As we bid you and your
family salaam on your travel to the holy city of Makkah for hajj, we make dua
that the Almighty bestows His richest blessings on you, that He grants you good
health & strong eemaan inshaAllah, that you may fulfill all your
obligations and ibaadaat according to His wishes, that He grants you and all
Hujjaaj a hajj mabroor and a hajj maqbool in-shaAllah.
As you prepare to leave we
are reminded of the benefits of Haj and we are reminded of the beauty of our
Deen. We are reminded of the Mercy of our Creator, The Almighty and Most High,
Allah. We are reminded of the Unity (oneness) of Allah and the Unity of
brotherhood.
You are answering the call
of our father, Ebrahim – peace be upon him – on the instruction of Allah, the
Most High, to call people to the pilgrimage. There were no media, no newspapers,
no television, no satellite, no facebook/social media, no email – standing on a
hill he called out to the people – people who were nowhere in sight –yet people
came and thousands of years later, you are of those people, who were not
inspired through the media, but the power of that call is in the hands of
Allah, who has placed that desire there – you of hujjaaj are indeed blessed.
As you shed tears as you
leave your home, may the Almighty fill these tears with mahabbah, with rahmah
and with much barakah. As you get into your car, may the Almighty grant
you a safe and peaceful journey in-shaAllah. As you leave, place your
faith in the Almighty that He takes care of your belongings, your family and
friends that you leave behind, you are at peace as you focus on the magnificent
and momentous journey.
And as you enter Madinah,
and you are reminded of the city from which the Muslim Empire was built by our
illustrious leader Muhammad SAW – notice your physical proximity to Muhammadur
rasoolullah – ï·º - peace
be upon him - when you visit his grave and how then can you not make dua to be
with him –peace be upon him - in the hereafter . And do not forget us in the Raudatul
Jannah - as verily the Prophet –peace be upon him - has said that a dua, a
prayer made there is mustajab/accepted. Make dua for our well-being and
especially that the Almighty grants us strong eeman/faith and protect our
children.
And as you don your ihram
for your ‘umrah, know that you are taking a small step for what lies ahead. But
know that no amount of materiality or wealth can replace that feeling when you
are in ihraam. And as you labbayk, as you utter the talbiyah,
know that you have placed yourself in the 'presence' of Allah. Make dua that
the Almighty sustains that feeling for you and make dua that all Muslims
experience that feeling some time in their lifetime.
And as you leave the tranquility of the Enlightened City, and you make your way to the Baytullahi
Haram, seeing the Ka'bah - built by our father Ebrahim – peace be upon him -
for the first time, you realise that this hajj that you are performing is
nothing else but emulating the builder of the Ka'bah. Pause! Take a moment or
two to look at the simplicity, yet magnanimity of the Ka'bah. Then as you
circumambulate the Ka'bah, remember that Prophet Muhammad ï·º - peace be upon him - has
said that as great as this Ka'bah is, that the life of a Muslim is more sacred.
Then as you drink the Zamzam
after the tawaf you are
reminded that this zamzam is nothing else but the miracle/blessing Allah has
bestowed upon us through the builder's assistant, Ismaeel –peace be upon him. Drink
your fill for this is a sign of the blessing of Allaah, that in the middle of
the desert, Allaah, has made a provision for you – a reminder that Allah’s
power encompasses everything, that depend on Him and you will realise His blessing,
the ultimate blessings and in it - the zamzam - there are endless cures.
Then your ‘umrah reaches culmination as you
perform the sa'i - remembering Sittina Hajir (reminding you of your
mother, alas of all mothers) who has so wonderfully cared for us in childhood
and beyond. This sa'i reminds us also of our search for so much in this dunya,
but alas nothing happens except with the mercy of Allah, i.e. we have to
forsake our whims and fancies and place our trust in Allah, the Provider, the
Nourisher, the Sustainer.
And how beautiful it is that
the hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam after the Shahadah - for we
cannot do the hajj without having declared our faith (and its merely with our
tongues). The hajj is after salah - which is the connection with Allah
after we have made shahadah. Then also after zakah which is our
acceptance that to complete our connection with Allah, we have to share our zakah
with the lesser fortunate, that we realise that provision and sustenance comes
from Allah. Then Allah commands us that if we our intent on being truly
Allah-conscious, i.e. that we want to have taqwa, that we fast…. And
then when we are at a "high" having attained this increased level of taqwa,
then we are ready - spiritually to perform the hajj. We then again declare our shahadah,
we perform even more salah (nafl) while we are in these sacred
places, we have to spend of our wealth to get to these places and we are
conscious to give charity before and while we on journey and we fast (as an
option) when we do tamattu'. And fasting also comes in when those not on
'Arafah are required to fast on the day of wuqoof.
Then you prepare yourself
for Mina, again donning your ihram, reciting the talbiyah on youm-at-tarwiyyah.
You spend the day in dhikr and supplication - make dua for us
for you are indeed the guest of Allah, you are the favoured. Then after fajr
the next day, you proceed to ‘Arafah - and you are reminded that as a
earthling, this is sort of a dress rehearsal for qiyamah, dressed in
your ihram (shroud), on a day when its only you and your Creator. You feel the
peace of this sacred place. You are reminded of Nabi Adam and Jabal
Rahmah which is nowhere else but on ‘Arafah – that Allah showed His mercy
after our father, Adam – peace be upon him, transgressed (O Allaah,O Our Lord,
we have harmed ourselves and if You do not forgive us we will be on the lost
ones).
Shed tears for Allah's sake and may one
of those tears carry my name that Allah may forgive me (and all Muslims), that
Allah grant us strong eemaan, grant us His satisfaction, protect us
against the Fire and grant us jannah in-shaAllah.
Remember us as we will
remember you as our wuqoof is indeed in our fasting on that day, the day
of 'Arafah. Unity indeed.
Remember us as you descend
on Mash'aril haram -Muzdalifah, chanting "Rabbana aatinaa …."
and we know that we too are included in that dua.
And what mercy is it when
you pelt the jamaraat at Mina, relieving yourself of your whims and
fancies, committing yourself to Allah and then as the blood flows from your qurbani,
know that the Almighty has forgiven you (in-shaAllah), that you after
your stay for the days of tashreeq will return home free of sin like the
day your mother gave birth to you (according to the hadith of the
Prophet ï·º).
May Allah bring you safely
back to us, that you may inspire us, that we may learn from you and that you
may be the shining example that the Almighty wants you to be.
We offer our salaams to you,
make dua for you that our Creator grants you a safe journey and a hajj mabroor
in-shaAllah.
