Salam alikum brother.
As I understood from the introduction, you are European, so in hajj do you actually feel yourself as being as a European or a Muslim, and Muslims at the pilgrimage are your family and society?
Answer
Aleikum assalam my brother
AlHamduLillah,
It has always been one of my greatest feelings to walk around in the big ocean of brothers and sisters and actually tell myself that all these fine people from all over the world, who have come solely for worship of Allah, are all my brothers and sisters.
By the endless grace of Allah, I have traveled very extensively throughout my life, and as such I feel as much a world-citizen as a European or even as a Danish.
Wa assalam
Abdul Wahid
Name
sajeda - house wife
-
Profession
Question
brother Wahid,In hajj how do you communicate with your friends, neighbors? And do you notice any kind of solidarity from your non-Muslim friends, either after or before performing the hejj?.
Answer
Assalamu aleikum sister
By the endless blessings of Allah, I do speak Arabic, which surely helps a lot in Mecca and Medina among the locals as well as among a lot of the visitors. And I get along in a few other languages too.
There is a lot of curiosity towards Islam here among the non-Muslims. Many people find it highly fascinating that so many Muslims gather every year with the sole purpose of worship. Especially here in Northern Europe, where religion generally is at a very low.
Wa assalam
Abdul Wahid
Name
Jaleel
- Kuwait
Profession
Designer
Question
Dear scholar,
I would appriciate if you could answer my following question, Basically im travelling from kuwait to indian in few days before eid and since im taking part in Eid Qurabani ( Goat Sacrifice ) ..ia'm i allowed to trim my hair and nail on the day of travelling ( it comes within 10 days of eid ) please clarify. jazakallah khair
Answer
Assalamu aleikum
Actually I am not a scholar, but just a simple da'i, but as far as I know clipping of nails or trimming of beard or hair is prohibited for the person wearing Ihram. Not for the person not wearing Ihram. And as you are not at Hajj, and therefore not wearing Ihram, I could see no reason why there should be any particular restrictions.
Wa assalam
Abdul Wahid
P.S you could also contact Shari'ah department for further information
Name
Zerah
- United Kingdom
Profession
Question
Sure you now the mechanism of integration, as being a Muslim integrated in a non-Muslims one, but how did you live the experience of being a European integrated in a Muslim Community and integrated with Arab societies?
Answer
Assalamu aleikum
Actually I have not tried to "become an Arab", as I see it as part of the great plan of Allah that He makes more and more Europeans Muslims. It is His choice that we are raised as Europeans and He gives us guidance to the truth, so we also have to be true to the reality that Allah has given us, and remain what we are, but taking on Islam at the same time.
But being very much with Muslims from all over, and having traveled the World extensively, I find it rather easy to blend into the cultural dimension of my fellow Muslims from most parts of the World.
Wa assalam
Abdul Wahid
Name
Jalal
-
Profession
techncian
Question
Mr. Pedersen
How do you manage the long vacation taking to perform el hajj , and the very hectic life style of Europe?
Answer
Assalamu aleikum
AlHamduLillah,
Allah has blessed me with a situation, where I am my own "boss", and as such I can take out time, when I want. But I know that people here often get the permission for leave from ordinary jobs, since the employers recognize the importance of Hajj for Muslims. So normally it works out quite well.
Wa assalam
Abdul Wahid
Name
hadil-Denmark
-
Profession
Question
I guess you've performed hejja, was it your best trip ever? And did you face any kind of criticism from your non muslim friends, if yes how do you over come these critics?
Answer
Assalamu aleikum
Yes, by the endless blessings of Allah, I have been a few times for Hajj. The first time I saw the Ka'bah, was a tremendous experience, where I broke down crying and I could not stop my tears for a long time. As a Danish man, it was a strange feeling, as the custom here is that men over 15 don't cry, and truly I had not cried for many years. And here I was at the age of 32 crying like a child at the sight of a building. That was for me an extraordinary happening.
I did not face any criticism from non Muslim friends. Only curiosity.
Wa assalam
Abdul Wahid
Name
Whed jassar
-
Profession
Question
how do you use your being imam in the pilgrimage? Or you feel their as you are just Muslim not imam or any other employee?
Answer
AlHamduLillah –
I am just there as the servant of Allah.
Actually also in my everyday life, as I am not an academic, but simply a popularly elected Imam. So it is not a paid position, and it is not a position, that I have studied for years to achieve. It is a responsibility put on by the community, and as such, I have only been appointed to serve Allah by serving His servants. And that, of course, is even stronger felt in that holy place.
Wa assalam
Abdul Wahid
Name
suliman imar
-
Profession
Question
- How do you transfer your hajj experience to your Muslim students, friends and neighbors, do you encourage them to go for this trip? Or do you tell them about the lessons you've learned there?
And had any non-Muslims had been inspired to embrace Islam after lessening to a hajj experience?
Answer
Assalamu aleikum
Yes, I certainly try to convey my experiences from Hajj to everybody else, and this coming Friday my khutbah will be on this issue, in sha Allah.
And by the endless grace of Allah, we have great numbers of new people coming to Islam in Denmark. I don't know what is the decisive trigger for each one of them, but last year I had 86 people come through my office to take shahadah, and this year the number is more than 50. So even in Denmark is known for its insulting drawings of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, it is also a country great for da'wah.
Wa assalam
Abdul Wahid
Name
Hedaia Jassmin
-
Profession
Question
as-salam. there are many Muslims who perform hajj every year, do you find that that’s there right, or they should donate this money to shelters or poor Muslims? As some European Muslims might face financial problems
Answer
Assalamu aleikum
Yes, I certainly try to convey my experiences from Hajj to everybody else, and this coming Friday my khutbah will be on this issue, in sha Allah.
And by the endless grace of Allah, we have great numbers of new people coming to Islam in Denmark. I don't know what is the decisive trigger for each one of them, but last year I had 86 people come through my office to take shahadah, and this year the number is more than 50. So even in Denmark is known for its insulting drawings of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, it is also a country great for da'wah.
Wa assalam
Abdul Wahid
Name
Imam
-
Profession
Engineer
Question
Shei'kh Abdul Wahid, what is the image of non-Muslims on Muslim hajj, do they have wrong stereotypes?
Answer
Assalamu aleikum
It is not possible for me to answer this question, as there are billions of non-Muslims, who could all hold different opinions.
When I look at my fellow-countrymen, they generally have a natural curiosity towards this great event. Mostly they find it difficult to relate to the fact that people travel in such big numbers simply for worship.
But I do not have the impression that the majority of them have a stereotype image of what is going on. They simply stand in awe of the occasion.
Abdul Wahid
Name
Editor
-
Profession
Answer
Dear visitors,
The session has ended. We would like to thank Mr. Abdul Wahid Pedersen for taking the time to answer your questions and we apologize for not being able to accommodate all the questions within the time allocated to this session.
We request our readers to join us in the upcoming sessions.
