AFTER HAJ A Changed Personality

The Prophet said that he who performs Haj in such a way that others are safe from his tongue and hands, will have all the sins that he has committed till then, forgiven. If we speak something indecent, it can hurt others. So also when we say bad and disrespectful things about others. It isn’t good to speak harshly, too. All these things are totally forbidden while on Haj. In this way, people will appreciate the need to abstain from such speech at other times as well, when they return to their homes after Haj. Abstaining From Violence and Aggression After donning the ihram, it is forbidden for pilgrims to hunt animals. Also forbidden for the pilgrim are accepting as a gift, the meat of animals that have been hunted, plucking the feathers of birds, assisting others in hunting, giving someone a knife to slaughter an animal that has been hunted and so on. All these are forbidden. During Haj, one can kill a pest or an animal such as a snake, and also the sacrifi cial animal that is part of the Haj rituals. But besides these, it is strictly forbidden for the pilgrim not only to kill but also to hurt any animal. Hunting animals under normal conditions is allowed. However, during Haj, this is completely forbidden. A true believer is one whose life is driven not by lust, but, rather, by a higher purpose. This, in actual fact, is reiteration, in a stronger sense, of a general commandment of the Islamic law. Humans are expected not to kill fellow humans or to torment animals. These are general shariah laws that every Muslim is expected to follow at all times. But during Haj, these laws are expanded to include a ban on hunting. In this way, the pilgrim experiences a heightened awareness of these laws, and so when he returns to his home after Haj he will be more mindful in observing them. He will also become more mindful at all times not to oppress others. A Life of Self-Control A concise way of describing the Islamic way of life is to say that it is a life of self-control. The various controls and the code of discipline that one is expected to observe during Haj can be seen as a training for