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The word Hajj means to make a resolve to visit a holy place: Visiting the Ka'ba in Makka is therefore called Hajj.
How did it begin? The Origin of Hajj is rooted in the Prophet Ibrahim's life, peace be on him. That story is instructive, and illustrative, too, of the true meaning and significance of Hajj. That story you must know to fully understand the benefits Hajj can bring to you.
The kings were in collusion with the priests, the two sides working together to keep the people under servitude. They gave full backing to the priests, and the priests made people believe that the king of the day, as well as being the owner of his country and complete master of his subjects, was also a god among other gods. His word was absolute. Indeed, worship rites were performed for and before the king so that the belief in his godhood came to be entrenched in the minds of his subjects.
In times like this, the Prophet Ibrahim was born into a family of privileged priests. His forefathers were high priests and it was quite natural that he should follow in their footsteps. He received the same education and training; the same gifts and offerings were awaiting him. Many adherents were eagerly waiting for the moment when they could bow their heads before him with folded hands. The ancestral seat of priestly power could be his for the taking.
In his dismal darkness, where not a single soul existed who knew or believed in the Truth, it would not ordinary have been possible for a man like Ibrahim to find its light, nor break away from the little of comfort and power mapped out for him by his family.
When none of them is my creator, when neither my life nor death is in the hands of any of them, when none of them possesses the key to my of substance or the fulfillment of my needs, why should I accept them as lords, surrender to them, and obey them? Only that Being can be my Lord who created all things, on whom depends everything and in whose hands are the lives and deaths of all people.
These thoughts led the prophet Ibrahim to the decision that he would never worship the deities, which his people worshiped, and he openly declared before them.
The royal court decided that Ibrahim should be burnt alive and he willingly came forward to suffer this horrible punishment for the sake of his unshakeable faith in the One God. After Allah with his supreme power saved him from this fate, he abandoned his home, his relations, his community and his country. He set out with his wife, Sarah, and a nephew, Lut, to wander from one land to another.
To this man the undisputed religious leadership of his people had been available. Yet he gave up wealth and power preferred the homeless and destitute wanderer rather than have to mislead people into the continuing worship of false gods. He chose to live for the purpose of summoning people to their true God, even though he would be driven to place to place.
And when his Lord tested Ibrahim With [His] commands, and he fulfilled them all, He said, Behold, I make you a leader of mankind. Said he [Ibrahim]: And my offspring [will they too be leaders]? He said: My covenant shall not reach the evil-doers (al-Baqarah 2: 124).
Lut In Sodom
Ibrahim settled his nephew, Lut in Sodom, which was infamous for its moral depravity. Ibrahim's objective was to reform the people and also to influence the far-flung area around; traders traveling between Iran, Iraq, and Egypt used to pass through the region, and it was therefore an ideal place from which to spread God's message.
Ishaq in Palestine
The younger son, Ishaq, was settled in Palestine. This region, situated between Syria and Egypt, and being on the coast, was also a good center for spreading Ibrahim's message. From this region the Islamic movement reached Egypt through Ishaq's son, Ya'qub (whose name was also Israel), and through his grandson, Yusuf, peace be on all of them. The elder son, Ismail, was assigned his headquarters at Makka in the Hijaz and Ibrahim himself stayed with him for a long time to propagate the teaching of Islam throughout Arabia.
Construction of the Ka'ba
It was in Makka that Ibrahim and his son built the Holy Ka'ba, the center of the Islamic movement, on a site chosen by Allah Himself. This building was not intended for worship only, as mosques are; its purpose was to act as the center for spreading the universal movement of Islam, a world-wide gathering point for believers in the One God to assemble to worship Allah in congregation and go back to their respective countries carrying with them the message of Islam. This was the assembly, which was named Hajj. Exactly how this center was constructed, with what hopes and prayers both father and son raised its walls, and how Hajj was initiated are described thus in the Qu'ran:
The first house ever set up for mankind was indeed that at Bakkah, a blessed place, and guidance unto all beings; wherein are clear signs - the place whereon Ibrahim stood; and whosoever enters it finds peace (Al 'Imran 3: 96-7).
Have they not seen that We have made the sanctuary immune [from violence], while men are being carried away by force all around them (al-'Ankabut 29: 67).
Peace always reigned in and around the Ka'ba, when all around it were rampant plunder, murder, devastation, conflict, and warfare - such was its sanctity that even the Bedouins who respected no law, if they detected in its precincts the murderer of even their father, did not dare to touch him.
And when We made the House a place of visitation for mankind, and a sanctuary; take, then, the place whereon Ibrahim stood for place of prayer. And We commanded Ibrahim and Ismail, 'Purify My House for those who will walk around it, and those who will abide therein in worship, and those who will bow down and prostate themselves.' And when Ibrahim prayed: My Lord! Make this a land secure and provide its people fruits, such of them as believe in God and the Last Day...
And when Ibrahim was raising the foundations of the House, and Ismail, [they prayed]: Our Lord! Accept Thou this from us. Thou, Thou alone, art the All-hearing, the All-knowing. Our Lord! And make us surrender ourselves unto Thee, and out of our offspring make people surrender themselves unto Thee; and show us our rites of worship, and turn toward us; surely Thou aloneturnest, and art the Mercy-giving. Our Lord! Do Thou send to them a Messenger, from among them, who shall convey unto them Thy revelations, and teach them the Book and the Wisdom, and purify and develop them. Thou alone art the All-mighty, the All-wise! )al-Baqarah 2: 125-9).
And when Ibrahim prayed, My Lord! Make this land secure, and keep me and my sons away from worshipping idols. My Lord! They have led astray many people. Hence whoso follows me truly belongs to me; and whoso disobeys me - surely Thou art All-forgiving, Mercy-giving. Our Lord! I have settled some of my offspring in a valley where are no arable lands, near They sanctified House, our Lord, so that they may perform the Prayer, and Thou make peoples' hearts to incline towards them, and provide them fruits so that they may be thankful (Ibrahim 14: 35-7).
And when We assigned unto Ibrahim the place of the House [We said]: You shall not take any god beside Me, and purify My House for those who will walk around it and those who will stand, and those who will bow down and prostate themselves. And proclaim unto mankind the Pilgrimage; and they will come unto you on foot and on every lean mount, they will come from every deep ravine, so that they may witness things that are of benefit to them, and mention God's name during the days appointed over such heads of cattle He has provided them. Eat, then, thereof, and fee therewith the unfortunate poor (al-Hajj 22: 26-8).
Brothers in Islam! This is the story of the beginning of that Hajj which is the fifth pillar of Islam. You now understand that Makka was the headquarters for the mission of the first Prophet appointed to propagate the message of Islam. The Ka'ba was the focal point from where this preaching was spread across the world, and the worship rites of Hajj were introduced so that all those who chose to live in surrender to God alone should belong to one center where they could assemble every year, and go around it again and again. Their lives of faith were to be like the wheel tied to and revolving around its axle.
The degree to which Hajj was corrupted in that period of Ignorance can be gauged from the fact that it degenerated into an annual carnival. For many tribes from near and far, Hajj became an important social event. Poets and clowns used it to brag and boast about the bravery, renown, dignity, strength and generosity of their tribes. They even resorted to hurling insults at one another. The chiefs of the tribes vied with each other in flaunting their generosity. They slaughtered camel after camel with the sole purpose of extolling their name, generosity and hospitality. Singing, revelry, drinking, and adultery were part and parcel of the festivities. The thought of God scarcely occurred to anybody.
Perverse Rites
Circumambulation [tawaf] of the Ka'ba did continue, it is true; but in what form? Men and women walked together around God's House stark naked, saying, "We go before God just as our mothers gave birth to us." Worship also continued to be performed in the mosque of Ibrahim, but again, in what form? By clapping hands, by whistling and by blowing horns. The name of God was proclaimed, but with what words? They said: Here am I, my Lord, I am present. No one is Thy partner except the one who is Thine. Thou art its master, of whatever it possesses.
They did make sacrifices in the name of God. But the blood of the sacrificial animals was spilt on the walls of the Ka'ba and their flesh thrown at its door in the belief that Allah needs that flesh and blood.
Sacrilege of Sacred Months
Ibrahim had declared four months of Hajj as sacred and had directed that no warfare should be waged in these months. These people partially observed this sanctity; but if they wanted to fight during the sacred months, they simply declared Ibrahim's ruling null and void for a particular period and added extra "holy months" the following year.
Self-imposed Restrictions
Even those who were sincere towards religion were led into strange, excessive ways by their ignorance. Some people used to set out for Hajj without any provisions for the journey and lived by begging food. They considered this an act of piety, claiming that they had full trust in God and, while proceeding towards the House of God, had no need of worldly goods. Doing business or working during the Hajj journey were generally considered unlawful. Many people gave up food and water during Hajj, and regarded this abstention as worship. Others stopped speaking while on Hajj, which they call al-Hajju' 'l-Musmit, the dumb Pilgrimage.
There were countless other customs of this type which I do not want to waste your time describing.
This situation lasted for about two thousand years. No prophet was born in Arabia during this long period nor did any prophet's genuine teachings reach the people of Arabia. Finally, however, the time arrived for granting Ibrahim's prayer, which he had made while raising the walls of the Ka'ba:
Our Lord! Do Thou send to them a Messenger, from among them, who shall convey unto them Thy revelations, and teach them the Book and Wisdom, and purify and develop them (al-Baqarah 2: 129).
The perfect man who descended from Ibrahim was Muhammad Ibn Abdullah, blessings and peace be on him.
Just as Ibrahim was born into a family of priests, so was Muhammad, blessings and peace be on him, into a family, which had been for centuries priests of the Ka'ba. Just as Ibrahim struck a blow with his own hands, against the priesthood of this family, so did Muhammad, blessings and peace be on him, finally eradicating it for good. Again, just as Ibrahim strove to end the worship of false gods and bring people under submission to the One God, so did the Prophet Muhammad, blessings and peace be on him, revive the same pure Din, which had been introduced byIbrahim. After 21 years, when he had completed this work, once again, at God's command, he declared the Ka'ba the centre of all those in the world who surrendered to God alone and issued the same summons to the people to come to it for Hajj as had Ibrahim.
A duty owed to God by all men is the Pilgrimage to the House, if one is able to make his way there. And as for the disbelievers, God is All-sufficient, needing nothing from all the worlds (Al 'Imran 3: 97).
Revival of Ibrahim's Ways
Along with the renewal of Hajj in its proper form came an end to the customs of the time of Ignorance, which had persisted for two thousand years.
End of Idolatry
All the idols in the Ka'ba were smashed. The worship of any and every object other than God was completely eliminated. All fairs and sports were closed down and it was laid down that worship would be carried out only in the manner ordained by God.
And remember Him as He has guided you, for formerly you had gone astray (al-Baqarah 2: 198).
Prohibition of Indecent Acts
All indecent acts were strictly banned.
Whoso undertakes the Pilgrimage in those [months] should abstain from lewd speech, from iniquity, and from quarrelling during the Pilgrimage (al-Baraqah 2: 197).
Bragging and Showing Off
Contention among poets, boasting of forefathers' achievements, contests in satire and sycophancy were all stopped.
And when you have completed your rites, then remember God as you remember your fathers, or yet more intensely (al-Baqarah 2: 200).
End of Ostentatious Generosity
All competitions in so-called generosity which were meant solely for ostentation and fame were banned, and in their place was revived the customs of Ibrahim's days of slaughtering animals exclusively in the name of Allah, so that the sacrifice made by the well-to-do people provided poor pilgrims with meat.
Eat and drink, but be not wasteful. Surely He loves not the wasteful (al-A'raf 7: 31).
So mention God's name over them [the animals] when they are lined up; then, when their sides fall [dead], eat of them and feed the beggar and the suppliant (al-Hajj 22: 36).
Spattering of Blood and Flesh Banned
The practice of spattering the blood of the sacrificial animals on the walls of the Ka'ba and throwing their flesh at its door was stopped.
Never does their flesh reach God, and neither their blood, but godliness from you reaches Him (al-Hajj 22: 37).
Prohibition of Perverse Rites
Circumambulation in the state of nudity was strictly prohibited:
Say: "Who is there to forbid the adornment which God has brought forth for His servants" (al-A'raf 7: 28).
Say: "Never does God enjoin indecent acts" (al-A'raf 7: 28).
Children of Adam! Take to your adornment for every act of worship (al A'raf 7: 31).
Changing the Months of Hajj Forbidden
Interchanging the months of Hajj so as to make fighting permissible was prohibited:
Postponing [of a sanctified month] is but an increase in disbelief whereby Kafirs led astray. They allow it on year and forbid it another year, to agree with the number of the months, which God has sanctified and thus they allow what God has forbidden (al-Tawabah 9: 37).
Hajj Provisions Made Obligatory
People were prohibited from starting out on Hajj without taking adequate provisions. Clarification was made that not take provisions for a journey in this world did not mean, as was popularly believed, that one was thereby taking provisions for the Hereafter:
And take provision for yourselves, but the best provision is God-consciousness (al-Baqarah 2: 197).
Permission to Work During Hajj
The popular belief that it was an act of piety no to work for money or earning a livelihood during Hajj was refuted:
It is no sin for you that you seek bounty from your Lord [by trading] (al-Baqarah 2: 198).
End of Other Customs
The customs of performing Hajj, while remaining silent, hungry and thirsty were also ended.
After abolishing all perverse customs of the pre-Islamic days, Hajj was made a model of piety, fear of God, purity, simplicity and austerity. The pilgrims were ordered to purify themselves spiritually, to give up worldly things, to avoid all sexual desires, even refrain from intercourse with their wives, and to totally refrain from using bad and abusive language.
Fixing Boundaries
Boundaries were defined on all roads leading to the Ka'ba to indicate the points beyond which no pilgrims were allowed to proceed without putting on two seamless garments, the Ihram, or the robes of poverty, so that rich and the poor would become equal, distinctions of nationality would disappear, and everyone would arrive at the court or Allah in a state of oneness as humble suppliants.
Ensuring Peace and Security
It was prohibited to kill any animal while wearing Ihram, let alone a human being. The object was to ensure that peace and security prevailed, aggressiveness was controlled, and spiritually gripped the hearts and minds of the pilgrims. The four months of Hajj were made sacred so that no fighting took place during this period, peace reigned on all the roads leading to theKa'ba and no pilgrims were molested en route.
When the pilgrims reached the Ka'ba, there were no fun fairs, no carnivals. Instead, there were Prayers, sacrifices and circumambulation (tawaf) of the Ka'ba. The only cry that one could hear was that which rose from the heart of the pilgrim:
Here am I before Thee, O God, doubly at Thy service. Before Thee I am, there is no partner unto Thee, doubly at They service here am I. All praise and blessings are Thine, and power. There is no partner unto Thee.
Such selfless and sincere Hajj the prophet, blessings and peace be on him, has described thus:
Whosoever performs Hajj solely for the sake of God and, in the course of it, abstains from sensuality and disobedience, he returns from there as immaculate as child just born (Bukhari, Muslim).
Allah says:
A duty owed to God by all men is the Pilgrimage to the House, if he is able to make his way there. And as for the disbeliever, God is All-sufficient, needing nothing from all the worlds (Al-Imran 3: 97).
Here, failure to perform Hajj if you have the means to do so, is described as Kufr. Its explanation is found in two Hadith of the Prophet, blessings and peace be on him:
Whosoever possesses provisions and conveyance for the journey to the House of God, but in spite of this, does not perform Hajj, then his dying is like the dying of a Jew or a Christian (Tirmidhi).
Whosoever is not prevented from proceeding for Hajj by any clear, dire need that he must fulfill, or by a tyrant ruler, or by a disease which confines him, and yet he fails to perform Hajj and dies in this condition, he may as well choose to die either a Jew or a Christian (Darimi).
Elucidating this Hadith, Umar said: I wish to impose jizyah (poll tax meant specifically for non-muslims who were exempt from conscription) on those who do not perform Hajj in spite of possessing the required means. They are not Muslims, they are not Muslims!
From the commandment of Allah and its elucidation by the Prophet, blessings and peace be on him, and his Caliph, you can clearly see that Hajj is not something, which may or may not be performed according to personal whim. It is Obligatory at least once in a lifetime on all Muslims, wherever they live in the world, who can afford to make the journey and who are physically able to. Responsibilities to one's family or business are no grounds for exemption.
Those who, despite the necessary means, put off Hajj year after year on some pretext or other should take care of the state of their Iman. As for those who never bother to think about performing the Hajj at all, but who nonetheless manage to travel all over the world, perhaps even passing within a few hours' journeying time of Makka on their way to Europe - such people are certainly not Muslims. They lie if they call themselves Muslims, and people who consider them Muslims are ignorant of the Qur'an. At least their hearts are devoid of any feelings of obedience to God and they have no faith in His commandments.
So that they may witness things that are of benefit to them (al-Hajj 22: 28).
Hence, the real blessings of Hajj can only be experienced by those who actually perform it. Imam Abu Hanifah, it is narrated, was unsure which act of worship was more excellent among the various ones laid down by Islam. But once he had performed Hajj, he had no hesitation in declaring that Hajj was the most excellent of all.
Still, I shall now try to give you, briefly, some idea of its blessings.
But the journey that is the Hajj is quite different in nature. This is not meant for any personal end. It is undertaken solely for Allah, and the fulfillment of the duty prescribed by Allah. Nobody can be prepared to undertake this journey until and unless he has love of Allah in his heart as well as fear of him, and is convinced that Allah wants him to do what he is doing. That you are willing to bear the privations arising from separation from your family, to incur great expenses on a journey that will bring no material rewards and to suffer any loss of business or job, all are signs of certain inner qualities: that you love and fear Allah more than anything, that you have a strong sense of duty to Him, that you are willing to respond to His summons and ready to sacrifice your material comforts in His cause.
After leaving home, the closer you get to the House of God, the more intense becomes your desire to do good. You become careful so that you harm nobody, while you try to render whatever service or help you can to others. You avoid abuse, indecency, dishonesty, squabbles and bickering, because you are proceeding on the path of God. Thus your entire journey constitutes an act of worship. How can, then you do wrong. This journey, in contrast to every other, is a continuing course through which a Muslim attains a progressive purification of the self.
On this journey, then, you are pilgrims to God.
Adopting such outward postures will influence your inner lives also. You will develop an ascetic attitude. Pride and vanity will disappear. Humility and peace of mind will grow. The impurities that have sullied your souls due to indulgence in worldly pleasures will be removed and a feeling of godliness will dominate both your internal and external selves.
Labbayk, Allahumma labbayk, labbayk, la sharika laka labbayk, inna 'l-hamda wa 'n-ni'mata laka wa 'l-mulka la sharika lak
Here am I before Thee, O God, doubly at Thy service. Before Thee I am, there is no partner unto Thee, doubly at Thy service here am I. All praise and blessings are Thine, and power. There is no partner unto Thee.
This, in fact, is an answer to that general proclamation which Ibrahim, as commanded by Allah, made more than four thousand years ago: O slaves of Allah! Come to the House of Allah. Come from every corner of the earth, either on foot or by transport.
Thus, with every cry of labbayk the pilgrim answers God's summons; every time he answers His summons he becomes more closely knit with that movement which has been inviting to true and genuine worship of the One God since the time of Ibrahim and Isma'il. The distance in time of four and a half thousand years vanishes and it appears as if Ibrahim is here calling on behalf of Allah and the pilgrim is answering his call.
At every step, as the pilgrim, thus responding to Ibrahim, proceeds further and further, the yearning and longing get more and more intense. At every ascent and descent the voice of Allah's proclaimer rings in his ears and he goes on and on welcoming it with labbayk. Every group of pilgrims appears to him like a message-bearer of is Lord; and, like a lover, on getting the message from his beloved, he cries out: "I am present, I am present." Every morning is a message from his Friend to which he has but one answer: "I am at Thy service."
This recurrent cry of labbayk in conjunction with the ascetic dress of Ihram, the special nature of the journey and the feeling of getting nearer and nearer to the Ka'ba combine to produce in the pilgrim the feeling of being enveloped in Divine love; nothing of any importance any longer resides in his heart except the remembrance of his Friend.
*Some ignorant people object to the kissing of the Black Stone, arguing that it is a kind of idol worship. It is in fact no more than a symbol for kissing the 'doorstep' of the Master. The circumambulation of the Ka'ba starts where the Black Stone is fixed and, during the seven rounds, it is either kissed or touched, or a sign is made towards it ate the end of every round. There is not the slightest vestige in this or worshipping it. That the Stone itself is ascribed no power is demonstrated very well in what 'Umar is reported to have said while kissing it: You are a mere stone. If the Prophet, blessings and peace be on him, had not kissed you, I would have never kissed you.
After completing the seven rounds, he goes to the place where lies the stone on which Ibrahim stood and called men to the House of God, called Muqam Ibrahim. He then offers tworak'ahs of Prayer to thank God.
Sa'i: Hurrying Between Safa and Marwah
From Muqam Ibrahim he proceeds to climb the hillrock of Safa, from where he looks down at the Ka'ba and cries out:
La ilaha ill allah wa la na budu illa iyyahu mukhlisina lahu d-dina wa law kariha l-kafirun
There is no God by Allah. We worship none but Him, making exclusive for Him our submission, even though Kafirs may dislike it.
Then he hurriedly walks between Safa and the other hillock, Marwah. This act, which is called Sa'I, symbolizes that the pilgrim will be ceaselessly endeavoring to serve his Master and seek His pleasure. In the course of this Sa'I, he may say:
Allahumma ista'milni bi sunnati nabiyyika wa tawasffani ala millatihi wa a'idhni min mudillati I-fitan
Grant me to live, O God, the way, as was Thy Prophet's way, and to die on his path. Protect me from trials, which lead astray.
Or he may say:
Rabbi ghfir warham wa tajawaz 'amma ta'lam, innaka anta 'l-a'azzu 'l-akram.
O Lord! Forgive me and have mercy on me and overlook all that Thou knowest I have done wrong. Thou art the Mightiest and the Noblest.
Wuquf (Stay) at Mina', 'Arafat and Muzadalifah
On completion of the Sa'I, the pilgrims become like soldiers in the cause of Allah. Now they have to live a camp like life for five or six days. For one day they will camp at Mina',* and the next day at 'Arafat*1 where they will hear their commander's directives too. Returning from 'Arafat, they encamp for the night at Muzdalifah *2. *A place 5-6 kilometers to the east of Makka, where the pilgrims stay on the eighth day of Dhu' l'Hajjah, the twelfth month, and then from the tenth to the twelfth.
*1 A place 15-17 kilometers further to the east of Makka, where the pilgrims stay on the ninth day of Dhu' l-Hajjah.
*2 A place where the pilgrims spend the night on their way back to Mina' from 'Arafat.
Allahu akbar, raghman li 'sh-shaytani wa hizbihi Allahumma tasdiqan bi kitabika wa ittiba'an li sunnti nabiyyik
God is the Greatest, I throw these stones against Satan and his party, testifying to the truth of Thy Book, O God, and following the way of Thy Prophet.
By throwing these stones the pilgrim reaffirms his pledge: "O God! Like this, I will fight whosoever rises to destroy Your Din and subdue Your word, and thus I shall strive to make Your word supreme.
After throwing stones, animals are sacrificed. This sacrifice demonstrates the intention and resolve of the pilgrim to give his life in the way of God, whenever required.
After sacrifice, the pilgrims return to the Ka'ba just as a soldier, having performed his duty, returns triumphantly to his headquarters. After performing another round of tawaf and offering two rak'ahs of Prayer, Ihram, the dress of consecration, is removed. Whatever was especially prohibited (Haram) during the period of consecration now again becomes permissible (Halal) and the pilgrims' lives resume their normal pattern.
They now come back to Mina' and continue to camp there for another two or three days. The following day they again throw stones at the three pillars. These are called jamarat and serve to remind them of the defeat and destruction of that elephant army which we have just referred to. It was in the year of the birth of the Prophet, blessings and peace be on him, that it invadedMakka at the time of Hajj to demolish the House of Allah, but which, by the command of Allah, was destroyed by stones dropped by birds.*
*It is often said that this act of flinging stones is done in commemoration of the incident, which happened to Ibrahim when he was about to sacrifice Isma'il: Satan tried to tempt him, and he flung stones at him. It is also said that when a lamb was given to Ibrahim to sacrifice in place of Isma'il, the lamb ran away and Ibrahim threw stones at it. But in no authentic Hadith have these incidents been narrated from the Prophet, blessings and peace be on him, as the background of rami jimar.
After finally throwing stones at these pillars on the third day, the pilgrims return to Makka and perform seven circumambulations of the center of their Din. This is called tawaf wada' (tawaf for taking leave) and completing it means the completion of Hajj.
*This was the average duration of time required to perform Hajj in 1938, when this address was delivered. In this jet age it may take as few as seven days.
Together with a life of sustained piety and virtuousness, the constant remembrance of God and the longing and love for Him in the pilgrim leave a mark on his heart which lasts for years. The pilgrim witnesses at every step the imprints left by those who sacrificed everything of theirs in submission and obedience to Allah. They fought against the whole world, suffered hardships and tortures, were condemned to banishment, but ultimately did make the word of God supreme and did subdue the false powers which wanted man to submit to entities other then God.
The lesson in courage and determination, the impetus to strive in the way of God, which a devotee of God can draw from these clear signs and inspiring examples, can hardly be available from any other source. The attachment developed with the focal point of his Din by walking round (tawaf) the Ka'ba, and the training received to live a Mujahid's life through the rites (manasik) of Hajj (such as running from place to place and repeated departures and halts) are great blessings indeed.
Combined with the Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving, and looked at as a whole, you will see that Hajj constitutes a preparation for the great task, which Islam wants Muslims to do. This is why it has been made compulsory for all who have the money and the physical fitness for the journey to the Ka'ba. This ensures that, in every age, there are Muslims who have passed through this training.
The advantages of performing the Prayer singly are by no means small, but by making it conditional with congregation and by laying down the rule if Imamah (leadership in the Hajj) and by gathering huge congregations for the Friday and 'Id Prayers, its benefits have been increased many times. The observance of the Fasting individually is no doubt a major source of moral and spiritual training, but by prescribing that all Muslims must fast in the month of Ramadan those benefits have been greatly increased. The Almsgiving, too, has many advantages even if dispensed individually, but with the establishment of a centralized Baytulmal (exchequer of the Islamic state) for its collection and disbursement it usefulness is increased beyond measure.
The same is true of Hajj. If everyone were to perform it singly, the effect on individual lives would still be great. But making it a collective act enhances its effectiveness to a point, which gives it a new, dimension altogether.
From the month of Ramadan till Dhu 'l-Qa'dah, many people from different parts of the world start off for Hajj, while afterwards, from the last part of Dhu 'l-Thani, the homeward journey continues. For these six to seven months an incessant religious movement prevails among Muslims throughout the world. Those who go to perform Hajj and return home are no doubt enraptured with devotion to God. But even those who do not go receive some share of the experience by virtue of the emotional farewells and homecoming welcomes they accord to the pilgrims, and listening to their accounts of Hajj.
As the pilgrims' caravans pass through various places the hearts of more and more people are warmed by seeing them, meeting them and by hearing from them the cry of labbayk,labbayk (I am present before Thee). There must be many whose thoughts will be redirected towards Allah and His House, and the eagerness for Hajj will reawaken their slumbering souls.
And when the pilgrims, enthused with the spirit of Hajj, return from the center of their Din to their cities and towns and villages in all parts of the world, they are met and welcomed by all those who have stayed at home. Their words and deeds telling the story of the Pilgrimage must rekindle the devotional feelings of those listening to them.
For, it has been placed in the body of the Islamic world just like a heart in a man's body. As long as the heart beats, a man cannot die. In exactly the same way this 'heart of the world' draws blood from its far-off veins and circulates the blood back into each and every artery. As long as this throbbing of the heart continues and as long as this process of drawing the blood and circulating it lasts, it will be impossible to end the life of this body of the Muslim Ummah, however run-down diseases may have made it.
When these uniformed soldiers move beyond the frontier, the same cry issues forth loudly from their mouths:
Labbayk, Allahumma labbayk, la sharika laka labbayk
Here am I before Thee, O God, doubly at Thy service, There is no partner unto Thee, here am I.
There languages are different but the words they utter are the same; they have the same meaning.
As the center approaches, the circle containing the pilgrims contracts. Caravans from different countries continue joining each other. All perform their Prayers together in one and the same manner. All are dressed in similar uniforms, all are led by one Imam (leader), all are moving simultaneously, al are now using the same language, all are rising, sitting, bowing down (ruku) and prostrating themselves (sujud) at one signal of Allahu akbar, and all are reciting and listening to one Arabic Qur'an. In this way the differences of nationality, country and race are obliterated and a universal community of God-worshippers is constituted.
When these caravans pass on, loudly raising with one voice the call of labbayk, labbayk, when at every ascent and descent the same words resound, when at the time of meeting of caravans these same voices are raised from both sides, and when at the time of every Prayer and at dawn these exclamations reverberate, a unique atmosphere is created whose exhilarating effect makes a man forget his self and become absorbed in the ecstasy of labbayk.
After reaching the Ka'ba comes the act of circumambulation, then the doing of Sa'I by all together between Safa' and Marwah, then the encampment of all at Mina', then the departure of all towards 'Arafat and the listening to their leader's address, then at night's sojourn by all at Muzdalifah, then the return of all together towards Min', then the throwing of the stones in unison by all at jamarat, then the animal sacrifice performed by all, then the return of all together to the Ka'ba for further circumambulation, and then the offering of Salah by all together around the center - all this carries within itself an effect which has absolutely no parallel.
Nor do the blessings of Hajj in establishing peace stop here. During the four months fixed for Hajj and 'Umrah (the lesser Pilgrimage performed outside the days of Hajj), every effort must be made to maintain peace on all roads leading to the Ka'ba.
This is the greatest movement of a permanent nature for the establishment of peace in the world. And if the reins of world politics were in hands of Islam, it would be the Muslims' main concern to ensure that no disturbances took place in the world that would disrupt Hajj and 'Umrah.
Islam has given to the world a city where it is forbidden to bring arms, where it is tantamount to 'heresy' to hoard cereals and other articles of common need and sell them at a higher price, and where those doing wrong to others or oppressing them are thus threatened by Allah:
We shall cause them to taste a painful punishment (al-Hajj 22: 25).
Islam has given a center to the world, which is defined as:
A place where the resident and the visitor are equal (al-Hajj 22: 25).
This means that the rights of all human beings are equal here. Whoever acknowledges the sovereignty of God and accepts the leadership of Muhammad, blessings and peace be on him, enters the brotherhood of Islam, no matter if he is American or African, Chinese or Indian. If one has become a Muslim, his rights are identical to those of the Makkans themselves.
The position of the whole area of the Haram is similar to that of a mosque in that if anyone moves into any part of a mosque that portion belongs to him. Nobody can remove him or ask for rent from him. But, at the same time, he has no right to call it his property, even if he lives there for his whole life. Nor can he sell it or rent it to anybody. When this person leaves his place in the mosque, another person has the same right to occupy it as he had had.
This is exactly the position of the whole of the Haram at Makka. The Prophet, blessings and peace be on him, said: Whosoever first comes to this city and settles at a place, that place is his.
'Umar issued an order to the people of his time not to fix doors on the compound around their houses so that whoever wanted to could come and stay in the compound. Some jurists have gone so far as to say that nobody has the right to own houses in Makka or to leave them to their heirs when they die.
Brothers! This is the Hajj about which it was said: 'Undertake it and see how many blessings it has in store for you.' No words are adequate to express all of its advantages; you can only get a glimpse of them from the brief sketch that I have tried to give here.
The Kalimah Tawhid (the creed of Oneness of God), which shows men the right way to lead their lives, has been drummed into us from our earliest childhoods; those priceless prescriptions of Salah and Sawm, which elevate men from a mere animal existence to the human level, we have inherited, without effort, from our forefathers; that matchless practice of Zakah, which purifies the heart as well as the financial systems of the world, without which people of the world are at loggerheads with each other, is ours as our birthright.
Similarly Hajj has been part of our heritage for hundreds of years. This magnificent way is more effective and powerful than any other ever conceived to propagate our movement throughout the world and keep it alive for all eternity. This universal movement is more powerful than any other to draw out human beings in the name of God and make them into a brotherhood transcending race, color and nationality.
We are surrounded by treasures, but how do we treat them? We play with them in the same way as that ignorant child who, surrounded by diamonds, regards them as stones. My heart bleeds when I see us frittering away such tremendous wealth and power through ignorance and foolishness.
My dear brothers! You must have heard this couplet of the poet:
If the ass of Jesus goes to Makka,
It remains an ass when it returns.
That is to say, an ass, even one living in the company of a Prophet like Jesus, cannot benefit from a visit to Makka; it would still be as unenlightened as before. Today we have at our disposal gifts like the Prayer, Fasting and Pilgrimage. But these devotional acts are meant to train human beings, not to tame animals. Although the people carry out the external trappings of these precious gifts, their minds have no concept of their inner significance. They have no concern for their outcome. They imitate the actions of their forebears, but it is a stereotyped imitation, devoid of comprehension or spiritual content. How can good results be expected out of such exercises?
Every year thousands of pilgrims go to the center of Islam and come back after having had the privilege of performing Hajj without that experience having had the slightest effect on them. Nor do they make any impact on those they meet upon their return or live with. Worse, many of them continue to exhibit their bad habits and bad manners; thus the very name of Islam is tarnished by their behavior. Not only in the eyes of strangers but also among Muslims. Eventually some young Muslims who have not themselves been on Hajj have come to question its value.
Year after year for centuries, hundreds of thousands of the adherents of a powerful movement, Islam, gather at one place, travel along various routs, pass through villages, towns and cities and demonstrate their faith through their words and deeds. How can, one wonders, such an even fail to impress people with the blessings it can bring.
Yet if only Hajj was performed as it was intended it should be, even the blind would see its benefits and the deaf would hear of its advantages! Every year it would change the lives of millions of Muslims, and attract thousands of non-Muslims to Islam!
Alas, this is not the case at present. From the time of the Abbasids till the Ottomans, the kings of every period, in order to serve their political ends, tried to weaken the Arabs. They brought them to the lowest levels of decadence in knowledge, morals and culture. The result was that the land from which emanated the light of Islam, spreading its rays to all corners of the world, reached almost the same state of ignorance in which it was before the advent of Islam. There is little knowledge of Islam or Islamic life. People from far-off places flock to the sacred precincts of the Haram with the deepest devotion, only to find ignorance, filth, greed, indecency, love of this world, bad manners and disorganization. The result is that, for many, the experience of Hajj, instead of strengthening their faith, weakens it.
Priestly exploitation which was imposed in the Ka'ba after Ibrahim and Isma'il, and which was abolished by the Prophet, blessings and peace be on him, has again been revived. The administration and the Mu'akkunub ( who guide the pilgrims) have again adopted the ways of priests. The House of God has become their property and Hajj a source of business. They consider the pilgrims as their customers. Agents have been appointed in different countries on big salaries to canvas and bring in the customers. Every year a whole army of brokers leaves Makka to seek out and fetch them from all parts of the world. People are induced to perform Hajj by having Quranic verses and Hadith quoted at them. The motive is not to remind them of the duty imposed by Allah but to make money.
It almost looks as if Allah and His Messenger initiated Hajj for the sole purpose of sustaining the Mu'allimin and brokers. Trading in religion, Mu'allim, Mutawwif, their attorneys, keepers of keys to the Ka'ba - all confront a pilgrim at every stage. They and the Government itself are all co-sharers in the Hajj 'industry'. The performance of all rituals of Hajj is conducted on payment and even the door of the Ka'ba is only opened for a fee. How strange that such is the condition of the followers of a religion, which abolished all priesthood!
How can the true spirit of worship survive where the word of conducting it has become a source of wage-earning and trade, where sacred places are exploited for personal gain, where Devine commandments are employed to lure people to empty their pockets, where a man is obliged to make payment for every rite he performs, and where Din has become a business commodity?*
*This address was given in 1938. Conditions have now greatly improved and the Saudi Arabian Government is trying to enforce further reforms. Two matters require special attention. Firstly, the two sacred precincts of Makka and Madina must be protected from the onslaughts of Western civilization. Second, the methods and procedures employed by Mu'allims should be improved. May God enable the Saudi Government to adopt correct measures in this regard!
In mentioning these facts I do not intend to cast blame on anyone. My purpose is simply to point out what factors have so seriously weakened such a potentially tremendous source of spiritual, moral and social power as Hajj. There should be no misunderstandings in anybody's mind that this state of affairs is due to any deficiency in Islam. The deficiency lies with those who do not follow Islam correctly. The situation is like that of an expert physician whose prescriptions falls into the hands of quacks and thus become useless and possibly positively harmful
From the book: "Let Us Be Muslims" by: Sayyid A. Mawdudi - Editor: Khurram Murad
Hajj and Kabah Connecting the Believers
