In the blistering bright rays of the sun, amongst the arid grimy sand dunes of a faraway place, no traces of life could be seen. There was only a barren land filled with emptiness. The blurry horizon spread from east to west. Apart from the dry whistle of the bristly wind, a cry could be heard echoing in the distance. What could it be…?
A closer look reveals a beautiful baby boy left lying on the scorching sand under the heat of the sun, lips shrivelled, tears pouring profusely down his swollen eyes. His cry is pleading for help, but where is his mother…?
Not too far away, amongst the rocky hills, another isolated sound can be heard - the voice of a woman gasping for breath as she runs from one mountain to another searching for any signs of life. Alone, bare footed and wounded her tired feet drag her back and forth a distance of more than 450 metres each way in the hope that she can find water or someone who can come to her child’s desperate aid.…
THIS is the image that is in my mind when I reflect on the story of Hajar, a brave lady, the mother of Prophet Ismail running from Safa to Marwa in the land of Hijaz now known as Saudi Arabia.
We can only imagine what she must have gone through in that situation and our words can never do it justice. How was she to know that thousands of years later millions of Muslims from all over the world would take these same steps every year in Hajj duringSa’ee in remembrance of her struggle.
“...And proclaim unto mankind the Pilgrimage. They will come unto thee on foot and on every lean camel; they will come from every deep ravine....” (Surah Al-Hajj, 22: 27)
What does this journey of a lifetime mean to us…? Do our hearts understand the history and reasons behind the rituals that are performed…? Do we appreciate the feelings and emotions that have brought these sacraments into reality…? Are we contemplating the lessons that can be learned from the relics of the past…? What practical preparations are we making to reap the rewards of this blessed journey?
This may be the first time you are treading upon this path or you may even be a regular guest to the House of Allah, but either way, the destination is the same. Some will be spending their life savings for this journey, with others coming after overcoming many obstacles. Whatever circumstances and backgrounds we are coming from, there is one thing that unites all who are taking this trip – the same intention and an intense hope to have a Hajj mabroor (an accepted Hajj).
“…There is no reward for Hajj mabroor except Paradise.” (Al-Bukhari).
Subhanallah. Over three million people make this journey every year, but not everyone takes from it the same spiritual experience.
We need to start making preparations from the moment we receive the Invitation. Right from the very beginning your journey to Allah has begun and the Mercy of Allah descends. "There is a reward for every step you take towards the mosque." (Sahih Muslim). So from the moment the pilgrim leaves their house to head towards Masjid Al-Haram, Allah records a good deed for them for every step they take. So if you are travelling thousands of miles, just imagine the enormity of the deeds you can gain during Hajj.
When the pilgrim proceeds to his destination in the state of Ihram (dressed for Hajj), articulating the talbiyyah in a loud voice, not a single stone or tree hears him except that it also recites the talbiyyah along with him.
“Labbayk, Allahumma Labbayk! Labbayka La Shareeka laka labbayk!”
“Here I am, O Allah, here I am! Here I am, and You have no partner (in worship i.e. You Alone are the Creator, Sustainer)!”
When the pilgrim is standing at 'Arafah pleading to Allah for his Mercy, Allah descends to the lowest heaven and boasts to the angels about the pilgrims:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “There is no day on which Allah frees more of His slaves from Fire than the Day of Arafat, and He verily draws near, then boasts of them before the angles, saying: ‘What do they seek?’” (Sahih Muslim) And in another Hadith: “Verily Allah boasts of the people of Arafat before the people of Heaven (angels) saying: ‘Look to my servants who have come to Me dishevelled and dusty.’”
We have this one opportunity of a lifetime to ask Allah for anything our heart desires from the land that is blessed, where Prophet Adam (peace be upon him) descended from the Heavens and where all of mankind will be gathered to witness the Day of Judgement.
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "The best supplication is the supplication on the day of Arafat." [at-Tirmidhi and Malik]
O Lord, here I am, pleading at your door
Send me Your mercy, send me Your peace or I am lost for sure
O Lord, here I am, yearning for your cure
This humble servant will be diverted from you no more [1]
To maximise every minute of Hajj, one needs to prepare mentally, physically and spiritually weeks and even months in advance. If you fail to prepare, prepare to fail. Below is a list of resources that will inshallah help you on this blessed journey.
Read YOUR ONE STOP ~ HAJJ RESOURCES !!!
Having performed Hajj in 2009 for the first time, three important words come to mind for me: Sincerity, Patience and Focus. My Hajj experience was no doubt beyond words. I prepared myself to face hardship and difficulty as many people I spoke to informed me that Hajj isn’t easy. But alhamdulillah through Allah's Mercy the Hajj group I went with was fantastic (Islamic Education Foundation, Jeddah). I cannot remember a single moment where I thought this is too tough or I can’t handle this as everything went so smoothlymashallah. In fact I found it so easy that I began to question whether my Hajj will be accepted. I was consoled by many telling me that it is through Allah's Compassion that He has given me ease on this journey whilst He has given others hardship, so have sabr(patience) and shukr (be thankful).
Sincerity:
`Umar b. al-Khattâb, relates that he heard Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) say:"Actions are but by intentions and every man will have only what he intended...” [Sahih alBukhari and Muslim]
It is not only important to have a clear and sincere intention at the beginning of the journey but also all the way throughout it. The salaf used to say: “Whoever desires to complete his actions, then let him perfect his intentions.” When we are surrounded by thousands of Muslims we can easily get lost in the purpose of this journey.
We must be careful that every act of worship we do, we try to do it purely for the sake of Allah alone, and not to show off or create a false impression for the sake of the people. This could be during salaah, when praying tahajjud, making du’a, reading Qur’an, recitingdhikr or even on the plains of Arafat. We do not want to travel all this way spending our hard earned money only to have it wasted by falling into the traps of shaytan's whispering and trickery.
Patience:
“Allah surely loves those who are the Sabireen (patient).” (Qur'an, 3:146)
I cannot stress enough how important this word is for the Muslim in all aspects of their lives, but it is required even more so during Hajj when one is tested in different ways. Hajj is a form of Jihad (struggle), so have this in mind from the beginning till the end. When you tread upon this journey, you are leaving your comfort zone and stepping into the unknown. You will be around people who are strangers to you and will have to deal and put up with their habits for days and possibly weeks. You will be put into situations that may cause you to be angry and discontent. But who said the reward for a Hajj Mabroor will come easily? In fact, lofty goals often come with sacrifice.
So when things seem to spiral out of control or are not going according to plan, sayAlhamdulillah in all circumstances and have patience at the first sight of an oncoming challenge.
Focus:
Distractions are part of our everyday lives. We get distracted in our salaah, when we are worshiping Allah and even when we are doing dunyah related activities. We need to stay focused especially in Hajj when our time is limited. We cannot afford to waste time. If we are spending thousands of pounds on this trip, divide that by the number of hours you will be on this journey and you will get the value of each hour. However this will be far less than the true value of this journey in reality.
Truly, the life of this world is nothing but a (quick passing) enjoyment, and verily, the Hereafter that is the home that will remain forever." (Qur'an, 40:39)
Don’t waste your time in idle talk and chatter. Take every opportunity to maximise your good deeds. Help your fellow companions, increase in dhikr and salaah, make du’a from the Qu’ran and Sunnah as well as your own unique supplications from the heart. Make adu'a list so you are not wasting those precious moments on Arafat thinking of what to say and who to remember.
I will leave you with these words….
“Whoever performs Hajj without obscenity or evil deeds will return like the day his mother gave birth to him.” [Sahih Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
Subhanallah how miraculous are these words! How amazing would it be to return from this blessed journey with a clean slate with all our past sins forgiven and a chance to have a fresh beginning. Allahu Akbar!
May Allah accept this noble journey from you and us. Ameen.
