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Understanding the Why of Hajj: Is It Only For Worship?

03 June, 2023
Q Assalamu Alaikom, I have a friend who asked me a question, why must a Muslim do Hajj? Can I be helped with the answer so that I can explain to him with full reference and details? Jazak Allah khair.

Answer

Short Answer:

  • Hajj is a journey of spiritual and intellectual rebirth. At Hajj, pilgrims practice the five pillars of Islam. They show Allah that they are able to relinquish all types of worldly pleasure.
  • In addition, Muslims meet with their fellow Muslims to celebrate the sense of belonging to one nation. Hajj is a journey into history as well as a planning for a future.

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Salam Dear Brother,

Thank you very much for giving us an opportunity to speak about this great deed in Islam which — though amazing and wonderful — is rarely thought of deeply by many people.

Muslims believe that Islam is not just a religion; rather, it is a comprehensive way of life.

Thus its articles and deeds of worship serve as a long-term and short-term training for its followers on how to conduct themselves in life.

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In every form of worship there is wisdom and it just needs some reflection and meditation to explore the hidden secrets.

Of all the five main deeds of Islam, Hajj stands on its own as a unique act of worship by all merits.

Aspects of Worship

When we look into Hajj, we will discover that it gathers all of the other meanings inherent in the other acts of worship.

The testimony of faith is an action of the tongue that represents it submitting to Almighty Allah and accepting His Lordship of this universe.

Prayer is an action that represents paying some of your time and effort to show your submission to Almighty Allah and dedication to Him.

It also represents a small meeting of a congregation of the larger Muslim nation five times everyday to celebrate their unity on that small level.

Zakah (obligatory charity) is a representation of sacrifice. People sacrifices some of their money to show that they trust the reward of Allah and prefer it to all the gains of the world.

Muslims give charity to show solidarity with their brothers and sisters and their care for their wants and needs.

They give to charity to prove that they are not enslaved by money.

Rather, they use their money for the benefit of the society and the welfare of the community.

Fasting is another representation of avoiding certain things which are allowed at other times as a token of showing devotion to Allah.

Hajj: Five in One

In Hajj, one’s heart and tongue show submission to Allah when one intends to go out and take up such a beautiful journey.

Your tongue starts stressing the will of your heart when you utters the Talbiyah (the announcement of answering) which is chanted by all pilgrims from all parts of the world in the same wording and the same amazing tone:

Labbayka allahuma labbayk, labbayka la sharika laka labbayk innal hamda wan ni`mata laka wal mulk la sharika lak.

Here I am O my Lord, here I am. I am answering the call testifying that there is no associate with You. Truly, all praise is due to You, all blessings are coming from You, the whole Dominion belongs to You. Truly, there is no associate with you!

We can also see the essence of prayer represented in every action of Hajj. 

While in Tawaf (circumambulating the Ka`bah) we avoid engaging in speech or any form of talk.

We confine ourselves to the remembrance of Allah and using certain words of supplication in the same way they do in normal prayer.

More Details

As you plan to go to Hajj, you realize that there is a financial responsibility you must fulfill. You have to pay a certain amount of your money or savings towards the making of that journey. This is something that requires sacrifice and resembles zakah in many aspects.

Here, people are actually sacrificing their money, time and effort, which represents again and again a combination of the wisdom of prayer and zakah at the same time.

Above all, Hajj is the time when a male pilgrim is not allowed to wear perfumes, regular clothes, or pluck or trim any of his hair.

It’s as if he is doing another form of fasting. He avoids what is originally allowed. This is a token of full obedience and total devotion to the Lord.

A pilgrim shows Allah that he, or she, is able to relinquish all types of worldly pleasure and lead a type of rough and serious life, if Allah wants him or her to do so.

In addition to this, Hajj is the season when Muslims meet with their fellow Muslims to celebrate the sense of belonging to one nation and to discuss the issues that concern all of them and glorify Almighty Allah in congregation.

Personal Reflections

In fact, I have had a personal experience in going to Hajj in 2001. In fact, the experience of Hajj is unique in an indescribable way.

Imagine yourself stepping on the same land where Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) used to step and going through the valleys and mountains wherein he used to receive the divine revelation.

It gives you another perspective of how much he and his Companions suffered in order to get this message communicated to us in its most perfect and purest form.

It happens a lot that we hear about things, but when we see them with our own eyes, it places us in a different atmosphere.

When you go to the mountain of Hira’, you realize that this is the same place where the Prophet used to seclude himself from the whole world for one month every year.

It is the place that witnessed the revelation of the first words of the Quran and the appearance of the arch-angel Gabriel.

When you move in the Sacred Mosque of Makkah and remember Abraham and his son Ishmael, you can feel the true meanings of sacrifice and how a father left his newborn with his weak mother in that barren piece of land.

Hajj is a journey into history as well as a planning for a future. It is a journey of spiritual and intellectual rebirth.

Conclusion

Coming back from Hajj, a person has new ideas and perspectives. People come back as clean and pure as the day they were born.

In fact, even if I dedicated pages and spend ages writing about Hajj, I am sure it will not be even sufficient.

Therefore, I leave it here and call upon anyone who wants to realize how precious that experience is to go ahead and take up the journey and then write to us about their feelings and the impact it left on them.

I am sure everyone will get new meanings and perspectives.

I hope this answers your question. Thank you and please remain in touch.

Salam


(From Ask About Islam archives)

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