2a. Oh Travelers to the Haram!

2a.
Neither will I mentionits rites and rulings, because you can get all
of this from books and training sessions for Hajj. Rather I want to
point out something else.
You are going to the great Court of the King of kings. When a person
is a guest of a king then he learns themanners of the court long
before he goes there. Then when he reaches there, he monitors every
deed of his making sure that it does not result in disrespect.
Oh travelers to the Haram! I wish to share with you anextremely
beneficial recipe-one that you will neither find in books nor
inlectures. I know that pilgrims are subject to numerous difficulties
and hardships. In this journey, there are many trying moments, no,
rather many trying hours and days. Sometimes there is the immigration
obstacle. There are the difficulties in finding lodging and in getting
to the Haram. There are the hardships encountered in Tawaf and Sa'ee.
But, my brothers! To achieve any big goal, you must undertake
hardships. Those who are mentally prepared for this are the successful
ones.
The recipe that I am presenting is called"tafweed", which means
entrusting your matters, i.e. entrusting your intentions and desires
to Allah. The opposite of this is "tajweez" which means relying on
your own plans and actions.
Tajweez is the root of all of our worries in our normal course of
affairs and especially during the journey to Hajj. On the other hand,
tafweed resultsin complete contentment. The person who in his
difficulties leaves matters into the hands of Allah finds that Allah
shows him ways out of his difficulties. When you reach the court of
the King, then entrust your matters to the King. If he makes you sleep
on the floor, then sleep happily onthe floor. And if he makes you sit
on the throne then sit on the throne remembering that you are in the
court of the King. He has invited you here to honor you.
Never lose sight of the trueBeloved for even a blink of the eye
Lest the king glance at you with mercy and you be unaware.
Many people return from Hajj and tell stories about the unmannerly
behavior of the people there and magnify the difficulties they
encountered there. One time I received a letterfrom an old man who
said that: while you give peoplegood tidings of Jannah, I went to Hajj
but found no trace of the fear of God in the people therein. Then the
man mentioned his difficulties in such words and talked about other
pilgrims and the Saudi people in such a way that I felt sorrow over
the way he mentioned this.
We are not going there to have a picnic. When millions of people
gather ina city of three or four hundred thousand, then due to the
crowd there willbe pushing and shoving. The paths will be narrow and
difficult. So undertake this journey as an ardent devotee. Whoever is
ardentin the love of someone finds enjoyment in the difficulties he
encounters on the way and contentment in these worries.
One time I went with my respected father Hazrat Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Rahmatullah alayhi for Umrah in Ramadan. We were sitting in the Haram
in front of the Rukn Yamani. The crowd was immense. People were
jumping our shoulders. OneSudanese man jumped my shoulder and his leg
hurt my neck. It slipped from my mouth, how rude thesepeople are! I
turned and saw that my father's face had changed color and there were
signs of anger. He stayed silent for a whileand then said: Would you
rather that these shoves strike another person who is sitting
somewhere else desperately wishing to be here and enduring them, but
could not get here? This was around 1974. Thisstatement of my father
changed my world completely. Now I wished to encounter more of
theseshoves.
Now some useful advice that Insha-Allah will be of benefit:
1. There are two types of actions during Hajj: wajibaat, obligatory
duties, which must be performed and Mustahibbat, virtuous actions that
are not required by Shariah. If you can do the Mustahibbat without
incurring sin then that is a favor of Allah, otherwise you do not need
to worry about them. For example, kissing the Black Stone has great
blessings. But ifin order to get this blessing you must push and shove
and fight or mix with women then this blessing is of no use. If you
sin in order to obtain that blessing than you have actually incurred a
loss.
2. Women coming into the rows of men disrupt boththeir salats and the
salat of their neighbors. Women should come early enough to the Haram
to pray in the women's sections. Otherwise, it is better for them to
pray in their residence.
:->

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2. Oh Travelers to the Haram!

2.
Originally published in Urdu in Daily Ummat Karachi on 12 December 2004
Oh guests of the Most Merciful! Oh fortunate ones! Oh travelers to the
Haram! Congratulations on being invited by the Lord of the worlds! Be
glad that He has invited you to His House! Not only that, but He has
given you the provisions for travel and lodging. And not only that,
but He has also filled your hearts with such love of Him and His House
that today you leave your homes, your cities, your countries and
embark on this journey solely for the pleasure of your Lord. Had this
desire not been there then you would have neverplanned to undertake
this journey.
How many a millionaire are there who travel throughout Switzerland,
England, America, and so on - who spend their children's vacations
over there - but never receive this invitation: Come, visit Our House!
Live in Our city! Act according to the Sunnats of Our beloved
servants! Run between the hills of Safa and Marwa justas a wife of a
prophet and a mother of a prophet did! We love this running of yours.
Hurl rocks against Satan just as Our Prophet Ibrahim (alayhi salam)
did! Perform sacrifice just as a loyal servant of Ours laid his son
and ran the knife over his throat because of Our Command! But we had
prohibited the knife from even scratching the throat. Our servant did
as he was told and the knife did as it was commanded (i.e. it did not
cut); both acted under our command. Those who claim to love Us - We
test them to see whether their claim is true.
Hazrat Thanwi Rahmatullahi alayhi has written that when Prophet
Ibrahim, alayhi salam, got tired running the knife, he said to the
knife: Why don't you cut? The knife responded: You have been commanded
to cut, and I have been ordered not to cut; do your job, I am doing
mine. Then a ram was sent from the heavens and the test was complete.
We were pleased with this act of Our friend - now you also imitate
him. We have provided you with animals - otherwise where would you
have wandered in search for animals? We have also provided their food
- otherwise where would you find food for them in this dry, arid land?
Now the animals are there,the knife is ready, just run the knife and
your work is done! Then, We will do Ourwork: We will accept this
sacrifice just as We accepted the sacrifice of Our friend and We will
endow you with such rewards as never could even occur to you in your
thoughts.
This is Our city and Our House. Come here as a devotee; if you are not
a devotee, then take on the appearance of a devotee! Be content in
whatever condition We keep you in. Here there are crowds of devotees.
You will be pushed and shoved; your hair will fill with dirt and dust,
and your feet will tirefrom walking. Be it pushingor shoving, dirt and
dust, or difficulties in Our alleys -Our devotees are proud of such
difficulties and consider them as the treasures of their lives.
Whoever thinks of these hardships and pains as calamities should not
come. He should stay at hishome. But those who comeas devotees - We
will wipe out their sins and return them to their homes as if they
were just born today. This is a bathing of bodies and souls rotten and
spoiled due to sins - washing these sins will require rubbing. Without
rubbing how is cleanliness obtained?
Oh travelers to the Haram! Hajj is no small blessing. This is a great
act of worship - very different from all the other forms of worship.
All sorts of outward and inward worships are combined in this. Money
is spent in the path of Allah and great effort is exerted; it is a
purification of the soul of the highest degree; it contains spiritual
exercises;there is patience and gratitude, love and ma'rifah . It is a
witnessing of the favors of the Almighty and of the acceptance of
duas. There is both outward and inward closeness. In a hadith,
Rasoolullah addressed those performing Hajj and Umrah- and today you
are his addressees:
Sayyidna Abu Hurairah Radi-Allahu anhu narrates that Rasoolullah said:
(translation) The travelers of Hajj and Umrah are Allah's special
guests; if they supplicate to Allah, Heaccepts their supplications and
if they seek forgiveness, He forgives them. (Hisn-e-Hasin, Ibn Majah
and Nasai)
Oh travelers to the Haram! Years of spiritual exercise and training
may not yield the benefits that can be obtained from this, if only we
understand them and have a will to seek them. Oh guests of Allah! I
will not discuss with you the merits of Hajj, because if you did not
know its merits than you would have never made this blessed intention
(to go to Hajj). Neither will I mentionits rites and rulings,
:->

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1a. "Let them Forgive and Overlook"

1a.
We beg Allah to forgive our transgressions, our faults when we are
entirely at fault; can we not forgive pettier mistakes directed atus!?
There will, of course, always be times when forgiving may seem the
hardest pill to swallow. It may sometimes seem impossible to simply
dispense with all the frustration and anger and move on. We may be
morewilling to move a mountain than forgive a person who has wronged
us, to overlook his insults, to overcome our bad feelings. Abu Bakr,
radi-Allahu anhu, despite being faced with attacks that were entirely
unprovoked, did not hesitate to forgive once he was enlightened with
the virtues of forgiveness. In his zeal, he produced the most sublime
example of forgiving, in response to one of the most vicious attacks
perpetrated.
As differences and conflicts arise and pollute the atmosphere, there
needs tobe this window present to ventilate it. The window makes it
possible to blow away the charged feelings and allow fresh air in
one's life. It may be hard to openit and push it back along itsrusty
railings. But we must remember, that this very window is the same
window which has been promised to lead to the forgiveness and mercy of
Allah Himself.

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1. "Let them Forgive and Overlook"

1.
MADINAH-AL-MUNAWARRA, THE CITY OF THE PROPHET , IS ABUZZ with rumors.
Ever since the Muslims returned from the battle ofBani al-Mustaliq the
hypocrites have been busy spreading lies against Aisharadi-Allahu
anha. These stories have become the topic of every gathering, the
subject of discussion in every household in Madinah. Though most of
the sincere Muslims are confident in the innocence of Aisha
radi-Allahu anha, they are still quiet, waiting for this to be
ascertained by the Prophet . The Prophet is also quiet, waiting for
Allah to inspire him towards the truth. Thus, the hypocrites led by
Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Salool have advantage over the seemingly
confusing situation and gear all their energies in spreading the lies.
Unsuspectingly influenced by the hypocrites' rampage, a few Muslim
thus begin to believe this false story. Some of these Muslims even
actively help propagate it.
Among them is Mistah bin Uthatha radi-Allahu anhu, acousin of Abu Bakr
radi-Allahu anhu. He is an extremely poor man with no money except
that which Abu Bakr radi-Allahuanhu regularly gives him. Mistah's
endorsement of the hypocrites' story adds somewhat more weight to it,
as he is a man with a fine reputation. It can be no longer said that
belief inthis story is limited to the circle of hypocrites.
And so a trying and gruesome month passes before Allah subhanahu
wata'ala reveals the innocenceof Aisha radi-Allahu anha. The Muslims
finally exhale a sigh of relief and a sense of normalcy returns to
Madinah.
Hurt and angered by Mistah's previous allegations, Abu Bakr takes an
oath that he will never spend on Mistah again. Considering Abu Bakr's
perspective, this is a perfectly justifiable, even expected, position.
Here is a person wholly dependanton Abu Bakr and yet is willfully
spreading and endorsing wild, enormous rumors about Abu Bakr's beloved
daughter. How else could Abu Bakr react insuch an ironic situation?
How else can he treat a person who slandered his daughter, the Mother
of the Believers, with the worst of slander?
And then Allah reveals: Andlet not those who are goodand wealthy among
you swear not to help their kinsmen, those in need andthose who left
their homesin Allah's Cause. Let them forgive and overlook. Do you not
wish that Allah should forgive you? Verily! Allah is Oft-forgiving,
Most Merciful." (24.22)
Abu Bakr radi-Allahu anhu, despite his anguish and hurt feelings,
immediately responds by exclaiming,"By Allah, I would love it that
Allah forgives me!" He promptly returns to his previous habit, and
swears that he will never cease spending on Mistah.
This was the mercy and forgiveness the Qur'an teaches, the mercy and
tiesof kinship that Allah is pleased to see in His servants.
Now let's think ... what would one of us do in the same situation?
What would YOU do? Here's someone you've always helped, been good to;
someone who absolutely depends on you. And now when you're going
throughsome tough times yourself,that person, instead of being
thankful for all what you've done and using this opportunity to make
it up to you, gets up and stabs you in the back. Instead of telling
the world of your goodness, goes on to spread tales. Would you goon
enjoining ties of kinship?
Conflicts, trivial and great, arise between friends and families all
the time. But the question is: how are we supposed to react in the
face of such? Should we defend ourselves to theend because we are in
the right? Should we refuse to forgive the other and overlook his/her
faults, because we were wronged? Should we cut off relationships, shun
one another due to a petty or even great argument? Howcan we let go of
our ego and just forgive and overlook despite the great misdeed
targeted against us?
A glance at Abu Bakr radi-Allahu anhus life will tell us that no
matter whatthe sin, no matter how grave the misdeed is, thereshould
always remain a window leading to reconciliation and forgiveness. In
the Qur'an we are time and time again reminded to forgive each other
and live with each other in harmony andlove. Regardless if the
squabble is wholly the fault of the notorious"other" it is vital to
realize that greatness is not in raising our head high and stomping
off, rather it is in bending down and seekingto reconcile; in
forgiving and overlooking. There is no attitude that can ever bring
about the most reward and pleasure than that of unhesitant
forgiveness. Being oft-forgiving is an attributeAllah uses to describe
Himself, and indeed we should aspire to build this lofty description
within us, even with our limited capabilities. We beg Allah to forgive
our transgressions,
:->

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