THE ESSENCE OF HAJJ

THE ESSENCE OF HAJJ Spirit Of Rituals H AJJ is one of the basic pillars of Islam. Like other forms of worship in Islam, Hajj is based on God-consciousness. At the same time, it has a unique feature—it is linked to the life of Prophet Abraham. Every Muslim capable of doing so, must perform Hajj at least once in his lifetime. By engaging in various actions during Hajj, he expresses his complete servitude to God. He symbolically performs actions that were performed by Prophet Abraham, kindling the zeal in man to mould himself on the pattern of this prophet of God. After building the Kabah, in Makkah, Prophet Abraham called on people to perform Hajj for the sake of God. The journey of Hajj is an affirmative response to this call. During the Hajj, pilgrims call out, 'Labbaik Allahumma Labbaik', which means, “Here I am at Your service O Allah, here I am.” The air resounds with this cry as if in answer to the call issued by Prophet Abraham; the pilgrims appear before God, wholeheartedly willing to fulfill any command. The literal meaning of ‘Hajj’ is ‘to go on pilgrimage’. According to the Islamic Shariah, Hajj happens once every year when people circumambulate the Kabah, halt on the Plain of Arafat, and perform the other actions that are part of Hajj. Hajj is a comprehensive form of worship. It entails spending one’s wealth, and physical exertion, too. It involves remembrance of God, and sacrifice for God as well. Hajj is a form of worship in which the spirit of other forms of worship are also present. Central to Hajj, is the 'House of God', the Kabah, located in Makkah. The Kabah is a reminder of the truly devout life of an exalted servant of God, Prophet Abraham. It is a reminder of how a devoted servant of God gave up everything for God, patterned his whole life in accordance with God’s will and devoted himself completely to God’s mission till his last breath. Hajj is a form of worship in which the spirit of other forms of worship are also present.