You are the luckiest person in the world. Allah has invited you
personally to His House.
What is Hajj? Hajj in the Arabic language means aim, destination or
purpose (qasd). The reason is clear: Hajj is the ultimate journey of
loving submission ('ubudiyah) and conscious surrender (riq) to Allah.
Its ultimate destination is your encounter with the House of Allah
(Bayt al-Allah) – the Ka`bah – with both your physical body and, more
importantly, your heart (qalb).
Ibn al-Jawzi (rahimah al-Allah) relates a story of an old, blind woman
who was journeying to Hajj years ago with a caravan. Throughout the
journey, she keeps asking: "Are we at the house of my Lord?" Time and
again, she is told, "No, mother, we are not there yet." As the caravan
nears Makkah, she is informed that they are almost there. Finally,
they enter Masjidal-Haram. She is led to the Ka'bah. Touching the
Ka'bah, she cries, "Baytu rabbi? The House of my Lord?" Weeping, she
clings to the cloth of the Ka'bah – and dies.
The woman realized with her heart (qalb) the true significance of
visiting the House of her Lord.
Allah has invited you to His House, which He has called the al-Bayt
al-'Atiq – the ancient, liberated and liberating house. Your journey
is one of freedom and liberation. For as your body leaves its material
house to journey to Allah's House, your heart is meant to disengage
from the lower self (nafs), the shaytan, and the world (dunya) and
journey to Allah.
The ultimate reward for a Hajj mabrur is to return home with the
purity of a newborn child. What could be a greater incentive! But
beware, for Hajj is a selective process. Only a few will attain a Hajj
mabrur, which is a Hajj performed correctly, without any disobedience
to Allah and without indulging in any argumentation. Be prepared. Be
vigilant. Be focused. This will be one of the greatest – and sweetest
– struggles of your life. And though you will long and dream for the
rest of your life to come back, you may never return again.
May Allah allow our bodies to journey to His House; may He permit our
hearts to find Him, the Lord of the House. Ameen.
The most sacred space
You will be journeying from your earthly house to Makkah, your
spiritual home, the most beloved place to Allah in all of space and
time. Allah himself has decreed it to be so since the beginning of
creation. There is no place more blessed, more beautiful, more
virtuous, more exalted than Makkah. Every inch and every corner of
Makkah is a haram, a sanctuary made sacred by Allah. The more you
revere Makkah, the more you will be ennobled by Allah. We must take
the greatest of care to never think casually of our sojourn in Makkah
or live within its precincts in disobedience or negligence.
Some reports teach that it was in Makkah that our father adam ('alayhi
al-salam) longed to go back to paradise and be in the presence of
Allah. To console his loneliness, Allah commanded him to do tawaf
around the space of the current Ka'bah. And adam did, and felt whole
again.
Other texts teach that Nuh ('alayhi al-salam), Ibrahim ('alayhi
al-salam), and many Prophets before them ('alayhim al-salam), all did
tawaf around Allah's sacred House. Their spiritual energy and legacy
fills the air. You will be walking in the footsteps and the
heart-steps of Rasulullah (sallalahu 'alayhi wasallam) and his noble
companions.
Shelter, solace and sight
Hajj and its rites are described in various and powerful ways by Allah
and his Rasul (sallalahu 'alayhi wasallam). Through these
descriptions, we gain insight into the deeper meanings of Hajj. The
rites of hajj are described, for example, as manasik, masha'ir and
mashahid.
Mansak (plural manasik), usually translated as ritual, connotes
shelter (maskan) and tranquility (sukun). The rites of Hajj are
residences of shelter and tranquility for the heart.
Mash'ar (plural masha'ir) connotes feeling and experience. The rites
of Hajj cause the heart to feel and experience the sweetness of
nearness to Allah.
Mashad (plural mashahid) is to witness with the heart the blessings of
Allah at every station – to see, with one's inner sight, Allah's will
as the Decreer of decrees and the Causer of causes.
Each word connotes a different inner dimension of Hajj, as the
movement, not only of your body or limbs, but of your heart. For as
your body journeys from one place to another, so too must your heart
travel through various stations (maqamat), each of which will provide
it with shelter, solace and inner sight.
Become angelic
Hajj is your chance to become an angel and to live with the delight of an angel.
In tawaf, you will be mirroring the worship of the angels, the
mala'ikah, those heavenly creatures created of pure light and
enveloped in the worship of Allah. Texts teach that the Ka'bah is
connected in an imperceptible way to the Bayt al-Ma'mur, the heavenly
Ka'bah of the angels, around which they are constantly in tawaf.
Seventy thousand angels perform tawaf around this house and are
replaced with others, never to return.
Around the Ka'bah, we are in a heavenly dimension. Near the Ka'bah are
the Hajar Aswad, or black stone, and the Maqam Ibrahim, both gems from
jannah. We are taught that the hajar was darkened by the sins and
transgressions of man. Its heavenly light is now folded from us. The
hajar will be rendered into a person in the afterlife by Allah and
will witness on behalf of those who approached it with truth and
sincerity. The hajar can be said to take a picture recording of your
heart as you stand before it. Kissing the hajar is the most profound
renewal of your covenant with Allah and a pledge of love, dedicated
obedience and soulful allegiance to Him.
THE JOURNEY BEGINS
Entering into Ihram
As you near the miqat, your heart will tremble and tremor. Is this
really happening? Is my heart getting closer and closer to His House?
Soon you will enter Allah's haram. It is only fitting that you enter
into a state, both externally and internally, that justly corresponds
to this honour. Beyond the miqat, there is only talbiyah.
The essence of Hajj is the journey of our hearts away from the house
of our lower selves (nufus) with its passions (shahawat), inclinations
(ahwa') and attachment to the created world (khalq) to the haram and,
ultimately, the House of Allah. We must leave our attachments to
receive the greatest connection. We must leave to arrive.
Ihram is from haram. Both meanings, to be sacred and to be forbidden,
are carried in it. Through the ihram, the heart is meant to leave the
temporary and the finite – to make it, in a sense, "forbidden" – and
to prepare for the sacred audience of Allah's presence.
The muhrim has disengaged from everything and anything that distracts
him or her from Allah and, consequently, from remembrance, peace and
stillness. The muhrim has left his or her home taking taqwa or
Allah-consciousness, the best sustenance, as a provision.
Beginning Talbiyah
One enters into ihram with talbiyah. Talbiyah is the heart's most
profound surrender to the invitation and call of Allah: Here I come to
You, my Lord, here I come – fully and forever.
With the talbiyah, we proclaim that no associate (sharik) or
attachment will distract us from seeking Allah. Our hearts will not
see, hear, obey, or be lured to another, besides Him. The recitation
of this talbiyah is to be said with constancy and conviction, and not
intermittently and infrequently.Talbiyah is essential to focusing our
hearts. It will remind us of the purpose of our journey; it will
facilitate us in foregoing our rights, demands and expectations while
yet rendering fully the major and minor rights of others; it will
dispel distractions; and it will make all obstacles easy, even
pleasurable.
There is no praise (hamd) and no dominion and power (mulk) except that
Allah owns it. Everything, whether tangible or intangible, belongs to
Him. In fact, we are in praise of Him by Him.
Mina
Mina, or Muna, means desire, hope, longing.
Some texts teach that it was in Muna that adam ( 'alayhi al-salam)
longed and desired to journey back home to paradise and to be, once
again, in Allah's presence.
It is in Muna that the journey begins. The day spent in Muna, termed
the day of tarwiyah (meaning, in part, to quench, to drink to one's
fill), is meant for our heart to focus on the aim of their journey, to
gather in resolution and focus, and to begin our inner momentum
towards the House of Allah.
'Arafat
'Arafat means to know, to understand. Another verb scale conveys the
meaning of perfuming, making fragrant, scenting. 'Arafat is the
essential pillar (rukn), of Hajj; without 'Arafat there is no Hajj.
'Arafat is the cleansing station outside the haram where we stand and
seek forgiveness for all that we've committed in our lives. We beg and
implore Allah to make us worthy of entering into His haram, visiting
His House and being in His presence.
Here, on 'Arafat, we learn two things. As we acknowledge our
disobedience, our sins, our rebelliousness and our forgetfulness, we
know our unworthiness as true servants. We reveal everything to Allah,
minor or major, Who knows already but simply wants us to admit with
true transparency and sincerity what we are inside of our selves.
Moreover, we begin to know the all-enveloping knowledge, the
inestimable mercy, the boundless generosity and the limitless grace of
Alah in forgiving and effacing our sins. Who is it, beside Him, that
can forgive and that does forgive? There is no refuge or flight from
Allah except to Him.
Allah celebrates, in the presence of the angels, the hujjaj on 'Arafat
asking for forgiveness. And He affirms to the angels that, yes, He has
forgiven them.
Now, as the sun begins to set, you continue, perfumed and scented with
the purity of Allah's grace and forgiveness, ever closer to His haram.
Muzdalifa
Muzdalifa, from the Arabic root izdilaf, means to approach, to get closer.
Muzdalifa is a second station of cleansing and purification. The
pilgrim is now closer to the Ka'bah. We remain in supplication (du'a')
after fajr, imploring Allah again for pardon and guidance. Some
scholars have said that in Muzdalifa, Allah also forgives our
violations against the rights of others. Such violations are not
usually forgiven unless, in addition to seeking forgiveness, we remedy
what has been violated.
Muna and the casting of the pebbles
During the Hajj of Ibrahim ('alayhi al-salam), he was commanded to
sacrifice his son. Allah, of course, never intended that the slaughter
take place. Allah wanted, instead, to purify and free Ibrahim ('alayhi
al-salam) from every love and every attachment besides Him.
It was in Muna that the shaytan attempted to waylay Ibrahim ('alayhi
al-salam) from sacrificing his son. Ibrahim ('alayhi al-salam) casted
pebbles at the shaytan to reject his designs and prompting.
In casting the pebbles, the pilgrim affirms Allah's greatness over
everything and covenants with Allah that he or she will never regress
to anything which displeases Him.
Casting the pebbles is the casting away of shaytan, the lower self
(nafs) with its desires, inclinations and evil, and, ultimately,
casting away everything besides Allah. The pebble is meant, not to hit
the pillar, but to fall inside the container, or majmar, where it will
remain. The fire of the nafs, its impetus to evil, must be cast out,
contained and confined. Our nafs must be jailed for us to become free.
After the nafs is jailed by the casting of the pebbles, it is
slaughtered. The sacrifice of the animal signifies the slaughter of
the nafs by Ibrahim ('alayhi al-salam). Ibrahim's ('alayhi al-salam)
sacrifice was momentous: he sacrificed his very will. Ibrahim was
named the Khalil (cherished friend) of Allah because his love for
Allah pierced and consumed his entire heart.
The hair – signifying status, station and pride – is now shaved.
Whatever remaining trace and residue of the disobedient nafs is now
completely cleansed.
Now, the pilgrim is welcomed by Allah to visit His Haram and His
House. He or she is now freed from ihram, but not completely. Washing
and the use of perfume are now permitted; intimate relations are not.
Approaching one's spouse is unbefitting considering that now the
pilgrim is going to visit the Host.
Tawaf al-Ifadah
Ifadah means to flood, to rush, to move.
The movement from 'Arafat to the haram is called ifadah. The rite of
tawaf that takes place after the casting of the pebbles, the sacrifice
and the shaving of the head is likewise termed Tawaaf al-Ifadah.
The heart (qalb), cleansed and purified from its attachments,
inundated with love, desire and longing, floods to the haram, to the
House, and to its Lord. There, it circumambulates the House and renews
its pledge of complete and loving submission.
Sa'i between Safa and Marwa
Sa'i means to work, to strive, to act.
We remember in sa'i the actions of Hajar ('alayha al-salam) as she
climbed, walked and ran up both Safa and Marwa looking for sustenance
for her starving child. The miracle of Zam zam was gifted to Hajar for
her efforts and sincere reliance. Rasulullah (sallalahu 'alayhi
wasallam) teaches that if we drink zam zam with firm faith and
certainty, Allah will most definitely answer our supplication.
As servants of Allah, we are embedded in time and space. We must act,
all the while cognizant that it is Allah who creates both cause and
effect. To see waves upon waves of pilgrims walking and running
between Safa and Marwa is to recognize that the reality of our life is
constant sa'i between struggle and reward, struggle and reward. On the
hills of Safa and Marwa, where the pilgrim alights in reflection and
supplication, the heart exalts, seeing Allah's power in all matters,
yours and others, large or small.
The days and nights of Muna
During our stay in Muna, we re-affirm and re-declare our desire and
hope for spiritual freedom by casting pebbles for three days. Each
casting of the pebbles cements our resolution to contain and confine
both the lower self (nafs) and shaytan.
You remain in Muna as Allah's guest. Here, we must eat and drink with
the consciousness of a guest in front of a Most-Magnanimous Host. The
greatest nourishment during these days, as Allah himself indicates, is
His dhikr, or remembrance. We are destined to leave but Allah intends
we leave gradually, in gratitude to Him, remembrance of Him and
gathering a firm resolution for permanent change when we depart.
Then the last pebble is cast. Our final farewell is imminent.
The farewell
Most have waited their entire lives for the encounter with the House
of Allah. Many will never return. In truth, there is no certainty that
any of us will ever gaze on the Ka'bah again.
Whether we return or not, we will never forget. It is said – and it is
true – that the Ka'bah beckons you from afar, then haunts you forever.
It is related that Ibn 'Abbas prayed this as his final farewell,
clinging with his entire being to the multazam, the wall of the Ka'bah
between the hajar and the door:
"O Allah This House is Your House And this servant is Your servant,
and the son of Your servants You have carried me here on what You have
made accessible to me of Your creation Until You have made me reach,
by Your grace, Your House And You have helped me fulfill my rites of
Hajj (O Allah) If You have been pleased with me, then be more pleased
with me And if You are not pleased with me, then I implore you to be
generous to me now – Before my house becomes distant from Your house
For now it is time for my departure, if You permit me – Never to
exchange You for anything else, nor Your House for any other house Not
being desirous of others instead of You, nor of any other house
besides Your House O Allah, Grant me safety and good health in my
body, protection in my religion and allow me a beautiful return And
provide me with deeds and acts of Your obedience for as long as You
grant me life And gather for me the best of this world and the next
For truly You have power over all things."
A mother once told her son that the Ka'bah says: The one who does not
see me will never rest; and the one who sees me will never rest.
May our hearts find their ultimate rest by journeying to Allah long
after our bodies have returned from Hajj. May we always be in Hajj.
Hajj mabrur, my beloved brother and sister.
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