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The Greatest Day – Today Is The Day Of Hajj

Today is the day of Hajj. The climax of the journey, which pilgrims have been waiting for months, or even years. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Hajj is Arafah.” (An-Nasaa’i)

Religion completed
Allah perfected His religion and completed His favor upon us on this day.

A Jew came to Umar Ibn Al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) and said, “O Ameer Al-Mu’mineen, there is a verse in your Book which you recite; if it had come to us Jews, we would have taken that day as an Eid (festival).” Umar said, “Which verse?” He said:

“This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion.” (Qur’an, 5:3).

Umar said, “We know on which day and in which place it was revealed to the Prophet (peace be upon him). It was when he was standing in Arafah on a Friday.”

Allah’s oath
Furthermore, Allah, Almighty, took an oath by the Day of Arafah in the Qur’an. Allah does not swear by anything except that it has a great virtue or importance.

“And by the witnessing day (i.e. Friday), and by the witnessed day (i.e. the Day of ‘Arafah)” (Qur’an, 85:3)

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The promised day is the Day of Resurrection, the witnessed day is the Day of Arafah, and the witnessing day is Friday.” (Tirmidhi – classed as Saheeh by Al-Albani)

Fasting today
Fasting on this day is an expiation of sins of two years.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) was asked about fasting on the Day of Arafah. He said, “It expiates the sins of the previous year and of the coming year.” (Saheeh Muslim)

Fasting is recommended for those who are not performing Hajj. It is not Sunnah for the pilgrims to fast on the Day of Arafah, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) did not fast on this Day in Arafah. It was narrated that he forbade fasting on the Day of Arafah, while being in Arafah.

The covenant
Allah took the covenant from the progeny of Adam on the Day of Arafah.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Allah took the covenant from the loins of Adam in Na’maan, i.e., Arafah.

“And (remember) when your Lord brought forth from the Children of Adam, from their loins, their seed (or from Adam’s loin his offspring) and made them testify as to themselves (saying): ‘Am I not your Lord?’ They said: ‘Yes! We testify,’ lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection: ‘Verily, we have been unaware of this.’ Or lest you should say: ‘It was only our fathers afortime who took others as partners in worship along with Allah, and we were (merely their) descendants after them; will You then destroy us because of the deeds of men who practised Al-Batil (i.e. polytheism and committing crimes and sins, invoking and worshipping others besides Allah)?'” (Qur’an, 7:172-173)”

(Ahmad – classed as Saheeh by al-Albani)

There is no greater day than this and no greater covenant than this.

Freedom from Hell
Today is the day of forgiveness, freedom from the fire of Hell.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “There is no day on which Allah frees more people from the Fire than the Day of Arafah. He comes close and expresses His pride to the angels, saying, ‘What do these people want?'” (Saheeh Muslim)

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Allah expresses His pride to His angels at the time of Isha on the Day of Arafah, about the people of Arafah. He says, ‘Look at My slaves who have come unkempt and dusty.'” (Ahmad – classed as Saheeh by al-Albani

HAJJ – The Fifth Pillar of Islam

ALLAH’S Command to Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him):

“and announce among people about (the obligation of) Hajj, so that they should come to you on foot, and on every camel turned lean, traveling through every distant hilly pathway, so that they witness benefits for them, and recite Allah‘s name in specified days, over the provision He gave them from the cattle. So, eat thereof and feed the distressed, the poor. Then, they must remove their dirt, and fulfill their vows, and make Tawaf of the Ancient House. Having said that, whoever observes reverence of the things sanctified by Allah, it is good for him with his Lord. And permitted to you are the cattle, except those mentioned to you through recitation (of the verses). So refrain from the filth of the idols and refrain from a word of falsehood, standing upright for (the obedience of) Allah, not ascribing any partner to Him. Whoever ascribes a partner to Allah, it is as if he falls down from the sky, and either the birds snatch him, or the wind drives him away to a far off place. Having said that, if one observes the sanctity of the symbols of Allah, then such things emanate from the piety of the hearts. And for you there are benefits in them (the cattle) up to a specified time. Then their place of sacrifice is by the Ancient House.”
[ALLAH’S Quran – 22:27-29]

May ALLAH, The Exalted, Accept the Hajj of All of His Slaves who have traveled on Foot, by Sea or by Air, from all corners of the Globe.

The Levels of Hell

There are variations in the degrees of heat in Hell, and in the levels of punishment which Allah (swt) has prepared for its inhabitants; there is not just one level.

As Allah says:
“Verily the hypocrites will be in the lowest depths [grade] of the Fire” (4:145)

It is said that both Paradise and Hell have different levels; the lower the level in Hell, the greater the intensity of the heat. The hypocrites will suffer the worst punishment, and so they will be in the lowest level of Hell.

Allah (swt) refers to the levels of Paradise and Hell in the Qur’an:
“For all there will be degrees [or ranks] according to what they did” (6:132)

“Is then one who follows [seeks] the good pleasure of Allah like the one who draws on himself the Wrath of Allah? His abode is Hell – and worst, indeed, is that destination! They are in varying grades with Allah, and Allah is All-Seer of what they do”. (3:162-3)

‘Abdur-Rahmaan ibn Zayd ibn Aslam said, “The levels of paradise go up and the levels of Hell go down” [Ibn Rajab, at-Takhweef min an-Naar, p.5]. It was reported from some of the Salaf that the sinners amongst the monotheists who enter Hell would be in the first level, the Jews would be in the second level, the Christians in the third level, the Sabians in the fourth level, the Magians in the fifth level, the polytheist Arabs in the sixth level and the hypocrites in the seventh level (1) Some books give names to these levels: the first is called Jahanam, the second Ladhaa, the third al-Hutamah, the fourth as-Sa’eer, the fifth Saqar, the sixth al-Jaheem, and the seventh al-Hawiyah.

There is no proof for this division of the inhabitants of Hell or the names that have been attributed to the various levels. The truth is that all of these names – Jahanam, Ladhaa, al-Hutamah, etc – are alternative names by which Hell in its entirety is known, and they are not applied to one part or another of it. It is also known that people will be placed in different levels of Hell according to the extent of their kufr and sins.

The Meaning Of Love In Islam

It is so common that the meaning of love has been restricted in the modern age to the love relationship between a man and a woman. This is a very narrow-minded view of love. Islam has is own comprehensive view of love.

The fist type of love that Islam calls for is the Love of Allah, praise be to Him. This love makes you avoid committing sins in order not to make whom you love, Allah, get angry with you. This love also urges you to contemplate all the different aspect of nature that usually lead you to have a deeper faith in the Creator who created all this beauty round us.

The second type of love is the love of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). This love also makes you follow the example of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in all his dealings and manners. Also this love is an indication of the love of Allah as stated in the Holy Qur’an, “Say: ‘If you do love Allah, Follow me: Allah will love you and forgive you your sins: For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.'” Say: “Obey Allah and His Messenger: But if they turn back, Allah loves not those who reject Faith.” (Qur’an, 3:31-32)

The third type of love is human love. It means that the Muslim has to love his other fellow men regardless of their ethnic, linguistic or cultural background. This includes love of neighbors, colleagues, relatives and even strangers. This type of love persuades the Muslim to help anybody whenever he can. There are numerous of Ahadith that exhort Muslims to help anybody who really needs help because such an altruistic act takes the Muslim one step closer to Allah.

The fourth type of love is the love between a man and a woman, but Islam organizes and regulates these lofty feelings within the framework of marriage because Islam views that marital love leads the couple to have a peaceful and happy family life, which is the core of the Muslim society.

In other words, this love is acceptable as long as it is within the framework of marriage and this is encouraged in a number of verses in the Holy Qur’an, “And among His signs is this, that He created for you wives from among yourselves, that you may find repose in them, and He has put affection and mercy between you: verily in that are indeed signs for those who reflect: (Qur’an, 30:21)

Let’s Stop Gossiping About Others

One of the sins Islam has strongly opposed is gossip – speaking evil about the other behind his or her back, even if it be true. Sheikh Husayn Al-Awaishah has strong words on this trait (excerpt from his book Gossip and Its Adverse Effects on the Muslim Community):

If any of us hear gossip about one of our brothers, we are enjoined to oppose it, and correct the speaker – gently, politely, and with wisdom. This is in accordance with the various ways of changing a bad deed which were described by the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), which we should try to do to the best of our ability.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever of you sees an evil deed should change it with his hand [by acting], or if he cannot do that, then with his tongue [by speaking out], or if he cannot do that, then with his heart – and that is the weakest of faith.” (Sahih Muslim)

The least of these is opposing the wrong deed in our hearts, which in this case should make us leave the gathering where the gossip is taking place. Let us think about the words of Allah, the meaning of which is:

“When you see men engaged in vain discourse about Our Signs, turn away from them unless they turn to a different theme. If Satan ever makes you forget, then after recollection, do not sit in the company of those who do wrong.” (Qur’an, 6:68)

“O you who believe! Avoid much suspicions, indeed some suspicions are sins. And spy not, neither backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it (so hate backbiting). And fear Allah. Verily, Allah is the One Who accepts repentance, Most Merciful.” (Qur’an, 49:12)

Let those Muslims who relish gossip beware! The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) ordered those who hear gossip to reject it, but these Muslims are indulging in this pastime with pleasure! Woe to you! Are you not thinking about where you will end up? It is as if you think you were created only for fooling about and committing sins!

How To Hold Dialogue With The Other?

Islam is the religion of mercy, tolerance and forgiveness and many other human values. One of the values that Islam has given due attention to is dialogue. Here, I will try to shed some light on dialogue as a noble value in Islam.

Islam sees that dialogue is the golden means to know the other as Allah, praise be to Him, created people of different cultures, natures, languages and faiths and this is stated in the Holy Qur’an, “O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know each other (not that you may despise (each other). Verily the most honored of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you.” (Qur’an, 49:13)

But dialogue with the other requires patience, flexibility and open-mindedness which were clearly revealed in Prophet Muhammad’s dialogue with others even if they were idolaters and this is why Allah praises him, “It is part of the Mercy of Allah that you deal gently with them. Were you severe or harsh-hearted, they would have broken away from about you: so pass over (their faults), and ask for (Allah’s) forgiveness for them; and consult them in affairs (of moment). Then, when you have taken a decision put your trust in Allah; for Allah loves those who put their trust (in Him).” (Qur’an, 3:159)

Good listening is one of the principles of dialogue in Islam. It was never reported that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) did not listen well to anyone. In other words, he was always an attentive listener: he was never reported to interrupt anybody even if the speaker was one of his enemies and he used to say “Have you finished, brother?” This was his way of respecting other people’s rights to express themselves.

Even if this dialogue involves an argument or debate, the Holy Qur’an advises Muslims to do that in a civilized way, “Invite (all) to the Way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious: for your Lord knows best, who have strayed from His Path, and who receive guidance.” (Qur’an, 16:125)

The above verse emphasizes that dialogue with the other requires wisdom and common sense, which are basic requirements to convey the teachings and message of Allah. It can be said that Islam stresses that dialogue is the way to communicate with the other.

By: Dr. Khaled Tawfik

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