Hajj: The Journey To Allah

Al-Hajj 22:26 And (remember) when We prepared for Abraham the place of the (holy) House, saying: Ascribe thou no thing as partner unto Me, and purify My House for those who make the round (thereof) and those who stand and those who bow and make prostration.

27 And proclaim unto mankind the pilgrimage. They will come unto thee on foot and on every lean camel; they will come from every deep ravine,

28 That they may witness things that are of benefit to them, and mention the name of Allah on appointed days over the beast of cattle that He hath bestowed upon them. Then eat thereof and feed therewith the poor unfortunate.

29 Then let them compete their proscribed rites and pay their vows and go around the ancient House.

Proclaim unto mankind the hajj, the pilgrimage!  In this ayaat from Surah al Hajj, Allah SWT commands us to call unto all mankind this Hajj, this pilgrimage to Allah.

22:34. To every people did We
Appoint rites (of sacrifice),
That they might celebrate
The name of God over
The sustenance He gave them
From animals (fit for food).
But your god is One God:
Submit then your wills to him
(In Islām): and give thou
The good news to those
Who humble themselves,—

Truly every religion has a pilgrimage, a sacred journey.  In Hinduism it is the yearly Kumb Mela.  In Buddhism, it is the journey to Bodh Gaya, where the Buddha attained enlightenment. In Shinto, the religion of Japan, it is a climb up Mount Fujiyama. In Judaism, it is a journey to Jerusalem.  In Christianity, there are many pilgrimages, including to Jerusalem, Rome and in England, to Canterbury. 

Pilgrimages are sacred journeys; they follow a physical path, but also involve a journey of the heart.  They mirror our journey in this life, from birth to death, and beyond.  In the classic of English literature, the Canterbury Tales, a group of people set off on the English pilgrimage.  Along the way, they share their stories and thereby learn about themselves. 

I have made some of these pilgrimages myself; to Varanasi, to Bodh Gaya, to Rome.  The pilgrimage lies in the journey.  In India, some people literally crawl to these sites.  Once they get there, they say a few prayers and go home.  Mission accomplished. 

I have also made the Hajj.  Ma’ashallah.  It is a profoundly different experience, calling upon all it is to be human.  If we fully appreciated its benefits, we would wish to make it every year, not just once in a life time.

In the past, the Hajj was a great journey. Ibn Batatuta, the famous traveler, set out from Morocco to make his Hajj.  It took him over a year to reach Arabia, and then he traveled around waiting for the next Hajj season because by the time he arrived there it was to late to catch that year’s Hajj. 

This shows us one of the most unique features of the Hajj.  Even today, with the ease of travel, our Hajj is still the same.  This is because it does not really begin until we arrive.  Other pilgrimages end when we get there.  Ours begins when we get there.  And only our Hajj is communal.  Others may involve gatherings, such as Kumb Mela, but only Hajj has elements that are individual and communal. 

We come together, as individuals, on the Plain of Arafat.  We pray as individuals or in small groups, and our numbers grow over the course of the day.

The Prophet is reported to have said, Hajj is Arafat.  It is this great gathering of people, coming together, praying and remembering Allah, just like the Day of Judgment.  We will be gathered then too.  Just as we were once gathered before Allah when He asked us, “am I not your Lord?”  and we replied, “Yes you are our Lord.” 

And then the sun sets… and we pour forth all together, one great mass of humanity …setting off in one direction, one destination.  We sleep beneath the stars in Muzdalifah.  The earth below us, the sky above, and nothing between us and our Lord.  Then we wake to reject the Shaytan and his evil whisperings.  We sincerely seek to make all of his efforts to destroy us and lead us astray, vain and fruitless.  And then after a sacrifice, we return home to circle the ancient house, to model of the one we left behind in Jennah, the Bait al Ma’mur. 

Yes we were gathered before Allah once before.  And them we poured forth into this dunya.  And we spend a lifetime on this battle ground, fighting Shaytan and sacrificing all we have, all we are, to show our surrender to the one who created us, our Allah SWT.  After our own deaths, we will return home.  We will circle the ancient house. 

And as we circle that house, our sins unwind from us.  We pray for a Hajj mabrur, an accepted Hajj, where all of our myriad sins are lifted from us and we receive His forgiveness.  That amazing gift …forgiveness…

22: 35. To those whose hearts,
When God is mentioned,
Are filled with fear,
Who show patient perseverance
Over their afflictions, keep up
Regular prayer, and spend
(In charity) out of what
We have bestowed upon them.

Herein lies the essence of our deen.  Good news to those in whose hearts Allah is remembered, and whose hearts fill up with love and awe of Allah.  They are patient in all types of afflictions, for they trust Allah and they know that in the end, they will be in peace.  And they establish salaat and spend out of the risq that Allah has bestowed upon them.  

 22:36. The sacrificial camels
We have made for you
As among the symbols from
God: in them is (much)
Good for you: then pronounce
The name of God over them
As they line up (for sacrifice):
When they are down
On their sides (after slaughter),
Eat ye thereof, and feed
Such as (beg not but)
Live in contentment,
And such as beg
With due humility: thus have
We made animals subject
To you, that ye
May be grateful.

People often wonder at this sacrifice of animals in this day and age.  Many may look at it as an ancient custom, not suitable for today. 
Consider its roots.  We all know the story of Abraham and his son.  Abraham saw in a dream that he sacrificed his son to Allah.  For Abraham, this was a thing more dear even than his own life.  

 Al- Saffat 37: 102. Then, when (the son)
Reached (the age of)
(Serious) work with him,
He said: "O my son
I see in vision
That I offer thee in sacrifice:
Now see what is
Thy view!" (The son) said:
"O my father! Do
As thou art commanded:
Thou will find me,
If God so wills one
Practising Patience and Constancy!"
103. So when they had both
Submitted their wills (to God),
And he had laid him
Prostrate on his forehead
(For sacrifice),

  

 104 We called unto him: O Abraham!

105 Thou hast already fulfilled the vision. Lo! thus do We reward the good.

106 Lo! that verily was a clear test.

107 Then We ransomed him with a tremendous sacrifice.

Abraham and his son were tested, and both submitted their wills to Allah.  Allah SWT tells Abraham, you have fulfilled the vision, you have passed to test.  Then “fadainaahu” – although this word has been translated as “ransomed” following the Bible’s account of this event, this is not the best translation.  Coming from the same root as dain, or deen, it indicated a covenant, an agreement – in this case the fulfillment of the deal on the part of both parties to the contract.  And it says, Allah fulfilled to contract – fadainaahu – We fulfilled to with a tremendous sacrifice. 
From this some have posited the concept of blood atonement.  They say that in order to forgive sin, God requires a blood sacrifice.  In some forms of Christianity, this concept is essential and justifies belief in the sacrifice of Jesus AS upon a cross.  But in Surah al Hajj, Allah says:

22: 37. It is not their meat
Nor their blood, that reaches
God: it is your piety
That reaches Him: He
Has thus made them subject
To you, that ye may glorify
God for his guidance to you:
And proclaim the Good News
To all who do right.

Allah SWT does not need blood or meat.  He needs nothing from us really.  It is we who need Him.  Our sacrifice on the Hajj, Abraham’s sacrifice so long ago, reveals our degree of taqwa and provides us a tangible way to glorify Allah SWT and thank Him for His guidance.  If He did not guide us, we would be forever lost, wandering in the desert, like Hagar running from hill to hill, seeking the water of life.  But Allah has given us guidance, and so we show our gratitude to Him.  


22:34. To every people did We
Appoint rites (of sacrifice),
That they might celebrate
The name of God over
The sustenance He gave them
From animals (fit for food).
But your god is One God:
Submit then your wills to him
(In Islām): and give thou
The good news to those
Who humble themselves,—