THE SPIRIT OF HAJJ — Personality Changing

T HE personality that should emerge after performing Hajj is one in which a two-fold activity is set in motion, one form being external and the other internal. ‘External activity’ here refers to the peaceful mission of the Prophets— conveying the message of God to mankind—which a person undertakes after having seen the places where Prophet Abraham, Ishmael and Prophet Muhammad and his companions spent much of their lives in this mission. Until then, the pilgrim had just heard about these places, but when he physically goes to those places, he receives a great inspiration to continue this prophetic mission. Hajj removes one from one’s worldly environment so that one can concentrate completely on God. By ‘internal activity’ is here meant a heightened sensitivity towards and awareness of piety, self-control, avoidance of violence and aggression and the need to lead life devoted to God, instead of to self-glorification. In other words, during and after Hajj, the Haji undergoes continuous process of deconditioning. Lesson of Piety In a verse about Hajj, the Quran says: The pilgrimage is in the appointed months. Whoever intends to perform it during them must abstain from indecent speech, from all wicked conduct, and from quarrelling while on the pilgrimage. Whatever good you may do, God is aware of it. Make provision for yourselves—but surely, the best of all provision is God-consciousness. Always be mindful of Me, you that are endowed with understanding. THE QURAN 2: 197 Hajj, for the Arabs, was an ethnic festival, not an expression of the worship of the one God. In pre-Islamic times, Hajj was associated with all sorts of practices that are characteristic of tribal or ethnic festivals. Islam put an end to these. In this context, the Quran, as the above verse tells us, forbade things like indecent speech, wicked conduct THE SPIRIT OF HAJJ Personality Changing