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Lifelong
Hajj
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By
Mahmoud Isma`il Shil*
and Nahid Al-Kharashi** |
2005/01/11
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There
is no doubt that the rituals of Hajj are limited in number,
well-known to many of the pilgrims, and so desirable that each
pilgrim is keen on performing them as perfectly as possible,
without any single fault or blemish, seeking the pleasure,
forgiveness and mercy of Almighty Allah.
The
journey of Hajj takes only a few days, after which, the pilgrim
returns to worldly deeds, and facing the greater inner challenge.
Therefore, the pilgrim who is keen on the best performance of Hajj
should prepare himself for the period following Hajj and accept
such a challenge, so that his performance of Hajj may affect the
various aspects of his life.
This
is undoubtedly much more difficult than the performance of the
rituals of Hajj itself. Such a challenge lies in the fact that
Islam does not want a Muslim’s relation with the meanings and
values of Hajj to end once the uniform of ihram has been taken
off. Rather, Muslims should maintain the meanings and moral values
of Hajj throughout the rest of their lives, and this is the
eternal, everlasting Hajj, through which a Muslim takes off the
clothing of ihram, yet moves from an apparent, external state of
ritual devotion to an inner, spiritual one, which is indeed the
real state of ihram.
Once
pilgrims put on the clothing of ihram, they abstain from many
worldly aspects of life; they pay more attention to their manners,
they lower their gaze, give up backbiting and gossiping, and
control their desires and habits. Thus, they become completely
different persons, who try hard to spare themselves the evils of
their own selves and the vices of their materialistic hearts,
which negatively affect manners, deeds, and improvement.
Here,
some difficult questions arise:
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Have
the pilgrims continued to observe the previously mentioned
morals and values after taking off the clothing of ihram?
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Have
the pilgrims entered a state of moral ihram in terms of
behavior and manners?
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Have
the pilgrims entered a state of ihram heart and soul?
If
so, then they are surely on the right track, for they have been
able to move from the external Hajj to the internal one—really
becoming lifelong performers of Hajj. If not, then they have to
reconsider the above questions until they feel that the great
journey of Hajj has begun to bear its desired fruits and they
begin to venerate such a great religious obligation and hold it in
proper esteem.
In
order to answer the abovementioned difficult questions, pilgrims
have to observe the following after performing Hajj:
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Pilgrims
should be mindful of Allah, heart and soul, even concerning
worldly deeds, so that all deeds are dedicated to the pleasure
of Almighty Allah. This is because the pilgrim who is mindful
of Allah during ihram should be the same after the performance
of Hajj.
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Pilgrims
should keep on praising and thanking Allah, seeking His
assistance to achieve spiritual improvement and remain in good
relations with Him, the Almighty.
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Pilgrims
should realize that Almighty Allah is watching at all times,
as if they are still in the clothing of ihram. In this way,
they do not return to sinful ways after Hajj. The pious, true
Muslim never thinks of how insignificant the sin is, but how
Great the One being disobeyed is!
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Pilgrims
should fear Allah and be mindful of Him after performing Hajj
through being good to their relatives, implanting love,
mercifulness, affinity, and sense of responsibility in their
hearts, for the pilgrim will be questioned by Allah about them
all.
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Pilgrims
should work well after performing Hajj and coming back to
their worldly lives, for the Messenger of Allah (peace and
blessings be upon him) said, “Allah
likes that when anyone of you does something (or work) he does
it well.”
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Pilgrims
should be good to their neighbors, colleagues, friends, and
everyone; so that they all realize that performing Hajj has
had a great, positive effect on the pilgrim’s manners,
behaviors and attitudes.
Pilgrims
should be good to their parents, for Almighty Allah says: [Say
not ‘Fie’ unto them nor repulse them, but speak unto them a
gracious word] (Al-Israa’ 17:23). Pilgrims should
also pray for them, as Almighty Allah says: [And say: ‘My
Lord! Have mercy on them both as they did care for me when I was
little’] (Al-Israa’ 17:24).
Pilgrims
should observe the rights and etiquettes related to streets and
adopt the civilized Islamic values regarding them.
Pilgrims
should show high moral standards, patience, gentleness, and
leniency toward friends, colleagues and acquaintances, for the
Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said,
“The believer who associates with people and forbears their
wrongdoing is better than the believer who neither associates
with people nor forbears their wrongdoing” (Imam Ahmad).
Dear
pilgrim, while performing Hajj or `Umrah, you were mindful
of Almighty Allah as regards all your deeds and actions, so do not
deprive yourself of the reward of venerating Almighty Allah for
the rest of your life. Bear in mind that if you succeed “to
worship Allah as if you can see Him, for even though you cannot
see Him, He sees you,” as the Prophet (peace and blessings
be upon him) says, then you have perfected your faith. Thus, your
performance of Hajj becomes an everlasting one that shows in every
act of obedience you perform. Seeking the pleasure and nearness of
Almighty Allah, you will become a performer of lifelong Hajj,
Allah willing.
*
Editor of the Shari`ah Special Pages at IslamOnline Web site **
Islamic author and directorate member of the Scientific Academy
for the Qur’an and Sunnah Research |
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