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Imagine a place full of throngs of different colors and
races from around the globe. They are all full of sincere love toward one
another. Can you think of such a place in today's world? If not, then you
have to see Makkah and Madinah during the season of Hajj.
At this time of the Hijri year, Millions of Muslims who
can afford the journey flow, flee, and fly to Makkah to perform the rites of
Hajj and seek Allah's forgiveness. In a magnificent scene, the rich and the
poor, the black and the white, and the famous and the unknown all stand,
walk, move, supplicate, and pray at the same time while wearing the same
simple attire of Hajj. They perform Hajj; free of arrogance and other heart
diseases.
If you take a picture showing an aerial view of the
Ka`bah during the season of Hajj, you will see that Muslims move in the same
direction around the centre, which is the Ka`bah. Tawaf (circumambulation
around the Ka`bah) proves that people can unite; they can forget their
disputes and work together toward global peace and prosperity.
During the journey of Hajj, many benefits can be reaped.
One of these benefits is that pilgrims are introduced to other peoples and
cultures. In the Qur'an, Almighty Allah says,
(O humankind,
surely We have created you of a male and a female and made you nations
and tribes that you may know one another; verily the most honored of you
in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you; surely Allah is
Knowing, Aware.) (Al-Hujurat 49:13)
Indeed, this notion can make differences among people
vanish.
When the late civil rights activist Malcolm X witnessed
this unique gathering of Hajj in 1964, he described his feelings by saying,
Never have I witnessed such sincere hospitality and
overwhelming spirit of true brotherhood as is practiced by people of all
colors and races here in this ancient holy land, the home of Abraham,
Muhammad, and all the other Prophets of the Holy Scriptures.
For the past week, I have been utterly speechless
and spellbound by the graciousness I see displayed all around me by
people of all colors. There were tens of thousands of pilgrims from all
over the world. They were of all colors — from blue-eyed blondes to
black-skinned Africans. But we were all participating in the same
ritual, displaying a spirit of unity and brotherhood that my experiences
in America had led me to believe never could exist between the white and
nonwhite.
If you ponder for a while over the main reason behind
that harmony among pilgrims, your heart will tell you that it is because
those people gather to declare their total submission to the Creator of the
universe.
The heavenly atmosphere surrounding the gathering of
pilgrims gives hope to humanity that all humans can unite despite their
differences. They can live together in peace despite their conflicting
interests. They can love one another despite their different needs.
Almighty Allah, Who commanded Prophet Abraham (peace be
upon him) to proclaim Hajj unto humankind, is the One Who can unite all
people. In the Qur'an, Almighty Allah says,
(And united their
[i.e. the believers'] hearts; had you spent all that is in the earth,
you could not have united their hearts, but Allah united them; surely He
is Mighty, Wise.) (Al-Anfal 8:63)
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.
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