إدريس عبدالله
_22 _September _2016هـ الموافق 22-09-2016م, 08:41 PM
The days of Hajj have passed and its rituals completed and many of the pilgrims have return to their countries and homes carrying with them the memories of their trip to the house of Allah.. Though the activities of hajj are over, its aims and benefits are never over.
Some Christian Missionaries long ago said: Islam will remain un indomitable religion as far as it has to its credit the following: the Qur’an, the Friday congregational prayer and the hajj conference”. If this is the view of enemies of islam on the meaning of hajj and its positive effects on the Muslim nation, then what does hajj mean to you as a Muslim?, and what are the benefits you can derived from the occasion of Hajj?, and what are the benefits that the Ummah may receive from Hajj? Is hajj mere rituals you can carry out or mere supplications and words or Hajj is greater than that?
Indeed Allah; the Most Great and the Most Elevated has not legislated any law nor prescribed any obligation except behind it are enormous wisdom and benefits that cannot be encompassed by the senses except Him. there is no doubt that the Muslim Ummah is currently going through tough times, trials and weakness such that any attempt to bring its awakening and awareness may need proper cogitation and contemplation on the objectives and aims of the principles of the sharia(Maqaasid As-Shar’eeyyya)-which includes pilgrimage-in order to derived its benefits, to rekindle the spirit of determination, to redirect ambitions and intentions on sticking upon the lofty teachings of this religion, and to wage jihad for the sake of ensuring its supremacy and to strive and fight with whoever dissuades from it path and barricades the way to it.
Raising the Banner of Tawheed
The first and the foremost objective of Hajj is : raising the light of Tawheed. This is the most apparent objective of the hajj journey and is inseparable from it right from the commencement of Hajj from making a sincere intention and openly pronouncing the talbiya until its ending at the last throwing of jamaraat in the last day of tashreeq which is the last of the activities of hajj before doing the farewell Tawaf which is done to goodbye Makkah and its inhabitants.
In jahiliyya, people used to do talbiya, and the Quraish in particular used to say in their talbiya: “labaika laa shareeka laka illaa shareekan huwa laka tamlikuhu wamaa malak”( here I am responding to You. You have no associates except an associate that belongs to you which you own and what it also owns). Then came the prophet-may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him-and thought his followers pure monotheism through this great and beautiful talbiya: labaika Allaahuma labaik, labaika laa shareeka laka labaik, innal-hamda wani’mata laka wal-mulk laa shareeka lak” (here I am responding to You. You have no associates, and I respond to you. Indeed all praises and glories are due to you and yours is the dominion, there is no associate to you). Thus obedience upon obedience are due to you, from you assistance is expected and anticipated, sincerity without show off. This is so because any act that is devoid of sincerity is devoid of blessings and acceptance: “ he who does an act while associating in it partners with Me, then it is for those he partnered me and I am far from it”
Hence, the foremost of the lessons of Hajj which the pilgrim needs to learn and which needs to be comprehended by the Ummah is tawheed and turning to Allah once again in a time that witness the multiplication of idols and deities of worship and places where people aimed at, a time where faith has worn out of the hearts of its people just as the cloths get worn out, and where people abandons Allah’s worship to the worship of deities besides Him.., ranging from grave worships , saint adoration and supplications and circumambulation around their graves, presenting gifts and offerings to them, asking for childbirth for one who does not give birth, asking for marriage for unmarried people and seeking for the cure of the sick etc. when an affliction touches them they turn their hearts toward their deities besides Allah even against what the polytheist used to do:
وَإِذَا مَسَّ ٱلْإِنسَٰنَ ضُرٌّ دَعَا رَبَّهُۥ مُنِيبًا إِلَيْهِ ثُمَّ إِذَا خَوَّلَهُۥ نِعْمَةً مِّنْهُ نَسِىَ مَا كَانَ يَدْعُوٓا۟ إِلَيْهِ مِن قَبْلُ وَجَعَلَ لِلَّهِ أَندَادًا لِّيُضِلَّ عَن سَبِيلِهِۦ
“When some adversity touches the human being, he prays to his Lord, repenting to Him. But then, when He confers on him a grace of His, he forgets what he was praying for before, and he attributes rivals to God, in order to lead astray from His way”( Zumar: 8)
وَإِذَا غَشِيَهُم مَّوْجٌ كَٱلظُّلَلِ دَعَوُا۟ ٱللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ ٱلدِّينَ فَلَمَّا نَجَّىٰهُمْ إِلَى ٱلْبَرِّ فَمِنْهُم مُّقْتَصِدٌ ۚ وَمَا يَجْحَدُ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَآ إِلَّا كُلُّ خَتَّارٍ كَفُورٍ
“When waves, like canopies, cover them, they call upon God, devoting their religion to Him. But when He has delivered them to dry land, some of them waver. No one renounces Our revelations except the treacherous blasphemer.”(Luqman: 32)
But for people of this era, if something afflicts them they turn towards their idols on earth and put their dependence on them in addition to seeking help from them, they make offerings to them even if it means such offer is tawheed and eeman.
The pilgrim embark on hajj to abolish all these and to destroy the throne of shirk and to replace it with tawheed by declaring: labaika Allaahuma labaik, labaika laa shareeka laka labaik, innal-hamda wani’mata laka wal-mulk laa shareeka lak” (here I am responding to You. You have no associates, and I respond to you. Indeed all praises and glories are due to you and yours is the dominion, there is no associate to You).
Some Christian Missionaries long ago said: Islam will remain un indomitable religion as far as it has to its credit the following: the Qur’an, the Friday congregational prayer and the hajj conference”. If this is the view of enemies of islam on the meaning of hajj and its positive effects on the Muslim nation, then what does hajj mean to you as a Muslim?, and what are the benefits you can derived from the occasion of Hajj?, and what are the benefits that the Ummah may receive from Hajj? Is hajj mere rituals you can carry out or mere supplications and words or Hajj is greater than that?
Indeed Allah; the Most Great and the Most Elevated has not legislated any law nor prescribed any obligation except behind it are enormous wisdom and benefits that cannot be encompassed by the senses except Him. there is no doubt that the Muslim Ummah is currently going through tough times, trials and weakness such that any attempt to bring its awakening and awareness may need proper cogitation and contemplation on the objectives and aims of the principles of the sharia(Maqaasid As-Shar’eeyyya)-which includes pilgrimage-in order to derived its benefits, to rekindle the spirit of determination, to redirect ambitions and intentions on sticking upon the lofty teachings of this religion, and to wage jihad for the sake of ensuring its supremacy and to strive and fight with whoever dissuades from it path and barricades the way to it.
Raising the Banner of Tawheed
The first and the foremost objective of Hajj is : raising the light of Tawheed. This is the most apparent objective of the hajj journey and is inseparable from it right from the commencement of Hajj from making a sincere intention and openly pronouncing the talbiya until its ending at the last throwing of jamaraat in the last day of tashreeq which is the last of the activities of hajj before doing the farewell Tawaf which is done to goodbye Makkah and its inhabitants.
In jahiliyya, people used to do talbiya, and the Quraish in particular used to say in their talbiya: “labaika laa shareeka laka illaa shareekan huwa laka tamlikuhu wamaa malak”( here I am responding to You. You have no associates except an associate that belongs to you which you own and what it also owns). Then came the prophet-may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him-and thought his followers pure monotheism through this great and beautiful talbiya: labaika Allaahuma labaik, labaika laa shareeka laka labaik, innal-hamda wani’mata laka wal-mulk laa shareeka lak” (here I am responding to You. You have no associates, and I respond to you. Indeed all praises and glories are due to you and yours is the dominion, there is no associate to you). Thus obedience upon obedience are due to you, from you assistance is expected and anticipated, sincerity without show off. This is so because any act that is devoid of sincerity is devoid of blessings and acceptance: “ he who does an act while associating in it partners with Me, then it is for those he partnered me and I am far from it”
Hence, the foremost of the lessons of Hajj which the pilgrim needs to learn and which needs to be comprehended by the Ummah is tawheed and turning to Allah once again in a time that witness the multiplication of idols and deities of worship and places where people aimed at, a time where faith has worn out of the hearts of its people just as the cloths get worn out, and where people abandons Allah’s worship to the worship of deities besides Him.., ranging from grave worships , saint adoration and supplications and circumambulation around their graves, presenting gifts and offerings to them, asking for childbirth for one who does not give birth, asking for marriage for unmarried people and seeking for the cure of the sick etc. when an affliction touches them they turn their hearts toward their deities besides Allah even against what the polytheist used to do:
وَإِذَا مَسَّ ٱلْإِنسَٰنَ ضُرٌّ دَعَا رَبَّهُۥ مُنِيبًا إِلَيْهِ ثُمَّ إِذَا خَوَّلَهُۥ نِعْمَةً مِّنْهُ نَسِىَ مَا كَانَ يَدْعُوٓا۟ إِلَيْهِ مِن قَبْلُ وَجَعَلَ لِلَّهِ أَندَادًا لِّيُضِلَّ عَن سَبِيلِهِۦ
“When some adversity touches the human being, he prays to his Lord, repenting to Him. But then, when He confers on him a grace of His, he forgets what he was praying for before, and he attributes rivals to God, in order to lead astray from His way”( Zumar: 8)
وَإِذَا غَشِيَهُم مَّوْجٌ كَٱلظُّلَلِ دَعَوُا۟ ٱللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ ٱلدِّينَ فَلَمَّا نَجَّىٰهُمْ إِلَى ٱلْبَرِّ فَمِنْهُم مُّقْتَصِدٌ ۚ وَمَا يَجْحَدُ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَآ إِلَّا كُلُّ خَتَّارٍ كَفُورٍ
“When waves, like canopies, cover them, they call upon God, devoting their religion to Him. But when He has delivered them to dry land, some of them waver. No one renounces Our revelations except the treacherous blasphemer.”(Luqman: 32)
But for people of this era, if something afflicts them they turn towards their idols on earth and put their dependence on them in addition to seeking help from them, they make offerings to them even if it means such offer is tawheed and eeman.
The pilgrim embark on hajj to abolish all these and to destroy the throne of shirk and to replace it with tawheed by declaring: labaika Allaahuma labaik, labaika laa shareeka laka labaik, innal-hamda wani’mata laka wal-mulk laa shareeka lak” (here I am responding to You. You have no associates, and I respond to you. Indeed all praises and glories are due to you and yours is the dominion, there is no associate to You).