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Hajj is a financial, physical and ritual act of worship:
Dear brothers, hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam, and it is a financial, physical and ritual act of worship at the same time. It is that unique pilgrimage during which the Muslim travels by his body and heart to the safe city, Makkah. Muslims go to Makkah, which Allah has sworn by in the Noble Qur’an, in order to stand on Arafat Mountain and to circumambulate the Sacred House of Allah (Al- Ka’abah). This House is meant by Allah to be the Symbol of Tawheed (Professing that there is no god but Allah alone) and Muslims union. So, Allah has ordered Muslims to turn their faces in the direction of Al-Ka’abah five times a day in their prayers, Allah the Almighty says:
{ Verily! We have seen the turning of your (Muhammad's ) face towards the heaven. Surely, We shall turn you to a Qiblah (prayer direction) that shall please you, so turn your face in the direction of Al-Masjid- al-Haram (at Makkah). And wheresoever you people are, turn your faces (in prayer) in that direction. Certainly, the people who were given the Scriptures (i.e. Jews and the Christians) know well that, that (your turning towards the direction of the Ka'bah at Makkah in prayers) is the truth from their Lord. And Allah is not unaware of what they do.}
Also Allah has ordered Muslimsto head to the Ancient House by their own and to circumambulate around it once during their life time The Ancient House is the first house that was built for mankindto be the first house for worship on earth. The prophets Ibrahim and his son Ismael, the forefathers of the Muslim nation, reformed Al-Ka’abah. While they were reforming the foundation of the House, they invocated Allah sincerely and He answered their invocation. Allah the Almighty says:
{ "Our Lord! And make us submissive unto You and of our offspring a nation submissive unto You, and show us our Manasik (all the ceremonies of pilgrimage - Hajj and 'Umrah, etc.), and accept our repentance. Truly, You are the One Who accepts repentance, the Most Merciful}
The prophet Mohammad (PBUH) said,
"I am the du'a (supplication) of Ibrahim, and the glad-tidings given by 'Isa bin Maryam"
Hajj is answering the Call of Allah out of love for Him:
Dear Brothers, performing Al- Hajj is a practical proof the believer provides to Allah and himself that this worshipis more important than his money, his family, his children, his job and his home. What makes this act of worship different from the other acts is that it requires all your time; it should be performed in the Sacred House of Allah. Hence, you must leave your homeland, family and friendsbear the hardship of travelling with all its danger and spend money on Hajj for the sake of Allah's Satisfaction. Hajj costs a lot of money, but should remember that its results are excellent.. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
“Whoever performs Hajj to this House (Ka‘bah) and does not approach his wife for sexual relations nor commits sins (while performing Hajj), he will return as sinless as he was on the day he was born."
He also said:
"Hajj destroys whatever was before it (of sins)."
And he also said:
"An accepted Hajj has no reward except Paradise."
The prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, also said:
"The pilgrims and those performing ‘Umrah are the delegation of Allah, when they beseech Him He will grant them their quest, and when they seek His forgiveness, He will forgive them"
Talbiyah is answering the call of Allah:
Therefore, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
((Keep on doing Hajj and Umrah, for they eliminate poverty and sins)).
“To spend in Hajj is like spending in the way of Allah"
When a Muslim goes to the Sacred House of Allah, he leaves behind all the concerns of his job, his earnings, his wife, his children, his present and his future. once he wears the Ihram clothes, he forgets all about this worldly life to devote himself to Allah the Almighty and says:' Here I am at Your service O Lord, here I am. Here I am at Your service and You have no partners. Yours alone is All Praise and All Bounty, and Yours alone is The Sovereignty. You have no partners.'
This Talbiyah is like a response to the call of Allah, that a Believer feels deep inside his heart as if Allah is saying to him: O My servant, leave everything and come to Me, O my servant come to Me so that I relieve you of worldly concerns which are as great as mountains, and which are tremendous burden on you, come to Me, O My servant and I will purify you from all (illicit) desires that spoil your life.
For how long you’ll be consumed in desires
And for what you’ve committed you’ll be held responsible
Come O My servant, feel the taste of My Love.. Come O My servant, taste the sweetness of the Secret Conversation with Me.
The servant will answer His Lord saying, Here I am at Your service O Lord, here I am. Here I am at Your service and You have no partners. Yours alone is All Praise and All Bounty, and Yours alone is The Sovereignty. You have no partners. Come O My servant to show you some of My Great Signs, to show you the kingdom of the earth and the heavens, to illuminate your heart with My Light by which all darkness is dispelled, to fill your heart with tranquility which all people of the earth and the heavens miss, to fill your soul with content and satisfaction without which many souls become miserable, to bring you from the muddy shallows of lusts unto the heavens of My Vicinity, to save you from the solitude of remoteness to the delight of closeness to Me, and to save you from the horror of Shirk and the humiliation of hypocrisy to the calmness of tawheed and the glory of obedience.
Allah calls everyone to visit the Sacred House to forget all about their worries:
'Here I am at Your service O Lord, here I am. Here I am at Your service and You have no partners. Yours alone is All Praise and All Bounty, and Yours alone is The Sovereignty. You have no partners.'
Come My servant, to take you from this limited worldly life, from your monotonous job and from your considerable worries to the horizon of My Knowledge, the honor of remembering Me and the delight of being close to Me. Come My servant, let me relieve you from all your worries, peoblems and fears. Come My servant, supplicate me and tell me about all your needs and I will answer you. O My servant, My Houses in this worldly life are the Masjeds. Those who used to visit them regularly are the dearest visitors. O My servant congratulation to those who purify themselves in their houses before they come and visit My Sacred House. Those people deserve to be welcomed warmly.
O My servant how much honored you will be since you have come from distant places, withstood hardship, paid expenses, visited Me in My Sacred House, stood at Arafah, and sought My Pleasure.
'Here I am at Your service O Lord, here I am. Here I am at Your service and You have no partners. Yours alone is All Praise and All Bounty, and Yours alone is The Sovereignty. You have no partners. Come, My servant, and visit Me in My Sacred House, so all your concerns will go away, you will realize the truth, and will get yourself prepared to meet Me.
"Verily a servant, whom I gave a healthy body, and I expanded for him his livelihood, and five years pass upon him that he does not come to Me (for Hajj), then he is deprived."
Come My servant, circumambulate the Ka'bah just like a lover going around his beloved, do Sa’i (walking) between Safa and Marwah the way someone yearns to have his call answered. Come My servant, and kiss the Black Stone, and shed tears for the time you waste on wrong doings. Pledge Me to leave committing sins and evil things and to do good deeds and perform the acts of worship instead. Be to me as I want you to, and I will be to you as you want Me to, Be to me as I want you to, and do not tell me what is good for you. Actually, if you submit yourself to Me, I will give you whatever you want. If you do not, I will deprive you from the things you need. Consequently, things will turn out the way I want. I have created everything in the universe for you, so do not be overstrained. I have created you to obey, so do not be oblivion. By My Right upon you, do not be busy with what I guarantee for you at the expense of what I enjoin on you.
"Here I am at Your service O Lord, here I am. Here I am at Your service and You have no partners. Yours alone is All Praise and All Bounty, and Yours alone is The Sovereignty. You have no partners."
Come, My servant to Arafat, on the day of the Largest Meeting.Come to expose to a whiff of Mine that cleanses your heart from all dirt and lusts, and purifies your soul from every blemish and distress. These whiffs fill your heart with happiness and tranquility, and the bliss that will fill your soul will be enough for the people of a whole country. At that particular time you will only be sorry for an hour you have spent in gossip, asking too many questions, and wasting money.
Come to Arafat, on the day of Arafah, to know that you are the foremost creature, that the earth and the heavens were subjected to you, that you have bore the Trust, which the heavens, the earth and the mountains declined to bear, and that you were created to know Me, and to do good deeds that grant you Paradise of Eternity.
Come to Arafat, on the day of Arafah, to know that Man is in loss, Except Those who believe (in Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds, and order one another to perform all kinds of good deeds which Allah has ordained, and abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds which Allah has forbidden and recommend one another to patience. Verily, if you find Me you will find everything, and if you miss Me you will miss everything, and I Am more beloved to you than anything else.
The sweetness of supplicating Allah makes the Hereafter the highest concern:
When the believer stands at Arafat and tastes the sweetness of drawing close to Allah and supplicating to Him, he will start feeling how close he is to Allah. Only then, he will realize how trivial the worldly life is, so he will get it out of his heart. He will be preoccupied with the hereafter, and will seek a seat of truth (i.e. Paradise), near the Omnipotent King (Allah the Almighty). The pilgrim will know that whatever he was forced to do is actually Allah’s Justice, Grace and Mercy. This is exactly what the following ayah means,
"Jihad (holy fighting in Allah's Cause) is ordained for you (Muslims) though you dislike it, and it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which is bad for you. Allah knows but you do not know."
Throwing stones and the vow to get rid of the Shaitan’s whispers:
Having finished his standing at Arafat and being able to see the truth, he will discover that the true happiness is when he obeys Allah and that the real misery is when he disobeys him. At this very moment the pilgrim will realize that the Shaitan is his eternal foe and that his threats to make people poor if they spend money on charity and terrified if they repent, are but illusions., Allah the Almighty says:
"And Shaitan (Satan) will say when the matter has been decided: "Verily, Allah promised you a promise of truth. And I too promised you, but I betrayed you. I had no authority over you except that I called you, so you responded to me. So blame me not, but blame yourselves. I cannot help you, nor can you help me. I deny your former act in associating me (Satan) as a partner with Allah (by obeying me in the life of the world). Verily, there is a painful torment for the Zalimun (polytheists and wrong-doers, etc.)."
When the pilgrim throw the stones to metaphorically express his hostility to the Shaitan,, he willvows to stop listening to the Shaitan’s whispers. Imam al-Ghazali, may Allah have mercy on him, said: "Be sure that stoning is throwing stones at the face of the Satan, and breaking his back. However, you will never be able to defeat him unless you obey Allah and keep straight. "
The sacrifice is a present given to Allah to thank Him for this grace:
Having finished the above mentioned ritual, the pilgrim will take the sacrifice to the place where he slaughters it. The sacrifice stands for a present given to Allah to thank him for the blessing of guidance, which is the most precious grace at all. When a pilgrim slaughters the sacrifice, it is as if he slaughters all the lusts and desires that Allah forbids, and as if the pilgrim sacrifices the cheapest thing he has and the most expensive one for the sake of pleasing the Lord of the worlds. Allah the Almighty says:
"It is neither their meat nor their blood that reaches Allah, but it is piety from you that reaches Him. Thus have We made them subject to you that you may magnify Allah for His Guidance to you. And give glad tidings (O Muhammad) to the Muhsinun (doers of good)."
After pilgrims finish the rituals of Hajj, they head towards Al-Medina:
Then pilgrim performs Tawaf al-Ifadha to strengthen these facts, and feelings. Then, he performs Tawaf al-Wadaa to get back to his country a new man, whose heart is enlightened by the true faith, and his soul is gleamed by the lights of Vicinity, and he determines to fulfill the promises he has made to Allah. Actually, if it is true that Hajj is a journey to Allah, it is also true that it is the penultimate journey, which makes the final journey ( death) is the one to a Paradise that is as wide as the heavens and the earth.
After pilgrims finish the rituals of Hajj, they head towards Al-Medina Al-Munawara (the lightened city), which Allah loves most, to visit the Master of all creatures, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. It was transmitted that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
"Whoever (makes pilgrimage then) visits me after my death; it is as if he visited me during my (earthly) life"
Obeying the Messenger means obeying Allah:
The Noble Ayah below is written on a plaque hanged on the wall of the Noble Room in a prominent place:
"We sent no Messenger, but to be obeyed by Allah's Leave. If they (hypocrites), when they had been unjust to themselves, had come to you (Muhammad) 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."
Al-Qurtubi indicated that this Ayah justifies visiting The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in his life and after his death as well, and this is for nobody but to him. Also, Al Qasimi mentioned in his interpretation that there is an indication in this Ayah in regard to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace as whoever wrongs himself by disobeying His Lord through leaving the Sunnah of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, should ask Allah His forgiveness, and apologize to the Messenger of Allah as well. So repentance is neither complete nor acceptable unless forgiveness is sought from Allah and His Messenger. Thus, obeying and pleasing the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, is the very same of obeying Allah the Almighty and pleasing Him, and this could be deduced from using the singular pronoun in the following Ayah:
"But it is more fitting that they should please Allah and His Messenger (Muhammad)"
In other words, And Allah and His messenger are truly worthier that they should satisfy Him. There is no use for the plural them which should refer to Allah and His messenger. Such use of the singular pronoun indicates that the satisfaction of the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, is the same one of Allah.
The strongest proof is the one found in the following Ayah:
"He who obeys the Messenger (Muhammad), has indeed obeyed Allah, but he who turns away, then we have not sent you (O Muhammad) as a watcher over them."
One more proof can be noticed in this Ayah:
"Say (O Muhammad to mankind): "If you (really) love Allah then follow me (i.e. accept Islamic Monotheism, follow the Quran and the Sunnah), Allah will love you and forgive you of your sins. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."
Your love for the Prophet is the very cause of your happiness as a Muslim:
Dear believers, perhaps the secret behind the happiness that a Muslim feels is being close to the Prophet may Allah have peace and blessings upon him when he visits his Maqam (Noble Grave). Once he sees the features of Madinah his heartbeats start racing, and when he sees the Noble Rawdah he will burst into tears. Only then the pilgrim's soul will be purified from all sins. Furthermore, a pilgrim will be ecstatic about love and closeness of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. This is the true shfa’ah (the intercession) of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, which he mentioned in the following Hadith:
"Whoever visits me without any avowed purpose other than my visit, it is incumbent upon me to be his intercessor on the Day of Resurrection"
You can read the Qur’anic proof of the tranquility and happiness the Muslim feels once he is in one way or another in touch with the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him. Allah mentions this proof in the following ayah:
"Take Sadaqah (alms) from their wealth in order to purify them and sanctify them with it, and invoke Allah for them. Verily! Your invocations are a source of security for them, and Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower."
Ar-Razi mentioned in his interpretation that: "The spirit of Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was strong, pure, bright and brilliant, because of being very close to Allah on account of his complete closeness to Allah, and because his Noble heart received the Revelation of Allah the Almighty. Whenever his companions and the believers mentioned him with love and compassion, his spiritual purity purified their souls and made them relieved.
Actually, this meaning explains what Allah says in the following Ayah:
"Allah sends His Salat (Graces, Honours, Blessings, Mercy, etc.) on the Prophet (Muhammad) and also His angels too (ask Allah to bless and forgive him). O you who believe! Send your Salat on (ask Allah to bless) him (Muhammad), and (you should) greet (salute) him with the Islamic way of greeting (salutation i.e. AsSalamu 'Alaikum)."
You need to be sure of forgiveness when you stand at Arafat:
Dear brother, these are some of the rituals of al hajj. I feel sorry for those who performed this act of worship but were preoccupied with many things other than drawing close to Allah..Al hajj is a trip to Allah, you make a mistake when you care care about food, drinks, roads, traffics, airports and about the number of pilgrims.These are trivial facts; all what you have to care about in the Sacred House is drawing close to Allah and reconciling with Him.
The hajj of those who stood at Arafat, but were not sure that all their sins will be forgiven, will be rejected. You should be pretty sure that Allah will forgive all your sins, so you will have a new start with Him.
I say these words, and ask Allah the Almighty's forgiveness for me and you; so ask Him His forgiveness and He will forgive you, and you will gain a lot by doing that.
* * *
The second sermon:
Praise be to Allah, the Sustainer of the worlds. And I bear witness that there is no god except Allah, the Protector of the righteous, and I bear witness that our Prophet Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger who is endowed with a Great character. May Allah's peace and blessings be upon Him and his folks and companions.
The love for the Prophet should go on in the heart of every believer:
Dear Brother, it was transmitted that Sayyidina Bilal, may Allah be pleased with him, traveled to the Levant, after the death of the best of the creatures, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and stayed there for a long time. While he was there, one day he saw the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, in his dreamsaying: How could you stay away from me for all that time? O Bilal s not it time to visit me? When Bilal woke up he was very sad, for that dream. He rode his camel and went back to al Madinah in order to visit the Maqam of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Once he got there, he started to cry.. He embraced al-Hassan and al- Hussein, may Allah be pleased with them, when they greeted him. They said, "We miss your voice in azan. We love to hear it the same way you used to when the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings be upon him, was alive.". They insisted on that, so he went and climbed over the roof of the mosque and took the position he used to take before while making azan. When he started to say: (Allah is the Greatest), All the people of al-Madinah remembered the old days when the Prophet was alive. What a spiritual atmosphere had covered the city and make all people gather to get ready for prayer. (The narrator said): I have never seen the people in al-Madinah crying and weeping after the death of the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, but on that day.
Abu Sufyan, may Allah be pleased with him, said the truth when he said (before he embraced Islam): "I have not seen anyone loves his friend the way the companions of Muhammad love him."
Actually, this love should be in the heart of o every believer till the Day of Resurrection (all believer should love the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him.)
The infidels of Qouraish arrested our master Khubaib and he was crucified on a trunk of palm tree, and before he has been killed, he was asked: "do you prefer that Muhammad be in your place?” He said: “I swear to Allah that I will never let the messenger gat hurt by a thorn, while I am sitting with nd children, enjoying all the luxury and health of the worldly life.", This is the true Islam.
The Islamic Deen without love is no more than traditions and folklore:
Islam is to love Allah, to love the companions of the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, to love the followers and the scholars, to love the believers and the mosques, to love the good deeds, to love spending money for the sake of Allah, to love the impoverished people. Islam without love is merely a kind of traditions and folklore.
((Twelve thousand fighters should never be defeated because of their being few.))
According to the latest statistics the number of Muslims nowadays is about one billion and ninety million people. Although Muslims are huge in number, they neither have the upper say nor the upper hand. Do you know why? Because they no longer care about the commands of Allah, so Allah stops caring about them.
Abu Sufyan, may Allah be pleased with him, said "I have not seen anyone loves his friend the way the companions of Muhammad loves him."
The Prophet, may peace and blessing of Allah be upon him, said;
"None of you truly believes until I am more beloved to him than his child, his father and all of mankind"
Let me tell you a wonderful story about a woman from al-Ansar.. She was told that the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, was killed in the battle of Uhod. While she was running to looking for him, she saw he father, brother, husband and son were killed. However, she did not stop and she went on looking for the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, and asking about him until she found him alive. When she saw him, she said, "O Messenger of Allah, every disaster except your safety is not serious".
Dear brother, notice the big difference between the companions of the Prophet, may allah have peace and blessings upon him, and the Muslims today. I swear to by Allah if the noble companions had understood Islam the way we do today, Islam wouldn't have reached al Madinah. Islam is love, straightness, piety, good deeds and the true doctrine.. The true Islam is when love your Muslim brother, and when you apply this Deen to your home and your job.
Supplication:
We beseech you Allah to show us the way of rightness among those whom You showed, and give us good health among whom You healed, and be our patron like those whom You became their patron, and bliss what You bestowed us, and save us from the traumas that you destined for You rule in rightness and You are never judged, and he whom You patron shall never be in humiliation and whom You make as enemy shall never be lofted, blessed and dignified are You, and we thank You for what you destined, we ask Your forgiveness and we repent to You., O Allah, give us and don’t withhold from us, honor us and do not disgrace us, choose us and do not turn away from us to sh3er, satisfy us and be satisfied with us. O Allah send Your Blessings on our master Muhammad, the Illiterate Prophet and his Family and Companions.
