted a ram in place of abraham's son.
yet, hajj is more than these rituals. the faithful hope that it will bring about a deep spiritual transformation, one that will make him or her a better person. if such a change within does not occur, then the hajj will be merely a physical and material exercise devoid of any spiritual significance.
as all great religions teach, we are more than mere physical creatures in that we possess an essence beyond the material world. indeed, this is why all great religions have a tradition of pilgrimage. in the islamic tradition, hajj encapsulates this spiritual journey toward this essence.
the current state of affairs — both within and outside the muslim world — greatly increases the relevance of some of the spiritual and universal messages inherent in the hajj. as islamic scholar ibrahim musa asks rhetorically, "after paying homage to the two women eve and hajar in the rites of pilgrimage, how can some muslims still violate the rights and dignity of women in the name of islam? is this not a contradiction?"
indeed, the qur'an teaches:
[i will not waste the work of a worker among you, whether male or female, the one of you being from the other.] (aal `imran 3:195)
clearly, the white sea of men and women side by side performing tawaf around the ka`bah should lay to rest any claim that islam, as opposed to some muslims, degrades women.
the fact that millions of muslims transcending geographical, linguistic, level of practice, cultural, ethnic, color, economic, and social barriers converge in unison on makkah, attests to the universality of the hajj. it plants the seed to celebrate the diversity of our common humanity. pilgrims return home enriched by this more pluralistic and holistic outlook and with a new appreciation of their own origins.
one of the most celebrated western pilgrims is the african-american civil rights leader el-hajj malik el-shabbaz, more commonly known as malcolm x. the man who was renowned for preaching that whites were "devils" — especially the blond, blue-eyed ones — profoundly reassessed these views during the hajj. this transformation, of course, sealed his break with the black nationalist movement of the nation of islam.
contrary to the teachings of the nation of islam, he concluded that islam encompassed all of humanity and transcended race and culture. malcolm x later said, "in my 39 years on this earth, the holy city of makkah had been the first time i had ever stood before the creator of all and felt like a complete human."
in makkah, he discovered himself mixing with, "fellow muslims, whose eyes were the bluest of blue, whose hair was the blondest of blond, and whose skin was whitest of white." malcolm x was so inspired by what he witnessed, that, in letters to friends and relatives, he wrote, "america needs to understand islam, because this is the one religion that erases from its society the race problem."
upon returning to america, he embarked on a mission to enlighten both blacks and whites with his new views. malcolm x understood that in order to truly learn from the hajj, its inherent spiritual lessons must extend beyond the fraternal ties of muslims to forging a common humanity with others.
in fact, as part of the spiritual experience, the pilgrimage links people across religions through a past shared by several abrahamic traditions. this combined with the islamic teaching of the common origin of humanity holds out much hope. indeed, the qur'an teaches:
[we created you from a single pair of a male and female (adam and eve), and made you into nations and tribes that you may know each other. the most honored of you in the sight of god is the most righteous of you] (al-hujurat 49:13)
this is a great celebration of the differences and, at the same time, the unity of all of humanity.
another essential spiritual message of the hajj is one of humility to god and his supremacy and control over all. the multitude of people and their inner beliefs and practices are all to be judged by god and god alone in his infinite wisdom and full knowledge. indeed, as the qur'an insists, [let there be no compulsion in religion, truth stands out clear from error.] (al-baqarah 2:256)
the result of a successful hajj is rich inner peace, which is manifested outwardly in the values of justice, honesty, respect, generosity, kindness, forgiveness, mercy, and empathy. and it is these values — all attributes of god almighty — that are indispensable to us all if we really want to get along in this world.
muslims believe that islam is not just a religion; rather, it is a comprehensive way of life. thus its articles and deeds of worship serve as a long term and short term training for its followers on how to conduct themselves in life.
in every worship there is wisdom and it just needs some reflection and meditation to explore the hidden secrets. of all the five main deeds of islam, hajj stands on its own as a unique act of worship by all merits.
aspects of worship
when we look into hajj, we will discover that it gathers all other meanings inherent in the other acts of worship. the testimonial of faith is an action of the tongue that represents it submitting to almighty allah and accepting his lordship of this universe.
prayer is an action that represents paying some of your time and effort to show your submission to almighty allah and dedication to him. it also represents a small meeting of a congregation of the larger muslim nation five times everyday to celebrate their unity on that small level.
zakah is a representation of sacrifice. people sacrifices some of their money to show that they trust the reward of allah and prefer it to all the gains of the world.
muslims give to show solidarity with their brothers and sisters and their care for their want and need, to show that they are not enslaved by money. rather, they use it for the benefit of the society and the welfare of the community.
fasting is another representation of avoiding certain things which are allowed at other times as a token of showing devotion to allah and sharing the sufferings of the poor and the needy as well as training oneself on how to control one's desires and lead one's body towards spiritual refinement.
hajj: five in one
if we look into hajj, we will discover that the previous four main deeds are represented in this last one as if hajj is the culmination and compendium of all islamic deeds.
in hajj, one's heart and tongue shows submission to allah when one intends to go out and take up such a beautiful journey. your tongue starts stressing the will of your heart when you utters the talbiyah (the announcement of answering) which is chanted by all pilgrims from all parts of the world in the same wording and the same amazing tone:
labbayka allahuma labbayk, labbayka la sharika laka labbayk innal hamda wan ni`mata laka wal mulk la sharika lak.
here i am o my lord, here i am. i am answering the call testifying that there is no associate with you. truly, all praise is due to you, all blessings are coming from you, the whole dominion belongs to you. truly, there is no associate with you!.
we can also see the essence of prayer represented in every action of hajj as muslims will be praying beside the ka`bah and while in tawaf (circumambulating the ka`bah) they avoid engaging in speech or any form of talk and confine themselves to the remembrance of allah and using certain words of supplication in the same way they do in normal prayer.
as you intend to go to hajj, you realize that there is a financial responsibility to be taken, for you have to pay a certain amount of your money or savings towards the making of that journey; something that requires sacrifice and resembles zakah in many aspects.
here, people are actually sacrificing their money, time and effort, which represents again and again a combination of the wisdom of prayer and zakah at the same time.
above all, hajj is the time when a male pilgrim is not allowed to wear perfumes, sewn clothes, pluck or trim any of his hair as if he is in another form of fasting avoiding what is originally allowed as a token of full obedience and total devotion to the lord.
a pilgrim shows allah that he, or she, is able to relinquish all types of worldly pleasure and lead some type of rough and serious life if allah wants him or her to do so.
in addition to this, hajj is the season when muslims meet with their fellow muslims to celebrate the sense of belonging to one nation and to discuss the issues that concern all of them and glorify almighty allah in congregation.
personal reflections
we still have more to say about hajj as i have had a personal experience in going to hajj in 2001. in fact, the experience of hajj is unique in an indescribable way.
imagine yourself stepping on the same land where prophet muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) used to step and going through valleys and mountains wherein he used to receive the divine revelation.
it gives you another perspective of how much he and his companions did suffer in order to get this message communicated to us in its most perfect and purest form.
it happens a lot that we hear about things but when we see them with our own eyes, it places us in a different atmosphere.
when you go to the mountain of hira', you realize that this is the same place where the prophet used to seclude himself from the whole world for one month every year. it is the place that witnessed the revelation of the first words of the qur'an and the appearance of the arch-angel gabriel.
when you move in the sacred mosque of makkah and remember abraham and his son ishmael, you can feel the true meanings of sacrifice and how a father left his newborn with his weak mother in that barren piece of land.
hajj is a journey into history as well as a planning for a future. it is a journey of spiritual and intellectual rebirth.
coming back from hajj, a person comes with new ideas and perspectives, learns new things and practices new things like humbleness and unity. people come back as clean and pure as the day they were born.
in fact, if i want to dedicate pages and spend ages writing about hajj, i am sure it will not be even sufficient.
therefore, i leave it here and call upon anyone who wants to realize how precious that experience is to go ahead and take up the journey and then write to us about their feelings and the impact it left on them.
i am sure everyone will get new meanings and perspectives.
no doubt, hajj is a golden opportunity to have one’s sins forgiven, one’s soul refined, and one’s heart filled with iman and tranquility. the one who performs hajj is supposed to be a model for others after returning. he or she is to recall throughout the year the matchless experiences gained in hajj.
in response to your question, dr. sabri `abdur-ra’ouf, professor of islamic comparative jurisprudence, at al-azhar univ., states:
we should stress the fact that those whom allah favored to perform hajj and `umrah, should be thankful to allah (glorified and exalted be he) who has chosen them from among his servants to perform these acts of worship, and they should implore almighty allah to accept their good deeds. that is very important, for it reflects their belief that being so favored by allah to accomplish the task of traveling to the sacred land to perform hajj and `umrah is a favor that deserves gratitude to allah.
we also urge the pilgrim, after returning from the sacred land, to keep his mind and soul attached to allah, remembering him constantly because almighty allah says, (and when ye have completed your devotions, then remember allah as ye remember your fathers or with a more lively remembrance…) (al-baqarah 2: 200)
the new hajji should be very keen to avoid evil and shameful deeds especially after allah has obliterated them and forgave all his sins, as a reward of performing hajj. this is based on the hadith in which the prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “the reward of hajj mabrur (the one accepted by allah) is nothing but paradise.” he also said, "(the performance of) `umrah is an expiation for the sins committed between it and the previous one.” (reported by muslim)
therefore, it behooves every hajji to forward due gratitude to allah for being chosen to perform those acts of worship and, at the same time, to beseech him for acceptance.
we advice such a person, upon returning home, to be conscious of allah (glorified and exalted be he) when performing all what allah has obligated him to do of the other worships such as salah (prayers), zakah, fasting, dutifulness to his parents, visiting kith and kin, being charitable and benevolent to allah’s creatures, experiencing the etiquettes of islam, taking the morals of the qur’an as a model and the like of what the muslim should do.
the reason for all what we have said above is that the more hajj is considered an honor and a blessing, the more it entails responsibility on which man will be asked concerning on the day of judgment in case he misbehaves after returning from hajj. almighty allah says, (lo! allah enjoineth justice and kindness, and giving to kinsfolk, and forbiddeth lewdness and abomination and wickedness. he exhorteth you in order that ye may take heed. fulfill the covenant of allah when ye have covenanted, and break not your oaths after the asseveration of them, and after ye have made allah surety over you. lo! allah knoweth what ye do.) (an-nahl: 90-91)
the epitome of this is that this worship (hajj) is obligated once in lifetime. so, the pilgrim should take that as a golden opportunity which he will make use of for the rest of his life, reminiscing about the sacred places and all rituals (of hajj), for that will strengthen his faith and help him to obey allah.
