THE SPIRIT OF HAJJ

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. The House of God in Makkah is one of God’s signs on earth. There, souls, which 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 available only to those who come prepared for them. Otherwise, Hajj will be just a tour, a visit that leaves no lasting impression upon its perpetrator. “Hajj is to stand in the plains of Arafat.” These words of the Prophet Muhammad illustrate the importance of sojourning in that place. The plain of Arafat, in which pilgrims spend one day, presents a picture of the arena of the 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 any person out. All are reciting the same words: “Here we are at Your service, Lord.” How can one who witnesses this spectacle but call to mind the like of this verse of the Quran: The trumpet will be blown and, at once, they will rise up from their graves, and hasten to their Lord. (36: 51) The pilgrims gather on the plain of Arafat in order to recall the time when they will gather on the plain of the Last Day. What they will experience in practice in the next world, they conjure up visions of it in this world. For all these reasons, Hajj reigns supreme among all acts of devotion. Like the Sacred Mosque in Makkah has a status above all other mosques, so the worship that is performed there—as part of the pilgrimage—stands head and shoulders above all other acts of devotion. o Hajj reigns supreme among all acts of devotion. Like the Sacred Mosque in Makkah has a status above all other mosques, so the worship that is performed there—as part of the pilgrimage—stands head and shoulders above all other acts of devotion.