HAJJ: A PILGRIMAGE

The journey to Hajj is a journey to God. It represents the ultimate closeness to God one can achieve while living in this world. Other acts of worship are ways of remembering God; Hajj is a way of reaching Him. Generally we worship Him on an unseen level; in Hajj we worship Him as if we see Him face to face. When a pilgrim stands before the House of God he is moved to revolve around the Lord’s House, like a butterfly encircling a flower, clinging to His doorstep as a slave begging for his master’s mercy. To perform Hajj is to meet God. When the pilgrim reaches the border of the Sacred Territory (Meeqat), he is filled with awe of God; he feels that he is leaving his own world, and entering God’s. Now he is revolving around Him, running towards Him, journeying on His behalf, making sacrifice in His name, praying to the Lord and seeing his prayer answered. Among all Muslim acts of worship, Hajj holds a prominent position. In one Hadith, the Prophet called it the supreme act of worship. But it is not just the rites of pilgrimage that constitute this importance, it is the spirit in which it is performed. Hajj is not merely a matter of going to Makkah and returning. There is much more to it than that. It has been prescribed so that it may inspire us with new religious fervour. To return from Hajj with one’s faith in God strengthened and rekindled— that is the hallmark of a true pilgrim. The House of God in Makkah is one of God’s signs on earth. There, souls that have strayed from the Lord take comfort in Him once again; hearts which have become hard as stone are brought low before Almighty God; eyes which have lost their vision are filled with divine radiance. But these blessings of Hajj are only for those who come prepared for them. Otherwise it will be just a tour, a visit which leaves no lasting impression upon the tourist. “Hajj is to stand in the plain of Arafat.” These words of the Prophet Muhammad illustrate the importance of sojourning in the place. The plain of Arafat, in which pilgrims spend one day, presents a picture of the arena of Judgement Day. Host upon host of God’s servants flock in from all sides to witness the spectacle. And what a spectacle! All are dressed in similar, simple attire. There is nothing to single out any person. All are reciting the same words: Hajj is a comprehensive act of worship, involving both financial outlay and physical exertion.