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In accordance with the command of Almighty Allah, the call for
Hajj, first given by Prophet Ibrahim or Abraham (peace be upon him), is
proclaimed every year, just as it has been proclaimed for the last 4,000
years. Using different means of transport, Muslims from all over the world
assemble on the Plain of `Arafat responding,
Here I am at Your service, O Allah; here I am. Here I am.
You have no partner; here I am. Verily, Yours alone is all praise and
all bounty and the dominion; You have no partner.
The Unifying Aspect of Hajj
Almighty Allah made us one Ummah so that we remain united in
His worship and obedience and thus receive His blessings and mercy.
Almighty Allah says,
(Verily, this Ummah of yours is one Ummah, and I am your
Lord, so worship Me (and no other).) (Al-Anbiyaa' 21:92)
The Shahadah, which we recite to proclaim our faith and tawheed
(belief in the Oneness of Allah), also establishes the bonds of brotherhood
among us. Thus, all our acts of worship promote and manifest this
brotherhood.
It is recommended that we pray in congregation. Also, we fast
together in the month of Ramadan. Above all, it is during the season of Hajj
that pilgrims from all over the world assemble in the same place and at the
same time donning pieces of cloth that are not sewn. Indeed, during this
season, the homogeneity and unity of the Ummah are manifested for all to
see.
This eliminates all distinctions of nationality, color, and
language. All differences are discarded, and all Muslims unite in worshiping
Allah. Even the rest of the Ummah joins those who are performing Hajj: They
recite special tasbeeh (acts of glorifying and praising Allah) after
obligatory Prayers between the 9th and the 13th of the month of Dhul-Hijjah.
During `Eid Al-Adha, Muslims worldwide offer their sacrifices, thus
associating themselves with the pilgrims.
This unifying aspect of Hajj impresses the rest of the world.
In his article on Hajj, Robert Bianchi stated,
Unique among the world's great pilgrimages, the hajj is in
many ways also the most important. Even compared to the ancient and
highly developed international pilgrimage systems of Christianity and
Hinduism, the hajj is remarkable in its doctrinal centrality, its
geographic focus, and its historical continuity. The size and global
coverage of the hajj are unparalleled. It regularly attracts one million
overseas pilgrims from virtually every nation. The combined contingents
form the largest and most culturally diverse assembly of humanity in one
place at one time
Like all other Islamic teachings, the rituals performed during
Hajj were prescribed to cement our relations and create solidarity. Prof.
Khurshid Ahmad (Research Scholar and Educationist) explains this aspect of
Hajj as follows:
One other unique aspect of Hajj is that it manifests the
unity of the Ummah and all of humankind as one family and tribe. It
eliminates all differences of color, race, language, nationality, social
status, and economic disparity. All believers in Allah gather together
from every corner of the earth for pilgrimage and Tawaf
[circumambulation] of the House of Allah. They live together like one
family under the leadership of an imam, reciting Talbiyah [prayer of
Hajj]. All outward coverings of culture and civilization are left
behind, and only godliness and humanity are presented as a model
Reaping the Benefits of Hajj
Why are we not able to reap the benefits of Hajj performed by
two million Muslims every year? We should seriously reflect on the reasons
behind our shortcomings. These, however, are not far to seek. We perform the
rites and rituals of Hajj, but the real soul has vanished. Many people go on
Hajj when they are in the last stages of their lives.
Many of those who perform Hajj are illiterate and unaware of
the revolutionary aspects of the teachings of Islam, whereas the acquisition
of knowledge is the prime duty of every Muslim, male or female. Thus, Hajj
is performed without a conscious effort that aims at understanding its
purpose and assimilating its true spirit. When all our acts of worship
become routine, soulless rituals and habits, there is no doubt that we will
not receive their full blessings and benefits.
After Hajj, a man came to see Junayd Al-Bughdadi (may Allah be
pleased with him). Al-Bughdadi asked the man, "When you said 'goodbye'
and left your home for Hajj, did you say 'goodbye' to your sinful life as
well?" The man said, "No."
Al-Bughdadi said, "During the journey, when you traversed
from one place to another, did you traverse toward the nearness of Allah as
well?" He replied, "No." Al-Bughdadi said, "When you
discarded your worldly clothes and entered intro ihram [state of
consecration], did you discard the imperfections of your life?" The man
answered, "No."
Al-Bughdadi added, "When you did Tawaf, did you see the
gracious beauty of Allah?" The man said, "No." Al-Bughdadi
asked, "When you did Sa`i [walking] between Safa and Marwah, did you
attain the safaa' [purity] and muru'ah [magnanimity]?" He replied,
"No."
Al-Bughdadi continued, "When you went to Mina, did your
worldly muna [ambitions] also cease?" The man replied, "No."
Al-Bughdadi said, "When you stayed in `Arafat, did you spend any time
in `irfan [knowing] of Allah?" He said, "No."
Al-Bughdadi asked again, "When you were slaughtering [the
sacrifice], did you slaughter your carnal self as well?" The man said,
"No." Then, Al-Bughdadi advised the man saying, "You really
did not make your journey of Hajj, as you did not experience and achieve the
things I have mentioned. Go back and do as I told you; only then, you will
reach Maqam Ibrahim [Station of Abraham]" (Kashf Al-Mahjub).
Thus, it is essential that we try to reawaken the consciousness
through teaching and guiding the masses so that they understand the real
message of Islam and mould their lives according to its teachings. It is
only through such efforts that the Ummah can retain its identity and attain
its unity.
Abul A`la Mawdudi (may Allah have mercy on him) in his book
"Let us be Muslims" noted,
Hajj [is a season] of reawakening and a rebirth for the
hearts and societies. Allah, All-Wise, Who gave us the Shari`ah, has
ensured that whatever adverse turn the world conditions may take and
however bad the times may become, nothing will ever succeed in erasing
the universal Islamic movement as long as the Ka`bah is there.
It was placed in the body of the Islamic world, just like
the heart of a human's body. As long as the heart beats, a person does
not die. In exactly the same way, this heart of the world draws blood
from its far-off veins and circulates the blood back into each and every
artery.
As long as this throbbing of the heart continues and as
long as this process of drawing the blood and circulating it lasts, it
will be impossible to end the life of this body of the Muslim Ummah,
however run-down diseases may have made it.
It is our misfortune that we neglect to benefit from this world
assembly of Muslims — Hajj. We can still revitalize and rejuvenate the
Ummah if we sincerely try to understand the significance of Hajj so as to
perform it with true spirit. We earnestly implore Almighty Allah so that He
may guide us to undertaking the mission of fulfilling the duties of this
Ummah. May He guide us to attaining success in this world and salvation in
the hereafter.
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