Hajj

People of the world are usually aware of two kinds of journeys: journeys made to earn livelihood and journeys undertaken for pleasure and sightseeing. In both these types of journeys, people are impelled to go abroad by their material needs or their physical desires. They leave home for personal reasons and they spend their money or time to fulfill personal needs or desires. Therefore, no question of selfless sacrifice arises in such journeys, all sacrifices of wealth and time are for particular material returns, which are sought or expected. However, the journey, which is called Hajj, is quite different from those other journeys. This journey is not meant to gain any personal end or to fulfil any desire. It is intended solely for Allah; fulfillment of a duty prescribed by Allah. No person can prepare himself to undertake this journey unless he has true love of Allah in his heart as well as fear or Him and feels strongly that this religious rite ordained by Allah is obligatory on him. Therefore, whosoever sets out for Hajj leaving his family, his relatives, and his business, spending his money and patiently bearing the rigors of the travel, furnishes clear proof of his fear and love of Allah. He proves that he possesses the strength to leave his home, face hardships, and willingly sacrifice his wealth and comfort when called upon to do so for the pleasure of Allah.

The outward forms of worship in Islam fall under two general categories: physical, like Salaah and Saum and monetary like Zakaah and charity. Hajj combines both of these categories in its rites. It also simultaneously develops in man all of the spiritual and moral goals for the various forms of worship in Islam such as sincerity and piety, humility and obedience, sacrifice, submission etc. The physical demands of Hajj which involve circling the Ka‘bah, walking between mounts Safaa and Marwah along with millions of others as well as journeying to Mina, Arafaat and Muzdalifah, far surpass those of Salaah and Saum. Thus, the self-control, humility and obedience produced by Salaah and Saum can all be found in pilgrimage to Makkah. Giving charity and Zakaah cleanses the heart of greed deposited by the love of this world. It builds generosity and develops in the individual a willingness to sacrifice for the sake of Allah. Hajj serves a similar spiritual purpose as Zakaah; the pilgrim spends from his wealth and offers sacrifices in gratitude to Allah and in order to win Allah’s approval.

During Hajj, one enjoys the privilege of offering many of his prayers in the great Masjid towards which he had been turning his face in prayer from his home along with the rest of the Muslim world. His prayers there are far superior in reward to similar prayers made anywhere else in the world. In fact, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) stated that a single prayer in al-Masjid al-Haraam in Makkah is worth one hundred thousand (100,000) prayers performed elsewhere.[1]

However, there remain some even greater merits of Hajj. Two of which all true believers yearn for: self-purification of sins and a guaranteed place in Paradise. The first of these two benefits was expressed by the Prophet (Peace be upon him) in the following simile. “The person who makes pilgrimage to Allah’s house without committing any acts of indecency or disobedience to Allah will return home as (pure from sins as) he was on the day his mother bore him.”[2] As for the second benefit, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) categorically stated: “The reward for a Hajj Mabroor (accepted into Allah’s grace) is nothing less than Paradise.”[3]

The attainment of these benefits, as one can imagine, is not easy. Consequently the routine performance of the rituals and rites of Hajj will not in itself earn these benefits. For Hajj to be accepted, it has to have an internal dynamism born of true and pure belief in God. It is this belief which drives the pilgrim to such spiritual heights that he or she is always consciously seeking the spiritual goals behind the physical rites and rituals of Hajj. It is only in this way that a pilgrim to the House of Allah can avoid negative actions and reactions which may spoil his or her Hajj.

During Hajj, one is thrown into the world’s largest melting pot with little or no time to adjust. Conflicting habits and customs amidst the crush of the crowds are bound to cause misunderstandings. And, coupled with the fact that some pilgrims come to Hajj with dishonorable intentions, there is no way to avoid hurt feelings, bruised bodies and picked pockets (literally and figuratively). But just as it is only in the heat of the blast furnace that gold ore is separated from its impurities; likewise, it is only in the crush of bodies, customs and emotions during Hajj that the striving soul of the pilgrim is purified and elevated. One cannot hope to attain the spiritual heights of Hajj Mabroor by seclusion and the avoidance of crowds, because Hajj is contact with Allah through contact with mankind. The Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) clearly pointed out the superiority of social interaction over isolation as follows: “The believer who mixes with the masses and patiently bears their insults and offenses is better than the one who neither mixes with the masses nor patiently bears their offenses.” [4]

The Hajj which is graced by Allah’s acceptance has a lasting effect on the pilgrim. A deep spiritual transformation has taken place within the individual which can be observed in the overall reconstruction of his or her life. The God-consciousness achieved during Hajj Mabroor will cause the pilgrim to reform and call others to the most powerful tool of social, economic and spiritual reformation, namely Islam, in theory and in practice. If such a change does not take place and the pilgrim returns to the same un-Islamic life-style that he or she left behind; there can be no doubt that the Hajj of such a pilgrim was not graced by Allah’s acceptance. Such a Hajj merely removed the obligation of Hajj without earning for the pilgrim the higher spiritual rewards for which Hajj was designed and ordained.

Hajj in Cultural Islam

Hajj becomes legally obligatory when one reaches puberty and maturity. The commonly held belief in Muslim culture that it is better to delay Hajj until one becomes old is incorrect. It is based on a misinterpretation of a statement of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) in which he said,

“Whoever makes a pilgrimage acceptable to Allah, will return home free from sin like the day his mother gave birth to him.” Cultural Muslims reason that one should delay Hajj until one becomes too old to do any more sins. In that way, Hajj would then wash away all of one’s sins.

However, the deliberate delayal of Hajj is itself a sin, and one who chooses to continue in a life of sin is not likely to be able to make a pilgrimage acceptable to Allah. The delayed Hajj would likely be very ritualistic, and devoid of any spirit or sincerity. Consequently, when cultural Muslims return from the pilgrimage, they usually don certain outer garments (e.g. cap and scarf) to indicate to others that they made Hajj and they often adopt the title of “Hajji” with great pride. However, their inner lives have not changed in the least, indicating clearly that God did not accept their Hajj. For others, Hajj is an annual sight-seeing tour. The “express” Hajj is designed for them in order to minimize the difficulty associated with the various rituals.

The character which Hajj builds is:

a)  international / universalistic

The annual congregation of over two million Muslims from all corners of the globe representing all nations and tribes reminds Muslims that physical and biological differences are of no real consequence. All humans belong to one race, the human race. There is only One God Who created one race of human beings and ordained for them one religion. The pilgrimage also reminds Muslims that the political divisions in the world today which have resulted in the creation of nation-states, replete with their own national flags and anthems, should not supercede the Islamic Nation; the Ummah. The nationalistic feelings which drive those who watch cricket games to cheer for Pakistan or India, or those who love soccer to cheer Egyptian or Saudi teams, are antagonistic to the Ummah-consciousness that Muslims are taught through the performance of Hajj. Though it is natural to love one’s homeland, the land of one’s birth, it should never lead to partisanship; where one defends one’s family, tribe, and nation even when they are in the wrong. Jundub quoted Allah’s Messenger (Peace be upon him) as saying:

“One who is killed under a blind banner calling to tribalism or supporting tribalism, dies in a state of jaahileeyah (pre-Islamic ignorance).”[5]

b) patient

With so many people gathered together in particular locations performing the same religious rites, accidents are certain to occur. Toes will be stepped on and sides will be inadvertently bruised from the elbows of others. It is easy for a person to react violently under such circumstances.

However, the pilgrim is obliged to patiently bear the harm of others in order to achieve an acceptable Hajj, whose reward is paradise, as promised by the Prophet.