the Farewell Pilgrimage:

Fellow Muslims! Each time the month of Dhul-Hijjah approaches, a page
in Islaamic History glitters and a stance of the Messenger of Allaah
comes to limelight.
Among the major landmarks of Hajj are thosecomprehensive principles
that the Prophet announced in his sermon during the Farewell
Pilgrimage. The Prophet proclaimed these concepts that were far from
mere slogans but formed part of his call right from the onsetof his
mission and it was never change nor altered by any circumstances. He
impressed these principles in the hearts of his companions in order
that they could convey them to the mankind, and those principles were
made to survive many generations because of their veracity and
efficiency.
In that historical sermon, the Messenger of Allaah warned against
associatingany partner to Allaah in worship which is a disease that
has almost destroyed the humanity, nearly severed man's relationship
with the source of his goodand his very existence and dragged him into
the abyssof whimsical desires. So, the fundamental meaning upon which
the rules of Hajj as well as the rules of acts of worship revolve is
Oneness of Allaah. Islaam isa religion of Monotheism and the House of
Allaah was specifically built for the purpose of worshipping Allaah
alone. He says in His Glorious Book,
"And (remember) when We showed Ibraaheem the site of the (Sacred)
House (the Kaabah at Makkah, saying): 'Associate not anything in
worship with Me and sanctify My House for those who circumambulate it
and those who stand up for (prayers) and those who bow (submit
themselves with humility and obedience to Allaah) and make prostration
(in prayer)." (Al-Hajj 22:26)
Hajj is but a manifestation of Oneness of Allaah in its brightest form
and the Muslim nation has never been in need of re-establishing the
essentials of faith as they are during Hajj. There are some people
among the Muslims who have bargained the pure faith of Islaam with
erroneous ideologies, there are some who spread the poison of atheism
with their pens; there are some who have conferred some Divine
attributes on their leaders who claim to know the hidden things and
receive revelations from heaven and there are some who have introduced
the idolization of individuals, exempted some people from religious
obligations and taken men as intermediaries between themselves and
Allaah; not to mention those who worship saints, build domes on
graves, circumambulate round them, invoke their owners and slaughter
for them, thereby causing proliferation of mausoleums and sects.
In the Farewell Pilgrimage, the Messenger of Allaah said,
"It is unlawful for you to shed the blood of one another, to take
unlawfullythe properties of one another or to violate the honour of
one another. They are as unlawful as shedding blood on such a day as
today, in such a month as this and in such asanctified city as this
(Makkah)." (Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim).
These are everlasting basics for fundamental human rights which are
unequalled by any man-made system or statute. In protecting human
life....

--
:->