THE MESSAGE AND MEANING OF HAJJ — God-oriented Life

his determination to repel evil and cause the devil to flee from him. He announces his enmity against, and opposition to, the devil. If one converts this symbolic act into actual practice, one can truly expel all evil and negativity from oneself. Following this, the pilgrim sacrifices an animal in God’s path. In the Quran it is included in the divine symbols. Sacrificing an animal stands for sacrificing one’s own self. By sacrificing an animal, the pilgrim symbolizes his willingness to sacrifice everything in God’s path, including even his own life if need be. He expresses, thereby, his commitment to offer his everything for God’s sake. Hajj teaches us to lead God-centric lives; to make God the focus of every aspect of our lives and to spend our lives according to His will. Although the rituals of Hajj are completed in Makkah, many pilgrims go to Madinah after finishing their Hajj. The ancient name for Madinah is Yathrib. Towards the end of his life, the Prophet of Islam made it his centre, and that is why it came to be known as Madinat ul-Nabi or ‘The City of the Prophet’. Madinah is a short form of this term. In Madinah is a mosque built by the Prophet, where his grave is also located. Here also one finds the footprints of his prophetic life. When Hajis arrive in Madinah, they are reminded once again of the collective unity of mankind despite its diversity. The mosque of the Prophet reminds them that their one true guide is the same Prophet. They return from here with the feeling that despite their geographical or national differences, they have to follow the same path, the one shown by the Prophet. This is another powerful symbol of their unity. They return from Madinah inspired by the understanding that no matter what their differences—of nation, ethnicity and so on—they must all walk on the path of their same prophet, that they must take as their guide the same blessed figure, and that their God is the One God. o