Radio Sermon: Wisdom of Haj

1992-04-24

In the Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, Most Merciful

First sermon:

Hajj:

In Islam, in addition to conceptions of ideology that are considered as the basis of religion, there are certain devotional services that organize man’s relations with his Lord as well as relationships and transactions that organize man’s relations with his fellow humans. If devotional services are performed properly, relationships become noble; and nobleness of relationships is an indication of properness of devotional services, whose first and foremost goal is to provide man with spiritual enhancement and rightly guide him in word and deed through establishing a firm and deeply rooted relationship between man and Allah, Lord of all worlds, receiving Divine Guidance from Him, enjoying His Favors, indulging in His Mercy, and seeking His good pleasure and generous recompense in the present world and the world to come. This is exactly the secret underlying all ritual religious and devotional services such as Salat (prayer), Fast and Hajj (Pilgrimage to Makkah).

The Hajj is one the five pillars of Islam. It is a financial, corporal and ritual type of service. It is a unique trip whereon a Muslim leaves his home and family and heads towards the Holy Secure City of Makkah, by which Allah All Mighty swore in His Holy Koran, to stand at ‘Arafat, and to go round the Holy Ka’abah, which Islam made the token of Monotheism and unity of Muslims and bade Muslims to turn towards it in their prayers at least five times a day. To this effect, Allah, Glory be to Him, says,

“And wherever you are, turn your faces towards it [i.e. the Ka’abah].”

[Al-Baqarah; 144]

Muslims were also commanded to travel in body to the Ka’abah and to go round it at least once in lifetime.

The Ancient Sacred House is the first house on earth assigned for people for the worship of Allah. It was rebuilt by the two holy Prophets Abraham and his son Ishmael (PBUT), from whose offspring Allah made this Muslim nation, and answered their sincere supplication while they were rebuilding the Ancient House. To this effect, Allah All Mighty, says,

“And when Abraham, and Ishmael with him, raised up the foundations of the House: ‘Our Lord, receive this from us; You are the All-hearing, the All-Knowing; and, our Lord, make us submissive to You, and of our seed a nation submissive to You; and show us our holy rites, and turn towards us; surely You turn and are All-Compassionate; and our Lord, do send among them a Messenger, one of them, who shall reauthor to them Your Signs, and teach them the Book and the Wisdom, and purify them; You are the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.’”

[Al-Baqarah; 127-129]

The Messenger of Allah, (PBUH), said,

“I am the (fruit of the) supplication of Abraham and the good tiding of Jesus son of Mercy.”

The Hajj is the practical evidence that a true believer gives to his Lord and to himself that answering Allah’s call, motivated by his sincere love for Him and seeking His pleasure, is dearer to him than his wealth, family, children, work and home. Such a type of worship is unique as it requires complete devotion. It can never be performed except in Allah’s Holy Mosque.

Therefore, the Hajj duty necessitates leaving one’s homeland, quitting one’s people and friends, shouldering the heavy burdens and dangers of travel, expending one’s wealth in pursuit of Allah’s good pleasure. It is true that the cost of such worship is dear, but its fruits are so great and magnificent. The Messenger of Allah, (PBUH), was quoted by Al-Boukkari and Muslim as saying,

“Whosoever performs the duty of Pilgrimage (the Hajj), does not behave obscenely or indulge in ungodliness. He gets out of his sins as he was on the day his mother gave him birth.”

He also said,

“The Hajj blots out what was before it (of sins and misdeeds).”

And that

“A true devoted Hajj is not recompensed except with Paradise.”

This is because

“Those who are on the Hajj and ‘Umra (minor Hajj) are the guests of Allah; if they invoke Him, He answers them; and if they ask Him forgiveness, He forgives them”

To this effect, the Messenger of Allah, (PBUH), says,

“Keep performing the Hajj after the ‘Umrah, as they both repel poverty and sins,”

and,

“Expenditure in the Hajj is like expenditure in the Way of Allah.”

A Muslim travels to the Holy Mosque of Allah, leaving behind worries of life and means of subsistence, worries of work and earning one’s living, worries of wife and children, worries of the present and the future. After having entered into the state of ritual consecration, he completely renounces the mundane world and devotes himself to his Lord, invoking,

“Doubly at Your service, O Allah!. Doubly at Your service! We associate none with You (in worship)! Praise and Favor, together with the Kingdom, do belong to You; we associate none with You (in worship)”

Such an invocation is but the answer to Allah’s call and invitation to His slave,

“O My servant! Free yourself of the love of the present world and come unto Me! Come unto Me, o My servant, so that I relieve You of worries as great as mountains lying upon your heart! Come unto Me, o My servant, in order to purify you from caprices that spoil your life! Till when will you be indulged in mundane pleasures, and you will be asked for whatever you have done. Come unto Me, o My servant, and taste of My Love! Come unto Me, o My servant, and taste of sweetness of My Speech!

Come to Me, o My servant in order to show you My Magnificent Signs! Come, so that I show you the Kingdom of the heavens and earth. Come, in order to enlighten your heart with My Light that enlightens the shadows! Come, in order to fill your heart with peace of mind that people of the heavens and earth scarcely find! Come, so that I fill your soul with bliss and content that too many souls do lack! Come, so that I take you out of the shadows of whims and caprices to the Gardens of nearness to Me! Come, so that I save you from the gloom of farness to the intimacy of nearness! Come, so that I rid you of the terror of polytheism, humbleness of hypocrisy to tranquility of monotheism and honor of obedience!

Come unto Me, o My servant, to take you from your limited world, monotonous work and crushing worries, to horizons of My knowledge, honor of My remembrance, and Garden of nearness unto Me! Come, o My servant, and put down your worries, hardships and fears in My hands, and I shall end them all! Come, o My servant, and tell Me your need, and I shall fulfill it for you, because,

“ Mosques are My Houses on the earth; and their visitors are their inhabitants. Blessed is he who cleans himself at home and then visits Me, and it is appropriate for the host to vie his quest in generosity.”

How will My generosity be to you, o My servant, now that you have traveled all the way, borne great hardships and expended lots of money to visit Me in My Holy Mosque and to stand at Mount Arafat invoking me and seeking my pleasure.

Come, o My servant, and visit Me in My House, so that you rid yourself of illusion, witness the Truth and get ready for meeting Me, because,

“A servant whom I granted a healthy body, a good wealth, yet stays five years not visiting Me, is really deprived.”

Come, o My servant and go round the Ka’abah as a true lover goes round his beloved, and hasten between the Safa and Marwah, as the one longing for one’s beloved. Come, o My servant, and kiss the Black stone, My Right Hand on the earth, and shed tears of sorrow for the years of your life that you have wasted in things you have not been created for, and promise Me in order to quit sins and works of disobedience and perform deeds of righteousness and obedience! And

“Be to Me as I desire, so that I be to you as you desire; be to Me as I desire and do not tell Me of the things that make you prosperous! If you obey My Will, certainly, I shall suffice you concerning the things that you desire. But if you disobey My Will, I shall cause you to tire yourself out with what you desire, but nothing will be fulfilled except what I desire. Verily, I have created all that is in the universe for you, so do not tire yourself; and I have created you for Myself, so do not play. By My Right on you, do not waste your time on the things that I have guaranteed for you and forget the things that I have enjoined on you!”

Come, o My servant to ‘Arafat, on the day of ‘Arafat, the Day of the Great Encounter, so that you may get exposed to My Divine Grace that purifies you from your lusty desires and caprices, rids you from distress and worry, fills your heart with peace and tranquility, and overwhelms you with bliss that is sufficient to fill all mankind with joy and happiness. There, on Mount ‘Arafat, you will regret every minute that you have wasted on the trivial perishable enjoyments and pleasures of the worldly life.

Come, o My servant to Arafat, on the day of Arafat, in order to know that you are the first and foremost of all creatures, that to you alone the heavens and earth have been subjected, that you have been given the Trust whereof mountains as well as the heavens and earth were afraid, and that I have brought you here to the world just to know Me, and perform deeds of righteousness which make you entitled to My Garden of Eternity. Come, to Arafat, on the day of ‘Arafat, in order to know that Man is surely in the way of loss, save those who believe, do righteous deeds, counsel each other unto the truth, and counsel each other to be steadfast Com to ‘Arafat in order to learn that if you find Me, you find everything; and if you miss Me, you miss everything…

After having known greatness and wonder of the encounter with Allah and tasted the sweetness of the talk to Allah All Mighty, Most Merciful, through invocation, supplication and communication with Allah and turning to Him with love and devotion, a believer indulges in the pleasure of nearness which makes the whole world become petty and trivial in his eyes, and the Hereafter become his greatest worry. Such a great feeling is sure to inauthor him to hasten for a sure abode in the pleasure of a King Omnipotent.

In Arafat, it might be revealed to the pilgrim that whatever unpleasant things Allah has brought to him is absolute Divine Justice, Favor and Mercy on the part of Allah. He gets to understand Allah’s words,

“Yet it may happen that you will hate a thing which is better for you; and it may happen that you will love a thing which is worse for you; Allah knows, and you know not.”

[Al-Baqarah; 216]

After having pressed on from ‘Arafat, and after having received Divine Guidance and Enlightenment, the pilgrim conceives that happiness, all happiness, lies in obeying Allah, and that wretchedness, all wretchedness, lies in disobeying Him. Only then, he gets to conceive his enmity to Satan, how the latter promises his friends poverty if they expend of their wealth in the Way of Allah, causes them to fear sh3er than Allah if they repent and return to Him, promises them and fills them with false hopes. To this effect, Allah All High says,

“And Satan says, when the issue is decided, ‘Allah surely promised you a true promise; and I promised you, then I failed you, for I had no authority over you, but that I called you, and you answered me. So do not blame me, but blame yourselves: I can not aid you, neither can you aid me. I disbelieved in your associating me with Allah aforetime’.”

[Ibrahim; 22]

Only then, the pilgrim expresses his hostility and hatred to Satan symbolically by throwing stones at him. Such stoning is, in fact, manifestation and substantiation of man’s feeling of enmity and hatred towards Satan and truthful rejection of his evil whispers and insinuations….

Al-Ghazali, the well-known scholar and Imam, says, “It must be known that when you, literally, throw stones at Al-Aqaba Pillar, you really throw Satan’s face and break his back with them. Spiting and defeat of Satan is not fulfilled except by obeying the orders of Allah…”

When the pilgrim drives forth his offerings and slaughters his sacrifice, his offering and sacrifice is but a present to Allah and a symbol of his thankfulness gratitude to Him for the bliss of right guidance, which is the greatest Favor of all. Slaughtering animals of sacrifice is but killing one’s whims and desires that displease Allah, and sacrificing everything for His sake. Allah, says,

“The flesh of them shall not reach Allah, neither their blood, but godliness from you shall reach Him.”

[Al-Hajj; 37]

Then follows Tawaf Al-Ifadah (going round the Ka’abah after stoning Satan at Minah) as another confirmation of such facts and feelings. After that, pilgrims perform Tawaf Al-Wada’ ( the last and farewell going round the Ka’abah), after which they leave for their own countries - completely new and pure men whose hearts have been enlightened with the facts of true Faith and whose souls shine with the lights of nearness to the Lord Most Merciful, and after having determined to fulfill the promises that they made to Him All mighty. Beyond a shadow of doubt, the Hajj is a unique trip to Allah, which makes man well prepared for his trip of death when he leaves this present world, and which makes the last trip end in a Garden the breadth whereof is as the breadth of heaven and earth.

After having accomplished his Hajj rituals, the pilgrim heads for Madinah, one of the most beloved places to Allah, for visiting the best of all humankind, Muhammad (PBUH), who was quoted as saying,

“Whosoever visits me after my death, it is as if he visited me during my life time.”

In a prominent place in the holy Prophet’s room is suspended the Koranic verse which goes

“If, when they wronged themselves, they had come to thee, and prayed for forgiveness of Allah, and the Messenger had prayed forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah Oft-Forgiving, All-Compassionate.”

[An-Nisa'; 64]

Al-Qortobi pointed out that the verse is applies to visiting the Messenger of Allah, (PBUH), in his life time and after his death, respectively, which is never for anyone save the Messenger of Allah, (PBUH).

Al-Qasimi, in his interpretation of the Holy Koran, mentioned that the verse includes indication of the Prophet Muhammad’s eminence, because when a person does wrong to himself by disobeying his Lord, through deviating from the Prophet’s Sunna, he has to pray for forgiveness to Allah, and apologize to His Messenger. This is because turning to Allah in repentance is not done, or ever accepted, save through adding the Prophet’s praying to the Lord to forgive such a wrong-doer. Obeying the Messenger of Allah is but obeying Allah, and rejecting the Prophet’s Sunna is but disobeying Allah; seeking the Prophet’s pleasure and love is but seeking Allah’s pleasure and love. Such a meaning can be extracted from the pronoun “Him”in the Koranic verse,

“but Allah and His Messenger more right is it they should please Him.”

[At-Taubah; 62]

Thus, the verse refers to the fact that pleasing the Messenger of Allah is but pleasing Allah Himself. To the same effect, another verse goes,

“Whosoever obeys the Messenger, thereby obeys Allah.”

[An-Nisa'; 80]

And a third verse confirms the same purport,

“Say, ‘If you love Allah, follow me, and Allah will love you, and forgive you your sins.”

[Aal-'Imran; 31]

It might be that happiness, that pervades a Muslim’s heart upon visiting the Prophet’s Mosque goes to the extent that his heart starts beating with love as soon as he beholds the holy Prophet’s hometown of Madinah and that he even bursts into tears the moment that he sees his holy Tomb and Rawdah. Only then, the visitor’s soul becomes pure, peaceful and enraptured with the love of Allah and nearness to Him, which is the reality of the Shafa’a (the Prophet’s intercession) that the Messenger of Allah, (PBUH) speaks of,

“Whosoever comes unto me as a visitor, driven by nothing but the desire of visiting me, Allah is sure to make me his intercessor on the Day of Resurrection.”

The Koranic proof of what the Muslim feels of peacefulness and happiness when he communicates with the Messenger of Allah, (PBUH), in some way or another, is Allah’s words,

“and pray for them, for your prayer is a comfort for them.”

[At-Taubah; 103]

In his interpretation of the Quran, Al-Razi says,“The soul of Muhammad, (PBUH), was so strong, pure, bright, and brilliant due to his intimate closeness to Allah, and because his holy heart was where he (PBUH) received Allah’s Divine Revelation. When his companions spoke highly or lovingly of him, and when any of the believers speak of him with love and respect, traces of his spiritual power overwhelm their souls and make their souls bright and their hearts pure. To this effect, the Koranic verse goes,

“ Verily, Allah and His angels bless the Prophet, O believers, do you also bless him, and pray him peace.”

[Al-Ahzab; 56]

It was narrated that Bilal, the well-known venerable Companion, may Allah be pleased with him, traveled to Syria and stayed there for a long time after the Prophet’s death. He dreamed of the Messenger of Allah, (PBUH), as saying to him,

“O Bilal! What is this alienation (from me)?! Isn’t it time that you visited me?!”

He woke up in sorrow, mounted his horse, and headed for Medina. He got straight to the Prophet’s tomb, where he shed many a tear. And when Al-Hassan and Al-Hossein(1), came, he embraced them lovingly and kissed them most warmly. They said, “We really desire to hear the Azan [call to prayer]from you as you used to do for the Messenger of Allah!”

When they insisted, he got onto the roof of the Holy Prophet’s Mosque, stood in the same place where he used to stand and started to call out to Salat.

No sooner had he called out “Allahu Akbar!”than the whole town of Medina reverberated his beautiful voice, everybody rushed out of their houses with tears of sorrow flowing from their eyes. In this context, Abou Soufian(2), may Allah be pleased wit him, one day rightly said,

“I have never seen anyone who loves another as much as Muhammad’s Companions love Mohammad.”

Such a fact must apply for each and every believer till the Day of Resurrection. To this effect, the Messenger of Allah, (PBUH), says,

“The one of you will never have true faith unless I become dearer to him than his own self, his children, parents and all mankind.”

The Messenger of Allah, (PBUH), in his Wada’a Hajj (The Fare-well Pilgrimage) delivered an all-embracing public sermon which included humanitarian principles and confirmed a set of facts which insure right guidance and true happiness for the straying and suffering world. The Koranic verse goes to the same effect,

“Then whosoever follows My guidance shall not go astray, neither shall he be wretched.”

[TaHa; 123]

Allah, All-Mighty All-High, brought up Muhammad (PBUH) so as to bring up the Arabs; and He brought up the Arabs through Muhammad so as to bring up, through them, all mankind. To this effect, Allah Most Wise says,

“and in this, that the Messenger might be a witness against you, and that you might be witnesses against mankind.”

[Al-hajj; 78]

Among the principles set forth in the Prophet’s public sermon on his Farewell Hajj are:

1)-Human beings are all equal no matter how different their ranks and life styles might be. The Messenger of Allah, said,

“O people, your Lord is one, your father is one, all of you are of the offspring of Adam, and Adam is made up of dust. Surely the noblest among you in the sight of Allah are the most pious of you. No Arab is to have preference over a non-Arab except by piety… Have not I delivered (the Message)? Do witness, O Allah!”

2)-If man does not believe in the Lord All Mighty and the Day of Judgment and Reckoning or that Allah All-Knowing knows his inner feelings and intentions, he is prone to follow his own desires and caprices, build up his own glory at the expense of other fellow humans and their lives and even strive to live but let sh3er die. That is why in his Farewell Pilgrimage the Messenger of Allah, (PBUH) addressed people,

“O people! Verily your blood, wealth, and dignity are unlawful for you until you encounter our Lord… Verily, believers are true brother; no man’s wealth is lawful for his brother believer, unless he offers it willingly. Verily, you shall encounter your Lord; and He shall question you concerning your deeds. Have I conveyed (the Message)? O Allah! Do bear witness!”

3)-Wealth is the pillar of human life; and, being as such, it must be in circulation among all mankind. If wealth, however, is used in usury in order to make more wealth without real effort or work for building up human civilization on earth and enriching human life, it is monopolized by only a few people, while the majority of mankind are deprived of it. Human life is sure to get confused, hatred and grudge prevail, violence and crime dominate people’s behavior and induce more violence and crime. This is exactly what usury does to human society, for, in some way or another, it breeds mischievous disasters and misfortunes. That is why the Messenger of Allah, in his Hajj, said,

“Every form of usury of pre-Islamic times (times of ignorance) is rejected; you shall be paid back only your capital sums, without any injustice that you do to sh3er or sh3er do to you. Verily, Allah All mighty, has ordained that no usury (is lawful); and the first (kind of) usury I start to abrogate is that of my uncle, Al-Abbass(3), son of Abdul Muttabib.”

4)-Women are full sisters of men and are fully equal to them with every respect concerning all rights, religious obligations, devotional observances, transactions, social relations, manners, morals, punishment, reward, honor, respect and each and every aspect of human life.

That is exactly what, the Messenger of Allah, (PBUH), confirmed in his Farewell Hajj saying,

“Fear Allah with regard to women and take good care of them… Haven’t I delivered (the Message)?! Do witness, O Allah!! O people! do not apostatize after me, or kill each other. O people! Satan has given up all hope of being worshipped in this your land, but he has accepted to be obeyed in your other deeds that you belittle. So be on your guard against him with regard to your religion! I have left (with) you things, if you hold fast to them you shall never be misguided - clear things: he Book of Allah and the Sunna of His Messenger. And you shall be questioned about me (on the Day of Judgment), so what shall you say?”

They answered, “We bear witness that you have delivered (Allah’s Message of Islamic Monotheism), and counseled.”The Messenger of Allah, then pointed his forefinger upwards, and then towards the people, saying

“O Allah! Do witness! O Allah! Do witness!”

(1) Al-Hussain bin Ali, may Allah be pleased with them, was the holy Prophet’s grandson. He was brought up in the holy Prophet’s house. He was killed in Karbula’a on the tenth of Muharram, 61 H. All Muslims everywhere were very sad at his death.

(2) Abou Soufian, Sakhr bin Harb, may Allah be pleased with him, was one of the holy prophet’s Companions and a chief of Quraish in the battles of Hunain and Al-Khandaq. He embraced Islam and became a god Muslim. He was one of the smart men of the Arabs. He liked being in power and celebrity. During the Caliphate of Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, he enjoyed a great reputation and position. He passed away in Medina in about the year 32 H.

(3) Al-Abbas, Abul-Fadil, may Allah be pleased with him, was a venerable Companion and uncle of the holy Prophet (PBUH). In the battle of Badr, he unwillingly went out to fight with the idolaters of Quraish, because he kept secret his having embraced Islam. He used to send the holy Prophet news and secrets of idolaters. He immigrated to Medina after the Conquest of Mecca. One day, he was asked,“Who is older, you or the Messenger of Allah, (PBUH)?” He replied, “He is older than I am; but I was born before him.”The holy Prophet (PBUH) used to say about him,

“He is the one who remained of my ancestors.”

He passed away in Medina in the year 32 H. and was buried in Al-Baqee’.