THE WORD OF GOD

What will be the manifestation of the words “God is the Greatest, there is none worthy of worship other than Him and all praise is for Him” which a pilgrim constantly repeats during the Hajj once he returns from Hajj? When the pilgrim reaches a particular place close to the place of pilgrimage, he calls out the above words. By constantly repeating these words, a consciousness develops in a Haji (pilgrim) that all greatness is for God alone. This is the real secret of social consciousness. You cannot have unity and harmonious collective living where everyone thinks that they are greater than the others. On the other hand, when everyone surrenders their sense of individual greatness, you will find unity and harmony. People can live harmoniously together only when everyone surrenders their sense of greatness before a single being. In continuation of the understanding of manifestation of each rituals, we would like to know the incorporation of the rituals of circumambulation and the running between the hillocks of Safa and Marwah in our everyday life. The tawaf is symbolic of making all of one’s efforts constrained to a single focus. This is akin to our solar system, where all the planets revolve around a single sun, the axis around which they whirl. This is a practice of living a God-centric life. In daily life all believers turn towards the direction of the Kabah five times for prayer. This instils in them a sense of unity with their fellow beings. The run between the two hillocks of Safa and Marwah is a symbolic declaration. It is an expression of the pilgrim’s determination to devote all of himself to God’s path. It is not simply a mere physical act. In the form of repetition of a historical act, it stands for the pilgrim’s willingness to spend his whole life running in God’s path. It is symbolic of making all activities throughout one’s life to be contained within certain boundaries. If our activities are not bound or regulated in this manner, it would lead to chaos. Such regulation is necessary for a wellordered life. Vast numbers of people from across the world assemble in the plain of Arafat during Hajj which presents an astonishing sight. How does this fit into our life back home? If one realizes this significance of the assembly at Arafat, one’s life can be totally transformed. It is as if all the differences among human beings have suddenly vanished, and that, setting aside all their conflicts, they have surrendered themselves to the one God. It is as if they have all become one, just as their God is one.