The Soul Of Hajj
No annual event on the face of the earth, religious or non-religious, compares to Hajj in terms of the sheer number of participants, duration of the event, and the breadth of the 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 the creation of Adam, the first man. To further illustrate this, it may be stated that the performance of Hajj is a simultaneous show or exhibit of many things. It is a show of creation. It is a show of history. It is a show of unity. It is a show of Islamic ideology. It is a show of Ummah, the community of Muslims. That is why it is said in the Qur’an: “And proclaim unto mankind the Hajj. “… That they may witness things that are of benefit to them ….” (22:28)
Hajj is a duty unto Allah for mankind, for “…. those who can afford the expenses …” (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 :
- Assuming Ihram
- Attendance at Arafat
- Tawaf of the Ka’ba
- Sa’i or running between the Safa and the Marwa (5) cutting or trimming of hair.
- Cutting or trimming of hair.
Others are not pillars, although some may require kaffara or a 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.
Hajj and Umrah are performed in three ways — ifrad, tamattu, and qiran. Ifrad involves first performing Hajj and then Umrah. Tamattu is when one first performs Umrah and then Hajj, both in the same year with some break in between the two.
Qiran is when one puts on the ‘Ihram with the intention of combining both Hajj and Umrah without any break in between the two.
The 10 etiquette of Hajj are:
- Requite all wrongdoings and seek forgiveness from all those who have a grudge against you.
- Make provision for Hajj from one’s lawful means.
- Learn the pillars of Hajj and its observance.
- Be kind and bear with others with patience, lest the reward is nullified.
- Observe the obligations of prayers and their rulings.
- Be generous, support the poor, and spend as much as he/she is able to.
- At the station of Arafat, remember the Day of Judgment.
- Should not miss visitation of the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) Mosque in Madina.
- After returning from Hajj, one should turn oneself toward praying for Akhirah (Hereafter).
- One should remember parents and other close relatives who have passed away with humble prayers and make-up for them if they could not fulfill their obligations of Hajj.
The Hajj begins from Miqat. At this point, the pilgrim 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 status as a “man”, just one of the “children of Adam” who will die one day. The cloth of Ihram is, therefore, the antithesis of 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 return to Allah, just as Allah says in the Qur’an: (24:42), meaning, “… and to Allah is the return (of all) …” All your selfish egos must be buried at Miqat. 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.
With each step you take toward Ka’bah, your heart pounds. The weight of being close to Allah’s House seems to get heavier and heavier. You are endowed with a mixed feelings 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.
Just as planets of our solar system orbit around the sun, you orbit around the world’s sun — the Ka’bah, and become part of a universal system. You demonstrate your love for Allah by making Tawaf around His House.
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 your hand and then kiss it. By touching the Stone, you have cut off all forms of allegiance to anything other than Allah, and you have become free again from the 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 (radi allahu anha) who migrated to this land, barren and rugged, without vegetation, without any forms of subsistence, but with complete reliance on Her Allah. And Allah did not neglect either her or her infant son. He brought out the Zamzam 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 (radi allahu anha). Hijrah or migration is what Hajera (radi allahu anha) did. Any migration like hers is a move toward civilization.
After Tawaf, perform two rakats of prayer behind Maqam Ibrahim in which you pray Surah Al-Kafiroun in the first rakat and Surah Al-Ikhlas in the second.
The Maqam is a very blessed place for praying (2:125). The Stone has the footprint of Ibrahim (peace be upon him), the rebel against the established despot of his time, Nimrod. He stood over this stone to lay the cornerstone — Hajr Al-Aswad and to construct the Ka’ba and to pray. (2:125).
Do you now understand where you are standing? By standing in the same place, you vow to become like Ibrahim Hanifah wa Khalil-Allah, the upright friend of Allah, who was uncompromising in his conviction of Tawhid.