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By: Habib
Siddiqui Source: IslamiCity
No annual event on the face of
the globe, religious or
non-religious, compares to hajj
in terms of the sheer number of
participants, duration of the
event and the breadth of agenda.
In spite of this fact, it has
always remained equally
fascinating and mysterious to
not only non-Muslims, who are
barred from entering the holy
city, but also to millions of
Muslims, who had not performed
hajj.
What then is hajj? In essence,
hajj is man’s evolution toward
Allah; his return to Him. It is
a symbolic demonstration of the
philosophy of creation of Adam
Just as in any other good show
or movie or theatre-play, the
following conditions prevail in
hajj. Allah is the stage
Manager. The theme portrayed is
the actions of these main
characters – Adam, Haw’a (Eve),
Ibrahim, Hajera, Isma’il
Hajj is a duty unto Allah for
mankind, for him or her who can
find a way or means to get there
(Quran 3:97). It is not a tax on
your wealth, but a duty. Thus,
to qualify, you must be sane and
wise to understand what you are
getting into, and able-bodied to
go through this task, and
lastly, have the means or
resources to perform hajj.
The pillars of hajj are five
(1) ‘Ihram, (2) waiting at
‘Arafat, (3) Tawaf of the Ka’ba,
(4) sa’iy or running between the
Safa and the Marwa and (5)
cutting or trimming of hair.
Others are not pillars, although
some may require kaffara or
penalty, if not done. The person
who puts on the ‘Ihram or cloth
for either ‘Umrah (lesser
pilgrimage) or hajj (greater
pilgrimage) is called a Muhrim.
The months of hajj are the
three.
These are the Arabic months of
Shawwal, Dhul-Qadah and first
ten days of Dhul Hijjah. Thus,
one cannot put on Ihram before
Shawwal. Hajj and ‘Umrah are
performed in three ways – ifrad,
tamattu and qiran.
1.
Ifrad involves first performing
hajj and then Umrah.
2.
Tamattu is when one first
performs Umrah and then hajj,
both in the same year with some
break in between the two.
3.
Qiran is when one puts on the
‘Ihram with the intention of
combining both hajj and ‘Umrah
without any break in between the
two.
There are ten etiquettes of
hajj. These
are:
1.
Requite all wrongdoings and
satisfy all adversaries.
2.
Make provision for hajj from
one’s lawful wealth.
3.
Learn the pillars of hajj and
its ceremonies.
4.
Be kind and forbearing with
others, lest the reward be
nullified.
5.
Observe the obligations of
prayers and its statutes.
6.
Be open-handed, maintain the
poor and spend as much as he/she
is able to.
7.
At the station of ‘Arafat,
remember the Day of Judgment (Yawmil
Qiamat).
8.
Should not miss visitation of
the Prophet’s
9.
After return from hajj, one
should turn toward Akhirat
(Hereafter).
10.
One should remember his parents
and other close relatives who
have passed away with pious
prayers and make-up for them if
they could not fulfill their
obligations for hajj.
The steps of hajj are the
following:
Miqat – putting on ‘Ihram at
designated places with wudhu.
The show of hajj begins with
Miqat. At this point, the
participant must change his/her
clothes. Clothes show
individuality, status,
preference and distinction. They
create superficial barriers that
separate man from man. The
concept of “I” (and not “We”)
emerges which gives birth to
discrimination. At Miqat you
assume your original shape as a
“man”, just one of “children of
Adam” who will die one day. The
cloth of ‘Ihram is, therefore,
the anti-thesis to that
“individualism”, it is the kafan
(or burial shroud). You wear the
kafan, the two pieces of cloth,
just like everyone else. You
join the mass, the multitude and
become nothing or just a drop of
water in the ocean that has no
special identity of its own. An
atmosphere of genuine unity
prevails everywhere. It is a
human show of Islamic unity, it
is a show of universal
brotherhood. The bodies were
left in Miqat and the souls are
motivated here. This is the
beginning of your journey, your
voyage to nothingness. There is
no sex, no perfume, no shoes, no
sewn clothes and head covers for
men, no face mask, no cutting of
hair or nails, i.e., absolutely
no signs of aristocracy or
distinction. In the state of
Muhrim, you don’t even look in a
mirror to see your own image.
You don’t hunt any animal, you
don’t uproot any plant. So you
kill the tendencies of
aggression by being peaceful to
nature. You cease to remain or
behave as somebody. Hajj is a
movement to returning to Allah,
just as Allah says in the Quran:
Wa ilal-lahil maseer (24:42),
meaning, “Unto Allah is the
journeying.” All your selfish
egos must be buried at Miqat.
You witness your own dead body
and visit your own grave. By
sacrificing your individuality,
you focus on reality, the basic
purpose for which you were
created – that being a slave
unto Allah. Just as when you
would be buried in two pieces of
cloth, leaving behind all your
wealth and worldly belongings,
here in Miqat you practice a
dress rehearsal for that
inevitable event.
It is preferable that you enter
Makkah during the daytime.
Each step you take toward Ka’ba,
your heart pounds. The weight of
being close to Allah’s house
seems to get heavier and
heavier. You are endowed with a
mixed feeling of love and fear.
Love, because you have waited
this long to get here. Fear,
because you don’t know whether
you can endure the strain of
rituals of hajj, fulfill your
duty unto Allah and be born
again as an innocent human
being.
Make du’a (supplication) for
Ka’ba upon seeing it.
Remember this is the Baital
Haram – the Sacred House –
appointed by Allah (Quran 5:97).
This is the first house of
worship on the face of the
globe. It is to this house that
you face while praying. It is
also the direction in which your
face would be turned when you
are buried as dead. It is the
center of existence, faith,
love, unity and life. It has its
own history. It is called Baitil
Masabatal-lin-nass wa amana,
i.e., the House of resort for
mankind and a sanctuary (Quran
2:125). It is also called Baitul
Atiq – the Ancient House – in
the Quran (22:29). Ibrahim
You perform Tawaf
(circumambulation) of Ka’ba
seven times, unless it is time
for a regular prayer led by an
Imam, which you need to join
in.
Just as planets of our solar
system orbit around the sun, you
orbit around the world’s sun –
the Ka’ba, and become part of a
universal system. You
demonstrate your love for Allah
by making Tawaf around His
house. Tawaf should be started
from the corner stone – the
Black stone, Hajr al-Aswad –
with Ka’ba on the left. This is
where you make a contract to
join all the tribes of the
earth, and become like a drop of
water entering the ocean. The
moment of truth has come and you
must select your path, distinct
from those who had rejected
their Creator. Three of the
seven Tawafs must be at a faster
pace than normal walking. You
should try to touch the stone
with hand, and put your forehead
on it and then kiss it. By
touching the stone, you have
shown your allegiance to your
Creator, who had sent this very
stone from the heaven, so that
He could know your love for Him.
By touching the stone, you have
cut off all forms of allegiance
to anything other than Allah,
you have become free again from
servitude of men and this world.
During Tawaf, you become part of
the cosmos. You forget about
yourself. You are in love with
the symbol of unity and
servitude to Allah. You see
nothing but His symbols, the
Ka’ba and the Black Stone, Hajr
al-Aswad. By denying yourself
you have become a lover of Him
just like Hajera who migrated to
this land, barren and rugged,
without vegetation, without any
forms of subsistence, but with
complete reliance in Her Lord,
Allah Subhana Wa ta’Ala (SWT).
And Allah did not neglect either
her or her infant son. He
brought out the Jamjam well and
let people settle there, making
it the most important place in
the Arabian peninsula. Remember
that some rituals of hajj are,
in reality, a memory of Hajera.
Hijrah or migration is what
Hajera did. Any migration like
hers is a move toward
civilization.
During Tawaf, everyone encircles
the Ka’ba collectively. The
movement is of one unit and
there is no individual
identification of men or women,
black or white, red or yellow.
The movement has transformed one
person into the totality of a
“people.” All of the “I’s” have
transformed into “We,”
establishing the universality of
ummah with the goal of
approaching Allah. Likewise, all
your self-centeredness must go
and transform into self-denial
or ummah-centered activities.
Allah’s way is the way of the
people. In other words, to
approach Allah, you must first
approach people. That is why,
individual activities in Islam
are less meritorious than
collective actions. You step out
of the Tawaf cycle at the same
place you started after
completion of the seven orbits.
This is just like being
resurrected from the same spot
where you would be buried.
After Tawaf, perform two rakah
of prayer behind Maqam-e Ibrahim
in which you pray Surah al-Kafirun
in the first rakat and Surah al-Ikhlas
in the second.
Maqam is a very blessed place
for praying (Quran 2:125). It is
the nearest point to Allah. As a
matter of fact, there is no
place in this entire earth where
you get more reward than this
place for praying. The stone has
the footprint of Ibrahim
Run between the mountains – Safa
and Marwa – seven times,
starting with the Safa and
ending with the Marwa.
This is called Sa’iy. Literally
it means search, a movement with
an aim. It is depicted by
running and hurrying. Here you
act like Hajera, the mother of
infant Isma’il. She had no food,
no water, no shelter, neither
for herself nor for her child,
but only uncompromising,
relentless faith that the God of
Ibrahim
On the seventh day of
Dhul-Hijjah, after the Zuhr
prayer, Imam explains the
meaning of hajj and exhorts
people to go to the valley of
Mina (nearly six miles north of
Makkah) next morning after Fajr
prayer.
Visit and stay at Mina on the
eighth day (after arriving there
in the morning) till the next
Fajr (dawn prayer).
Go to ‘Arafat after sun has
risen on the ninth, stopping on
the way at Namirah and listening
to khutbah before Zuhr (mid-day
prayer).
Proceed to ‘Arafat (five miles
further north) and seek Allah’s
forgiveness there till Maghrib
(prayer after sunset).
‘Arafat literally means
knowledge and science. ‘Arafat
represents the beginning of
man’s creation, that of our
forefather Adam. It was shaytan
who misled our forefather by
whispering to him saying: “O
Adam! Shall I show you the tree
of immortality and power that
wastes not away?” (Quran 20:120)
He caused the downfall of Adam
and Haw’a (Eve). For years, they
were separated from each other
having descended at different
places. It was in ‘Arafat that
they met again. It was in a
small rocky hill of Jabal al-Rahma
in the center of ‘Arafat that
their sins were forgiven by
Allah. So, here in ‘Arafat, you
act like Adam
After sunset proceed slowly to
Muzdalifah (halfway between
‘Arafat and Mina) without
praying (Quran 2:198). However,
the Imams Abu Hanifah and Sufyan
al-Thawri (R) said it is
permissible to pray Maghrib
before reaching Muzdalifah.
Spend the night before Eid in
Muzdalifah. Pray Fajr early.
Collect pebbles there (70 per
person).
Muzdalifah is part of Mash’ar-ul-Haram.
Our Prophet Muhammad
Go back to Mina and throw seven
stones at Jamrat-ul Aqabah,
reciting Takbir each time. The
remainder 63 stones should be
thrown over the next three days
of Ayyam al-Tashriq (11th, 12th
and 13th of Dhul Hijjah) at a
rate of 21 stones per day. Every
day, throw the first 7 stones at
Jamarah near Mina, and the last
seven at Jamarat al-Aqabah,
located closer to Makkah.
The tenth day has arrived. This
is the day for sacrifice of
animal. You are armed with
weapons to fight Satan, the
enemy of your forefather, the
devil who tried to confuse
Ibrahim
Yet, Ibrahim
What did you expect? Did you
expect the son of Ibrahim
Qurbani or sacrifice an animal,
saying only Bismillah.
When both the father and the son
– Ibrahim and Isma’il
Ponder again. What was Ibrahim
Men should shave their head or
trim their hair, at least,
one-quarter of head. Women
should not shave their head, but
only trim slightly at the end of
the lock of a hair.
After the Qurbani (sacrifice) of
the animal, you have almost
completed the basic requirements
of hajj, so you can make an end
of your unkemptness (Quran
22:29). You have defeated Satan
but you may not have succeeded
in completely killing it. You
may have defeated him outside
but he comes back inside of you.
So, you should stay the next
three days in Mina and continue
with your battling of the Satan
at Jamarat.
After shaving or trimming the
hair, you should go to Makkah
and make the Tawaf of visitation
and run seven times between the
Safa and the Marwa. Then your
hajj is complete and you can
come out of ‘Ihram.
This is the latter tawaf of the
Ka’ba (Quran 22:29), performed
after you return from Mina. In
Mina, you have defeated Satan
and renewed your ties with Allah
by following the footsteps of
Ibrahim
In closing, let me quote from
Ali bin Uthman al-Jullabi al
Hujwiri’s (R) Kashf al-Mahjub. A
certain man came to Junayd
[al-Baghdadi] (R). Junayd asked
him whence he came. He replied:
“I have been to hajj.” Junayd
(R) said: “From the time when
you first journeyed from your
home have you also journeyed
away from all sins?” He said,
“No.” “Then,” said Junayd (R),
“you have made no journey. At
every stage where you halted for
the night did you traverse a
station on the way to Allah?” He
said: “No.” “Then,” said Junayd
(R), “you have not trodden the
road stage by stage. When you
put on the Ihram (pilgrim’s
garb) at the proper place did
you discard the attributes of
humanity as you cast off your
ordinary clothes?” “No.” “Then
you have not put on the Ihram.
When you stood on ‘Arafat did
you stand one instant in
contemplation of Allah?” “No.”
“Then you have not stood on
‘Arafat. When you went to
Muzdalifa and achieved your
desire did you renounce all
sensual desires?” “No.” “Then
you have not gone to Muzdalifa.
When you circumambulated the
Ka’ba did you behold the
immaterial beauty of Allah in
the abode of purification?”
“No.” “Then you have not
circumambulated the Ka’ba. When
you ran between Safa and Marwa
did you attain to the rank of
safa (purity) and muruwwat
(virtue)?” “No.” “Then you have
not run. When you came to Mina
did all your wishes cease?”
“No.” “Then you have not yet
visited Mina. When you reached
the slaughter place and offered
sacrifice did you sacrifice the
objects of sensual desire?”
“No.” “Then you have not
sacrificed. When you threw the
stones did you throw away
whatever sensual thoughts were
accompanying you?” “No.” “Then
you have not yet thrown the
stones, and you have not yet
performed the pilgrimage. Return
and perform the pilgrimage in
the manner which I have
described in order that you may
arrive at the station of
Ibrahim
May Allah grant us the vigor to
follow the dictates of hajj so
that this duty is acceptable
unto Him.
This essay is based on the book
– Hajj by Dr. Ali Shariati. |
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