Surat Al-Hajj- Lesson (1-7)- Verses 1-33: "And among mankind is he who worships Allah as it were, upon the very edge (i.e. in doubt)"
- Interpretation Of Quran / The long version
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- Hajj Surah
In the Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings to our Master Muhammad, the Faithful and the Honest. O Allah, we know nothing but what You teach us, You are the All- Knower, the Wise. O Allah our Lord, teach us what is useful for us, let us make use of what You have taught us and advance us in knowledge. O Allah, show us the righteous things as righteous and help us do them, and show us the bad things as bad and help us keep away from them. O Allah our Lord, make us amongst those who listen to the Word and follow the best meaning of It, and admit us, by Your Grace, to the ranks of Your righteous servants.
Islam comprises Aqidah (creed) and Shari'ah (Islamic Laws)
Dear believing brothers, some of my noble brothers asked me to talk about the wisdom behind the obligation of Hajj (pilgrimage) which is obligatory on Muslims. I covered this subject partially during the Friday Khutbah, and I will continue discussing it in today's lecture.
First of all, I would like to say that Islam comprises Aqidah (creed) and Shariah (Islamic Laws). Allah the Almighty has summed it up in a single Ayah when He says:
﴾ Say (O Muhammad PBUH): "I am only a man like you. It has been inspired to me that your Ilah (God) is One Ilah (God i.e. Allah). ﴿
The Islamic creed can be pressed into a few words; to bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah Alone. He says:
﴾ So know (O Muhammad PBUH) that La ilaha ill-Allah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah). ﴿
Some scholars say, "The most perfect and sublime outcome of knowledge is believing that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah Alone. Although this phrase is light on the tongue, it is quite heavy on the Scale (will be heavily rewarded). However, let me draw your attention to the fact that there is a huge difference between the superficial and the profound understanding of a Noble Ayah. For example, you may understand the meanings of the words of the following Noble Ayah in which Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ So know (O Muhammad PBUH) that La ilaha ill-Allah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah). ﴿
However, when you have a deep understanding of this Ayah and believe in it with all your heart, your profound belief that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah will definitely lead you to adhere strictly to His Commands and Prohibitions. Accordingly, a defect in one's behavior reflects a defect in his faith. In other words, when one commits sins, it means his faith in the concept of Tawhid (that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah Alone) is not complete yet.
The essence of the Islamic creed is to believe that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah Alone.
(( Um Hani, may Allah be pleased with her, narrated that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "(About saying) la Ilaha ila Allah (None has the right to be worshipped but Allah Alon)- no deed takes precedence over it, and it does not leave any sin (unforgiven)". ))
Now, let us move on to the Ibadat (the acts of worship). Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Say (O Muhammad PBUH): "I am only a man like you. It has been inspired to me that your Ilah (God) is One Ilah (God i.e. Allah). So whoever hopes for the Meeting with his Lord, let him work righteousness and associate none as a partner in the worship of his Lord ﴿
Islam encompasses both theoretical and practical aspects. The theoretical aspect is also called the doctrinal, ideological or mental aspect. Moreover, it encompasses the behavioral and practical aspects. The following Noble Hadith confirms this point:
(( Mu'adh Ibn Jabal, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "No matter how knowledgeable you are, you will never be rewarded until you put what you learn into practice." ))
Also, it was said that when one does not act upon his knowledge, it will be a proof against him. Scholars subdivided the practical side into two categories: Ibadat (the ritual acts of worship) and Mu'amalat (the rulings governing commercial transactions as well as ways of dealing with people).
Ibadat handle your relationship with Allah the Almighty while Mu'amalat manage your relationship with people, such as provision and rules of marriage, divorce, leasing, selling, partnership, Al-Mudarabah (a form of business contract in which one party brings capital and the other personal effort.), Al-Muzara'ah (share-cropping; an agreement between two parties in which one agrees to allow a portion of his land to be used by the other in return for a part of the production of the land.), Al-Musaqah (a type of partnership in which the owner of an orchard agrees to share a stipulated portion of the production of the orchard's trees with a worker, in exchange for the latter's irrigation of the orchard.), Al-Wadi'ah (corresponds to safekeeping, custody, deposit and trust.), Al-Luqtah (the rulings of the lost property), and vows, etc. All these rulings, no matter how numerous and elaborated they are, come under the headings of Al-Mu'amalat which manage a person's relationship with others.
Concerning your relationship with Allah the Almighty, it is managed by Ibadat (the ritual acts of worship). First and foremost, Salat is obligatory upon every adult Muslim under all circumstances; in case of well-being or illness, wealth or poverty, and residence or travel, etc. In other words, the command to pray is not waived except in case of madness or blackout. Furthermore, even the one who suffers serious illness can pray lying down by gestures with his head or eyes.
So, as I have just mentioned above, Allah's Commands are divided into two main categories: Ibadat (the ritual acts of worship) and Mu'amalat (transactions and ways of dealings with people). The rulings of Mu'amalat are mentioned in the Noble Qur'an and Sunnah in general, then the scholars of Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) derived the detailed rulings from the general ones. Thus, Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) is a set of rulings derived from Qur'an and Sunnah through Ijtihad (process of legal reasoning to derive law on the basis of the Qur'an and Sunnah), whereas Ibadat are the acts of worship that Allah the Almighty enjoined upon His worshippers.
As for Salah, it was narrated in a Noble Hadith that it is "the pillar of the Islamic religion; whoever establishes it has established his religion and whoever neglects and destroys it has destroyed the religion." The main purpose of Salat is to draw closer to Allah the Almighty.
As for Siyaam (fasting), it has been enjoined upon us so that we may become righteous; get closer to Allah. Thus Salat is a physical act of worship, and the same goes for Siyaam, whereas Zakah is a financial obligation.
When it comes to Hajj, it is at the same time a physical, financial, and spiritual act of worship which includes many rituals that should be performed in specific places and at a specific time, and that is why Hajj is considered among the greatest act of worship.
Getting to know Allah through performing acts of worship
First of all, Allah the Almighty created the universe as an indication of His Divine Essence and His Most Beautiful Names and Best Exalted Attributes. Hence, the universe is a manifestation of His Most Beautiful Names and Exalted Attributes, like His Name Al-Alim (The All-Knowing), Al-Hakim (the All-Wise), Ar-Ra'uf (The Most Kind), Ar-Rahim (The Most Compassionate), Al-Qadir (The All-Powerful), Al-Ghani (The Free of need), As-Sami (The All-Hearing), and Al-Basir (The All- Seeing). Actually, one should get acquainted with Allah's Most Beautiful Names through pondering over His Signs in the universe, since the universe is a sign of His Greatness. On the other hand, the deep meditation on (the wisdom behind) the acts of worship is one of the ways to get to know Allah the Almighty.
One of these acts of worship is Hajj, which is in brief an invitation the worshiper receives from Allah the Almighty to come to Him. As if Allah the Almighty is saying to you, "O my servant, leave everything behind and come to Me!" The servant's respond to Allah's Call is the major difference between Hajj and other acts of worship. To elaborate, you can perform Salat at your home and among your family, i.e. you do not have to leave your country, your society or your people. Also, when it comes to Zakah, you pay a portion of your money, and when you fast, you abstain from food and drink. Unlike these acts of worship, when you perform Hajj you respond to Allah's Call, "O My servant come to Me". This is what Ibrahim, peace be upon him, did as Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, narrated in the following Ayah:
﴾ And he said (after his rescue from the fire): "Verily, I am going to my Lord. He will guide me! ﴿
There are many different reasons why people travel; for business, for acquiring knowledge, or for pleasure and recreation, while Hajj is, in one way or another, a spiritual journey to Allah the Almighty; as if Allah is saying to you, "O My servant! Come to me, and forget about all your worries and troubles, your sinful desires which have weighed down your back, your life's burdens, your work and health problems, and come to Me!"
Most people who performed Hajj confirm this fact. They said that during Hajj, Allah the Almighty makes one forget all his worries and everyday problems; his livelihood, work, family or health problems, and He relieves him of them as long as he is visiting His Sacred House (the Ka'bah). Thus, Hajj is a great chance to detach oneself from his worries, as if Allah the Almighty is calling you, "O My servant! Leave all your life's burdens behind and come to Me!" Allah the Almighty, the Creator of everything, says:
﴾ And Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah) to the House (Ka'bah) is a duty that mankind owes to Allah, those who can afford the expenses (for one's conveyance, provision and residence). ﴿
Is it possible that you leave your family, wife and children, endure the travel hardships (i.e. when travelling to Makkah in order to perform Hajj), and spend considerable amount of money in order to answer the Call of Allah the Almighty to perform Hajj then your faith will not increase? It is absolutely impossible! Far be it from Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, not to honor you.
Hajj is not only a physical journey but also a spiritual one, so never believe that one leaves his home, family, country and work, spends considerable amount of money on Hajj, and endures the challenging conditions of Hajj such as overcrowding and burning heat only to be physically present at Mount Arafat or while performing Tawaf (circumambulating the Ka'bah) and Sai (walking between the hills of Safa and Marwah) without tasting the spiritual delight of Hajj.
During Hajj, Allah the Almighty seems to be calling you to come to Him to make you taste the sweetness of His Vicinity, the sweetness of the Love of Him and to love Him more than anything else. As the poet said:
Everything, besides Allah, is vain
and all happiness, unconditionally, will vanish
***
Hajj is obligatory only once in one's lifetime, but you may go on Hajj several times after you taste the spiritual delight of it.
The pieces of wisdom behind Hajj
1- Turning to Allah and getting closer to Him
Actually, the Greatness of Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, is not only seen through pondering over His creation, but also through reflecting on His Commands and Prohibitions, as well as on the ritual acts of worship such as Salat, Siyaam and Hajj. In fact, when the one who is so far away from Islam watches the pilgrims performing the rituals of Hajj like Tawaf, Sa'i or Rajm (stoning), while he knows nothing about the spiritual aspect of Hajj, he may think that these rituals are useless acts and meaningless movements.
Just as the universe indicates Allah's Greatness since it is His creation, the ritual act of worship also indicates His Greatness since it is His Command. So, Allah Exalted and Sublime be He, orders you to come to Him in order to make you forget about all your worries. Also, He commands you to spend some of your Halal (lawful) money on the trip of Hajj to His Sacred House in order to feel that you have a special status in His Sight.
Let me give you this example, when you invite someone to a meal and spend too much money on it, you feel that you have offered him something of value, whereas when you spend some of your money for the Sake of Allah, it will be to your advantage (i.e. you will draw closer to Him) since Allah is Al-Ghani (the Free of need), i.e. He does not need anything from you. He says:
﴾ It is neither their meat nor their blood that reaches Allah, but it is piety from you that reaches Him. ﴿
Allah the Almighty orders you to move away from the source of your worries; the concerns related to earning your living, to your work, to your family or to your health, to come to Him, and to pay for the travel expenses; the entrance fee, the accommodation fee, the cost of eating and drinking, and the cost of the animals for sacrifice (al-Hady) in order to feel that you have made an expenditure for the sake of Allah the Almighty. Thus, Allah the Almighty helps you turn to Him and get closer to Him.
Based on these facts, one of the pieces of wisdom behind this religious obligation is that after leaving your house, country, dwelling, family, wife, children, and work, putting aside your pride, high position, and all things that please you, and after enduring the hardships of travel in order to come to Him, you feel that you have exalted position in His Sight, that the way to Allah the Almighty is paved for you, the gates of Heaven are opened for you, that turning to Allah has become possible for you, and that His Light is cast into your heart. In addition, you find spiritual delight in supplicating Him and feel that you get closer to Him. Thus, the first piece of wisdom of Hajj is that Allah the Almighty helps you turn to Him and find spiritual delight in getting closer to Him after building strong relationship with Him. This is the first meaning of Hajj.
2- Hajj deflates one's exaggerated sense of self-worth
During Hajj, pilgrims should enter the Sacred House of Allah in a state of Ihram Miqat (i.e. the principal boundary points of the area within which Muslim pilgrims must be in the state of Ihram; a state of consecration in which certain worldly activities are prohibited). Also, pilgrims should not wear stitched clothes, otherwise some of them may wear expensive, beautiful and elegant clothes while others may wear cheap clothes which show the class disparity between them and may arouse envy among them. To avoid such bad feelings, Allah the Almighty orders pilgrims to wear two pieces of white, unstitched, plain cloth for one thing: to believe that they are all equal in the Sight of Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He. Hence, in Hajj, there is no difference between the old and the young, the rich and the poor, the famous and the unknown, and so on since all people are equal in Allah's Sight.
It seems that the journey of Hajj is a reminder from Allah the Almighty of your final journey in which you will leave counterfeit worldly pleasures, your wealth, high standing, family, wife, and children, as well as all your worldly possessions. Accordingly, the journey of Hajj is one's penultimate journey (to Allah), whereas the final journey (death) could be likened to a one-way trip in which one will leave everything forever.
To make the point clearer, Hajj could be likened to a round-trip journey in which one leaves everything for a certain period of time in order to prepare himself for his final journey in which he will never come back to this worldly life. So, detach your heart from the worldly pleasures before you have to leave them all behind when death comes, let go of attachment to this life before it let you down, and know the real truth of it earlier in your life before you get completely shocked by it.
Hajj deflates your exaggerated sense of self-worth and cuts you down to size; you realize that you are a weak poor servant of Allah with shaggy and dusty hair, possessing only two pieces of unstitched fabric, standing at Mount Arafat, or in the Sacred House of Allah or in the area between the hills of Safa and Marwah. So, Hajj shows one his reality; that he is a poor servant of Allah who is in desperate need of Him. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ And truly you have come unto Us alone (without wealth, companions or anything else) as We created you the first time ﴿
When you travel for Hajj, you leave behind all your worries about making a living, endure the travel troubles, and renounce the adornment of the worldly life in order to strengthen your relationship with Allah the Almighty. In contrast, when one is at home, he may perform the prayers superficially; he may get distracted by many things, such as thinking about his worries, his problems, his worldly affairs, his wealth, or his personal matters, etc. Thus, in Hajj, Allah the Almighty helps you against your own self, as if He is calling you, "Come to me, O my servant, so that I remove your sins which are a heavy burden on your back." Regarding this point, it was mentioned in the tradition:
﴾ When a servant of Allah the Almighty turns to Him in repentance, a caller will call out in the heavens and earth "O creatures! Congratulate so and so, for he has fixed his relationship with Allah!"
﴿
In one way or another, the precise definition of Hajj is a means of repairing one's relationship with Allah the Almighty. Actually, when you reconcile with someone who means so much to you, you will be very happy that you may not be able to sleep out of delight. Also, when one reconciles with his wife, he may say that he has survived his life's worst nightmare, and he will be so grateful to Allah that his life is beginning to get back to normal. So, how will it be then when you fix your relationship with Allah the Almighty in Whose Hands is the dominion of all things, and Who has power over your life and death? Then congratulations to you! Hence, Hajj is a means of repairing one's relationship with Allah the Almighty.
3- Earning Allah's Forgiveness
Dear brothers, in a previous lecture on Islamic creed, I mentioned to you that the being or the existence of a thing falls into three categories: necessary in existence, possible in existence and impossible in existence; Allah the Almighty is the Only One Whose Existence is necessary. We, as human being, are possible in existence, while other god besides Allah is impossible in existence. Speaking of impossible things, it is also impossible that you travel to Allah's House without being rewarded by Him generously. It was mentioned in the tradition that Allah the Almighty says:
(( Masajid are My Houses on earth, and their regular attendants are their maintainers. Blessed be he who makes his ablutions at home then visits Me; it is incumbent upon the host to be generous towards his guests. ))
In other words, it is impossible for he who travels to the Sacred House of Allah with the sole intention of performing Hajj seeking no worldly benefit, to go back empty-handed. Allah the Almighty will reward him generously, so that he will feel satisfied. Also, Allah will have mercy on his weakness, will fulfill his desires and dreams, and will help him with regards to the matters related to his Hereafter as well as his worldly life.
In the following Noble Hadith, the Prophet likened the one who has performed Hajj to a newborn sinless child:
(( Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet, may Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon him, said: "Whoever performs Hajj (pilgrimage) and does not have sexual relations (with his wife), nor commits sin, nor disputes unjustly (during Hajj), then he returns from Hajj as pure and free from sins as on the day on which his mother gave birth to him." ))
After Hajj, you turn a new page and make a fresh start with regards to your relationship with Allah the Almighty; you earn Allah's Forgiveness since He erases all your previous sins. Verily, there is no feeling in the world better than this one; that you become as sinless as a newborn child. Verily, nobody knows that great feeling except those who have experienced it.
4- Feeling that you are the guest of the Most Merciful
Let me tell you one more thing. Pilgrims make a lot of Du'as during Hajj, i.e. there is a recommended Du'a for each ritual of Hajj. There is Du'a for Tawaf Al-Qudum (the initial circumambulation carried out upon entering the Sacred House of Allah), Sa'i, staying overnight in Mina, standing at Arafat, staying overnight in Muzdalifah, stoning Jamrat (place of throwing pebbles) al-'Aqabah, Tawaf al-Ifadah (the circumambulation carried out after casting stones, sacrificing animals and shaving the hair), staying in Mina after the day of Sacrifice and the days of Tashreeq (the three days following the Eid day), stoning the first and second Jamrat, and Tawaf al-Wada' (farewell circumambulation).
(( Anas Ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet, may Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon him, said: "Du'a is the essence of worship" ))
Du'a is the core of worship, so when you make sincere Du'a to Allah the Almighty, He will definitely respond to it. Since Allah responds to the Du'a you make at home in your own country, what about the Du'a you make in Allah's Sacred House? In our daily life, when you visit someone and ask him something, he will surely fulfill your need since you are his guest, and he wants to show you generous and warm hospitality. Thus, feeling that you are the guest of Allah the Most Merciful, Exalted and Sublime be He, when you travel to His Sacred House is really the most amazing feeling you will ever have.
5- Visiting the Sacred House of Allah is great honor
There is one more point. When you travel to the Sacred House of Allah, you should be grateful to Allah that He has allowed you to visit His Sacred House out of His Bounty, i.e. every pilgrim should feel like this and should thank Allah for giving him the honor to visit His Sacred House and for casting His Light into his heart.
I am not saying that only a few number of pilgrims feel that feeling, but rather all of them, provided they make their intention sincere, so there should be no showing off, no boasting, nor worldly benefits such as carrying on business, looking for work, or obtaining residence permits, etc. Thus, when Hajj is performed solely for the Sake of Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, He will honor you and will make you feel an incredible feeling that you will never forget for the rest of your life.
Keep making Du'as during Hajj
One of the recommended Du'as during Tawaf is, "Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire!" Indeed, it is an all-inclusive Du'a which cover all matters related to this world as well as the matters related to the Hereafter. Also, it is recommended to make the following Du'a mentioned in the Noble Hadith below:
(( Mrs. A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, narrated that the Prophet, may peace be upon him, said: "O Allah, You are the Most Forgiving, and You love forgiveness; so forgive me." ))
Allah the Almighty loves to forgive you, so when you seek His Forgiveness, you will surely feel that He has pardoned you, since you have turned a new page regarding your relationship with Him. Also, it is recommended to recite this Du'a that is mentioned in the following Noble Hadith:
(( O Allah, set right for me my religion which is the safeguard of my affairs, set right for me the affairs of my world wherein is my living, set right for me my Hereafter on which depends my after-life, make the life for me (a source) of abundance for every good and make my death a source of comfort for me protecting me against every evil. ))
So, when you say, "O Allah! Make the life for me a source of abundance for every good, and make my death a source of comfort for me protecting me against every evil", you will feel that everything is good for you in the sense that Allah the Almighty will keep you alive when life is better for you and will cause you to die when death is better for you.
Actually, the Du'a you make in the Sacred House of Allah or in the Prophet Masjid touches you heart more than the one you make at your own home, even if you recite it at home many thousand times. In the Sacred House, you are Allah's guest, so He will honor you and reward you generously. Thus, one should make a lot of Du'as while performing Tawaf, and facing the Black Stone, etc.
(( Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said: the Prophet, peace be upon him, turned to face the Black Stone, then he put his lips on it and wept for a long time. Then he turned and saw Umar bin Khattab weeping. He said: "O Umar, this is the place where tears should be shed." ))
Scholars unanimously agreed that the Black Stone is of a great symbolic significance, so when touching or kissing it, it is recommended to say:
(( In the Name of Allah, Allah is the Greatest. O Allah, out of faith in You, belief in Your Book, fulfillment of Your Covenant, and following the Sunnah of Your Prophet, peace be upon him ))
Dear brothers, I hope that whoever has got a chance to kiss the Black Stone never forget such a moment for the rest of his life so that whenever he is about to commit a sin, he reminds himself of the covenant he made with Allah to be obedient to Him when he kissed the Black Stone during Hajj. Hence, will he keep the promise he made to Allah? Will he always remember this moment?
When you perform one complete circumambulation, you stand facing the Black Stone and salute it. Then when you pass it, it is recommended to say:
"In the Name of Allah, Allah is the Greatest. O Allah, out of faith in You, belief in Your Book, fulfillment of Your Covenant, and following the Sunnah of Your Prophet, peace be upon him". Then after performing Tawaf seven times, you head to Al-Mas'a (the place where pilgrims walk between the two hills of Safa and Marwah), and you start from the hill of Safa since the Prophet, peace be upon him, began his Sa'i with As-Safa, and he said:
(( I begin with that with which Allah began. ))
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Verily! As-Safa and Al-Marwah (two mountains in Makkah) are of the Symbols of Allah. So it is not a sin on him who perform Hajj or 'Umrah (pilgrimage) of the House (the Ka'bah at Makkah) to perform the going (Tawaf) between them (As-Safa and Al-Marwah). ﴿
Also, there are many recommended Du'as one can make during Tawaf. You can notice that there are several places and times of making lots of Du'as, so do you make sincere Du'a with an attentive heart? If you are planning to perform Hajj, my advice to you is to memorize a lot of Du'as, because making Du'a from a book may not touch your heart, or you may not feel the spiritual delight of drawing closer to Allah.
One of the mistakes some pilgrims commit is that they recite Du'as too loudly from a book while performing Tawaf or Sa'i which distracts some people around them. Also, some of them make Du'a loudly then women repeat it also too loudly while women should not speak aloud in public. Therefore, "Study the Fiqh of Hajj before going there."
I think it would be better to keep a lot of Du'as by heart in preparation for Hajj, i.e. one can assemble a list of Du'as which are recited during Hajj two or three months earlier and keep them by heart so that he can recall them easily while performing the rituals of Hajj. This method will help him make Du'a with attentive heart and draw closer to Allah, whereas reciting Du'as from a book may distract the one who performs Hajj. Furthermore, when you memorize a lot of Du'as, you have got a magical key or even the most powerful weapon.
It was narrated that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
(( Du'a is the most powerful weapon of the believer. ))
In other words, by the power of Du'a you can beat anyone else since Allah is with you; if Allah helps you, none can overcome you. This reminds me of what the Prophet, peace be upon him, said to our Master Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, when they were in the cave, "What do you think of two, the third of whom is Allah?" Similarly, what do you think of the person who is under the Care and Protection of Allah the Almighty? Let making Du'a be one of your habits. Make Du'a all the time; whenever you are in trouble, whenever you face a problem, whenever you are distressed, whenever you fear a specter of calamity, whenever you are afraid of someone, whenever you feel deep anxiety and intense grief, or whenever you are in other similar situations, invoke Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, for He says:
﴾ And your Lord said: "Invoke Me, [i.e. believe in My Oneness (Islamic Monotheism)] (and ask Me for anything) I will respond to your (invocation)". ﴿
A poet said:
Do not ask the son of Adam for a need,
and ask Him whose gates never close.
For the Lord gets upset if you stop asking Him,
while the son of Adam gets upset when asked for help.
***
Indeed, when you ask someone for what you need, he may get annoyed, whereas Allah the Almighty will get angry with those who do not make Du'a to Him.
After Tawaf, the pilgrim should pray two Rak'at behind the Maqam of Ibrahim (the stone where the footprint of Prophet Ibrahim, peace be upon him, is marked). However, it is not obligatory to pray them in that particular place as some pilgrims think, i.e. when the Sacred House gets severely overcrowded, it will be sufficient to perform them at any other place in Al-Haram (the Sacred Masjid in Makkah), lest the pilgrim cause harm to others by blocking the flow of crowds during Tawaf.
In fact, whoever goes to Makkah to perform Hajj without having good knowledge about the rulings and rituals may cause harm to a lot of Muslims.
I insist on asking whoever intends to perform Hajj to test his basic knowledge of Fiqh (of Hajj), to see whether he knows the ritual acts of Hajj, the obligatory actions, and the essential parts and Sunan (desirable actions) of Hajj, etc. By having enough knowledge about these matters, the pilgrim will not commit a serious error if he wants to perform a desirable act, such as struggling among crowds and causing harm to other pilgrims in order to kiss the Black Stone (which is a desirable act). This act is contrary to the very essence of Hajj as well as to the teachings of the Prophet, peace be upon him. Therefore, I repeat, "Study the Fiqh of Hajj before going there."
Mental and spiritual preparation for Hajj:
I think it would be better for the one who wants to travel for Hajj to prepare himself mentally and spiritually. As for the mental preparation, he should study in depth the basic rulings as well as the secondary rulings on Hajj. For instance, if he commits a mistake while performing the rituals of Hajj, he knows the ruling on it, whether he should offer a sacrifice to make up for his mistake, or whether this mistake is related to a desirable or an obligatory act of Hajj, etc. So, everyone should know what to do in such situations, and should take an intensive course on Hajj; its rulings, essential parts, obligatory acts, recommended acts, desirable acts, etiquettes and wisdom in order to get background information on Hajj.
Concerning the spiritual preparation for Hajj, the pilgrim should repent sincerely to Allah the Almighty of all his sins, adhere firmly to His Commands, and earn money through Halal (lawful) ways. It was narrated in a Qudis Hadith that Allah the Almighty says:
(( A person whose body I make healthy and to whom I grant ample provision but five years go by and he does not come to Me is indeed deprived" ))
Allah has honored the Prophet, the Sacred House and the Noble Ka'bah
In his poem in praise of the Prophet, peace be upon him, Imam Al-Busiri, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
O Prophet! You made every position of Prophets inferior by your advance
when you were invited by Allah the Almighty to His Majestic and Unique Position
There are two points in this line of poem: first, in one Noble Ayah, Allah Exalted and Sublime be He, added the word "the salve" which refers to the Prophet, peace be upon him, to His Divine Character in Idafa (genitive); He says:
﴾ It has been revealed to me that) When the slave of Allah (Muhammad PBUH) stood up invoking (his Lord Allah) in prayer to Him…" ﴿
The Phrase, "the slave of Allah" refers to the Prophet, peace be upon him. Thus, Allah the Almighty honored the Prophet by describing him as His slave. As the poet said:
O Prophet! You made every position of prophets inferior by your advance
when you were invited by Allah the Almighty to His Majestic and Unique Position
***
Furthermore, Allah the Almighty called the Prophets, peace be upon them, directly by their names. He says:
﴾ (Allah said) "O Zakariya (Zachariah)! Verily, We give you the glad tidings of a son, His name will be Yahya (John). ﴿
﴾ And (remember) when Allah will say (on the Day of Resurrection): "O 'Iesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary)! Did you say unto men: 'Worship me and my mother as two gods besides Allah". ﴿
Unlike them, Allah the Almighty did not call the Prophet, peace be upon him, by his name 'O Muhammad', but rather He said, 'O Prophet', and 'O Messenger'. Well, the Prophet's name was mentioned in the following Noble Ayaat, but in an informing context, so the Prophet was not addressed directly in these Noble Ayaat. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Muhammad (PBUH) is the Messenger of Allah, and those who are with him are severe against disbelievers) ﴿
﴾ Muhammad (PBUH) is not the father of any man among you… ﴿
Thus, Allah the Almighty did not call the Prophet, peace be upon him, by his name; He did not say, 'O Muhammad.' As the poet said:
O Prophet! You made every position of prophets inferior by your advance
when you were invited by Allah the Almighty to His Majestic and Unique Position
***
Likewise, Allah the Almighty honored the Sacred House by calling it His House, He says:
﴾ …That they should purify My House (the Ka'bah at Makkah) for those who are circumambulating it, or staying (I'tikaf), or bowing or prostrating themselves (there, in prayer). ﴿
Actually, the Noble Ka'bah is the most sacred place on the earth since Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, called it His House.
Salat in the Sacred Masjid is equal to one hundred thousand prayers elsewhere
Actually, One prayer in the Sacred House is equal in reward to 100,000 prayers at other places. You can really feel that. When you are in your country, you have to make a great deal of effort (such as performing many supererogatory acts of worship, remembering Allah often, etc.) in order to draw closer to Allah and to have your heart connected to Him. Whereas when you are in the Sacred House of Allah, your heart gets spiritually connected to Allah at the slightest effort. As if Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, removes all veils between you and Him.
(( Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet, may Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon him, said: "The Lord descends every night to the lowest heaven when one-third of the night remains and says: 'Who will call upon Me, that I may answer Him? Who will ask of Me, that I may give him? Who will seek My Forgiveness, that I may forgive him?' Till it is daybreak. ))
In another narration, the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
(( Our Lord who is Blessed and Exalted descends every night to the lowest heaven when the last one-third of the night remains, and says: Who supplicates Me so that I may answer him? Who asks of Me so that I may give to him? Who asks My forgiveness so that I may forgive him. ))
Similarly, as if Allah the Almighty descends to the lowest heaven during Hajj and forgives all the pilgrims, has mercy upon them, casts light into their hearts, and illuminates their hearts by His Light, which will make them really satisfied and well-pleased.
In brief, none can realize these spiritual meanings except those who have tasted the sweetness of proximity to Allah. As the saying goes, "Whoever keeps to the path will reach his destination, i.e. he who travels to the Sacred House of Allah (with sincere intention) will come back from Hajj with a heart full of love of Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He.
The Day of Arafat is the most sacred day of the year:
On the Day of Arafat, Allah Exalted and Sublime be He, boasts about the pilgrims before the angels saying:
(Look at My servants! They have come to Me dishevelled, dusty and sun-burnt. Bear witness to the fact that I have forgiven them)
On the Day of Arafat, one can never be in a state of heedlessness of Allah, since this day is the most sacred day of the year. Actually, Ramadan is the most sacred month of the year, Friday is the most sacred day of the week, and the Day of Arafat is the most sacred day of the year. Let alone, the Day of Arafat is when the greatest meeting with Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, occurs. He says:
﴾ Then when you leave 'Arafat, remember Allah (by glorifying His Praises, i.e. prayers and invocations, etc.) at the Mash'ar-il-Haram. And remember Him (by invoking Allah for all good, etc.) as He has guided you… ﴿
[
In fact, the purpose of the various ritual acts of Hajj, such as Tawaf, Sa’i , performing Salat, standing at Arafat, staying overnight in Muzdalifah, and stoning (throwing pebbles at the three pillars called Jamrat) is to turn towards Allah the Almighty and to be guided to His Straight Path.
One of my noble brothers asked me, "While I was stoning during Hajj, some pebbles did not hit the pillars. Also, some pebbles were bigger that the others, is my stoning valid?" I answered him, "If the pebbles you had collected were all of the right size, and if all those pebbles had hit the pillar (symbolizing the devil) quite accurately, then you went back to your sins after returning from Hajj, Shaitan (Satan) would have defeated you, not the other way round. Hence, when you disobey Allah the Almighty after Hajj, then Shaitan wins against you even if you are quite accurate at throwing pebbles at pillars symbolizing the devil, whereas when you perform acts of obedience to Allah after returning from Hajj, you win against him. Imam Al-Ghazali, may Allah have mercy upon his soul, said, "Shaitan will only be defeated through obeying Allah the Almighty."
Bear in mind that if you are in your home country and you want to beat Shaitan while you are not among the pilgrims who are throwing stones at pillars symbolizing Shaitan, then perform acts of obedience to Allah the Almighty, since obeying Allah the Almighty is the true way to defeat him, may Allah curse him.
Furthermore, when you throw pebbles at pillars symbolizing the devil, you have to realize that Shaitan is your real enemy, so you have to keep Shaitan out of your life by opposing him and never letting him influence your thoughts, behavior, and daily habits and actions. Allah the Almighty says:
(
﴾ Then he should not have sexual relations (with his wife), nor commit sin, nor dispute unjustly during the Hajj. ﴿
[
In conclusion, whoever travels to the Sacred House of Allah with sincere intention, enters into the state of Ihram (a state of consecration in which certain worldly activities are prohibited) from Miqat (the principal boundary point of the area within which pilgrims must be in the state of Ihram), refrains from the things which are forbidden in Ihram (which are mentioned in the Noble Ayah above), performs Sa'i, performs Tawaf, offers Salat, stands at Arafat, casts pebbles at the Jamrat, and stays overnight in Mina, then this spiritual journey will definitely have a profound impact on him and will be one of the sought-after Signs of Allah's Guidance.
After that, when he goes to visit the Prophet's Masjid, he will feel deep and overwhelming love for the Prophet, Peace be upon him, since Allah's Guidance was through him.
Seeking Allah's Forgiveness in front of the Prophet's grave
During the Friday Khutbah I mentioned the story of Al-Utbi, may Allah be pleased with him, who was one of At-Tabi'een (the followers of the noble companions). He said, "I was once sitting next to the blessed grave of the Prophet, peace be upon him, when a Bedouin came and said, "Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah! I bear witness that you have conveyed the Message, fulfilled the trust, gave sincere advice to your nation, strove truly for the Sake of Allah, and Allah has lifted hardship for your sake!" Then that Bedouin said, "O Messenger of Allah! Allah the Almighty says, "If they (hypocrites), when they had been unjust to themselves, had come to you (Muhammad PBUH) and begged Allah's Forgiveness, and the Messenger had begged forgiveness for them: indeed, they would have found Allah All-Forgiving (One Who accepts repentance), Most Merciful." [ An-Nisa', 64]. Here I am, O Messenger of Allah, I have come to you, so ask Allah's Forgiveness for me."
Al-Utbi said, "The Bedouin went away, and I fell asleep. In my dream, I saw the Prophet, peace be upon him, and he said to me, "O Utbi, find that Bedouin and give him the glad tidings that Allah the Almighty has forgiven his sins." Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ If they (hypocrites), when they had been unjust to themselves, had come to you (Muhammad PBUH) and begged Allah's Forgiveness, and the Messenger had begged forgiveness for them: indeed, they would have found Allah All-Forgiving (One Who accepts repentance), Most Merciful. ﴿
In his commentary on this Noble Ayah, Imam Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy upon his soul, said, "The ruling of this Noble Ayah is valid even after the death of the Prophet, peace be upon him. In other words, it is permissible for the one who is in trouble, who faces hardship, who has worried or who has anxieties about something to visit the grave of the Prophet, peace be upon him, (seeking his intercession), and to recite the following Noble Ayah:
﴾ If they (hypocrites), when they had been unjust to themselves, had come to you (Muhammad PBUH) and begged Allah's Forgiveness, and the Messenger had begged forgiveness for them: indeed, they would have found Allah All-Forgiving (One Who accepts repentance), Most Merciful. ﴿
Then that Bedouin said these two lines of poem:
O the best of those ever laid to rest in Earth
For whose dignity the soil and landscapes are honored,
May my soul be sacrificed for the tomb you reside in,
For there is purity, generosity and nobleness dwell in it.
***
Many people, who had some annoying problems, told me, and I am sure that they were telling the truth, that when they visited the blessed grave of the Prophet, peace be upon him, stood in front of it, recited the above mentioned Noble Ayah and asked for the Prophet's intercession, Allah the Almighty relieved them of their troubles and distress.
In my own view, in order to build a healthy mother-son relationship, the father may enable his wife to fulfill their son's need to strengthen the relationship between them. Likewise, to Allah applies the highest similitude, when the one who is in trouble visits the blessed grave of the Prophet, peace be upon him, asking for Allah's Forgiveness, Allah will respond to his invocation and will forgive his sins for the Sake of His Noble Prophet.
It was mentioned in the tradition that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
(( I am alive in my grave.
))
(( My life is an immense good for you: you bring up new matters and new matters are brought up for you. My death, also, is an immense good for you: your actions will be shown to me; if I see goodness I shall praise Allah and if I see evil I shall ask forgiveness of Him for you. ))
