Pilgrimage (Hajj) - The Fifth Pillar of Islam

Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam, in which the Muslims gather in Makkah al-Mukarramah, coming from all corners of the earth. Their colours, languages, and forms vary, but they all appear in their ihrâm garments, wearing one kind of dress and all looking the same. There is no difference between old and young, rich and poor, king and commoner. All of them face one qiblah, calling upon one Lord, doing the same actions of tawâf, sâ'ee, standing at 'Arafâh, staying in Muzdalifah and Mina, and other rituals that are done by the pilgrims.

                 If the fact that the Muslims all face one qibla (direction) is a symbol of there eternal unity and makes them realize that the people of Islamform one nation (ummah), then Hajj brings this unity to life in a practical sense, as it is not confined to spiritual unity, rather the people come together and meet face to face, body and soul, after Islam has already given them the sense of being one. This sense of unity and equality is reinforced when the pilgrims remove their ordinary clothes , whereby the respect of the man of religion , the power of the army commander and the status of the man of high position all become apparent , and the rich become distinguishable from the poor, the old from the young. When the pilgrims remove their regular clothing and dress in the garments of ihrâ­m, all the classes are mixed until they become one, the class of Muslim pilgrims. When climbing 'Arafâ­h we do not address princes and presidents or bosses by titles of honour, for in 'Arafâh there is no prince, president or boss, no old or young.

         
           Islam takes away all differentiation in clothing, housing and titles in 'Arafâh, in a manner which mankind has never known from ancient times except in the Islamic Hajj. People may gather in huge numbers for international events, exhibitions and sports matches, and other popular occasions, and these numbers may equal the numbers of Hajj pilgrims, but they bring with them the worldly factors that divide them, such as the clothes they wear, the hotels they stay in and the means of transportation that they use.

          But here in the Hajj, all of them submit to one system, one comprehensive law, going to specific places, doing specific actions at specific times. There is nothing to distinguish one of them from another. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon Him) performed Hajj with the Muslims, and taught them how they should do Hajj when He said,

"Learn from me your rituals (of Hajj)." [Narrated by Muslim, Abu Dawood and Nasâ'i]

By means of these rituals he showed them the most eloquent forms of oneness and equality, in a gathering the of which has never been seen anywhere else.

                The Muslim society expands once each year, at the time of Hajj. For it is an open, global society in which all the people of the earth gather around the Oft-Frequented House (the Ka'bah). So Hajj is like an international conference, that the world only at the time of Hajj, with the pilgrims, despite the differences in their colours, races and languages, all reciting the talbiyah, tahleel, takbeer, tasbeeh and words of praise to the One Almighty Allah.

Tabiyah:  The "slogan" of Hajj, repeated constantly by the pilpgrims, the words are:

"Labbayk Allâhumma labbayk, labayk lâ shareeka laka lababyk, inna al-hamd wan-ni 'mata laka wa 'l-mulk lâ shareeka lak labbayk (Her I am, O' Allah, here I am. Here I am, You have no partner, here I am. Verily all praise and blessings are Yours, and all sovereignty, You have no partner)". [Translator]

Tahleel: Saying, Lâ ilâha illa-Allâh (There is no god except Allah).

Takbeer: Saying, Allâhu Akbar (Allah is Most Great).

Tasbeeh: Saying, Subhân Allâh (glory be to Allah).

In this emotional and spiritual atmosphere, performing the rituals of Hajj, the Muslims feel that they are indeed the slaves of Allah who have come from every deep and distant (wide) mountain highway (cf. Surâh al-Hajj 22:27), seeking the pleasure of Allah and obeying His command to perform Hajj:

"And Hajj [pilgrimage to Makkah] to the House [Kab'ah] is a duty that mankind owes to Allah, those who can afford the expenses." [Qur'an (3):97]

A Muslim pilgrim prays atop Mount Mercy on the plains of Arafat during the peak of the annual hajj pilgrimage, near the holy city of Makkah

          Through the acts of worship that they perform during the Hajj they affirm the oneness of their goal, which is to please Allah. This is the most sublime level of unity known to mankind, and this is why Allah described this ummah as the best nation ever raised for mankind, despite the differences in their colours, languages and races:

"You [true believers in Islamic Monotheism, and real followers of Prophet Muhammad and his Sunnah] are the best of peoples ever raised up for Mankind; you enjoin al-Mar'oof [i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam has ordained] and forbid al-Munkar [polytheism, disbelief and all that Islam has forbidden], and you believe in Allah." [Qur'an (3):110]

Saturday, January 11, 2014