The Universal Message of Hajj

The universal message of Hajj (and Umrah) is for individuals to embody its spirit in their daily lives, and that is to disseminate the divine message to the world. T he Prophet of Islam performed Hajj in the later part of his life, and almost all of his Companions were present on this occasion. During Hajj, he delivered a sermon on the Day of Sacrifice, which is known as the Farewell Sermon (Khutbat al-Wida’). In this sermon, he addressed his Companions and said, “Let the present ones inform the absent ones” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 1741), meaning that those who are present should convey the divine message to those who are not present. Most likely, the result of this command by the Prophet of Islam was that after him, all the people engaged in the prophetic work of inviting others to the path of God. They spread the message of Islam throughout the majority of the inhabited world at that time. This shows that the conclusion of Hajj is, in fact, the beginning of a new endeavour. When the rituals of Hajj come to an end, a much greater mission begins. It is calling people