THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM

The Five Pillars of Islam ~ 113 ~ account of their fellow-men, and during the Hajj season, pilgrims have innumerable opportunities of displaying their self-restraint. With so many hundreds of thousands of different types of people gathered together in one place, it is inevitable that there should be countless occasions when some are put to inconvenience by others. This is the time that pilgrims are directed to be especially careful not to give vent to anger or irritation, to refrain absolutely from abusing or attacking anyone and to eschew all immodest or dishonest behaviour. Hoping themselves for kind treatment at the hands of God, they do their utmost to be kind in their treatment of other human beings. Hajj is a rehearsal for a life of struggle in God’s cause, a reminder of the momentousness of the Last Day, and a caution that Satan, man’s greatest enemy, must be beaten back at all costs. Its greatest message is that if one desires a share in God’s blessings, one should be prepared to sacrifice not only one’s possessions but one’s very life for Him. In this way, it is a lesson in living a God-oriented life.