HAJJ The pillars of Islam revolve around season. Salat comes after the adhan, zakat is annual payment and Ramadan always come in the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Hajj follows suit in the 10th month of Dhul Hijjah. Going to Hajj, you are honouring the call of Ebrahim and the fifth pillar in Islam. Hajj gives you an insight into the life and struggle of Ebrahim, Ismael and Muhammad (SAW). With all these, patience is the biggest thing that you pack in excess. The reward for hajj is nothing less than Jannah as all your sins will be forgiven and you will be like a new born. THE FUNDAMENTALS OF HAJJ: • IHRAM • TAWAAF • SAEE • ARAFAT IHRAM: After putting on the Ihram, you are not allowed to use perfume, cut your nails or hair; you are not allowed to engage into marital arrangement or hunting. The men put in two pieces of unsewn white cloth. This symbolizes the shroud that you will be wrap after death. The Ihram encourages you to give up sins. The Ihram shows the simplicity in human being where neither the prince nor pauper cannot be differentiated. The pilgrim starts the talbiya. This give you the opportunity to be in constant remembrance of Allah. TAWAF: Seeing the KABA is a unique and an amazing thing. Emotional feelings run down your spine. This is the only house of Allah where billion of Muslims face every day five times a days. The KABA and all its vicinity is called the ‘HARAM’, meaning no harming to anybody of anything thing. Trees, animals and human are safe and nothing hurts you in that place. You start your tawaf i.e. circumambulation by kissing or waving the Black Stone. You will teach yourself this first ritual to venerate and revere the Sunnah or way the Prophet (SAW). After the tawaf and praying two rakat, the pilgrim head to SAFA AND MARWA. The Running between al-Safa and al-Marwa reminds the pilgrim of the challenges and difficulties endured by the wife of Ebrahim and the mother of Ismael. As you run, you are in fear and hope. Fear of rejection thus punishment from Allah and the hope is the mercy of Allah. ARAFAT: On the 9th Dhul hijjah, the pilgrims start to move from mina to Arafat from fajr time in order to make the wuquf of Arafat which starts after zuhr. Hajj is Arafat as the prophet said. This day all the angels of mercy descend. The Mercy of Allah rain down on His servants. Gathering all the angels Allah says: Oh my angels look at my servants, they come to me dishevelled and covered in dust, all of you bear witness that I have forgiven them all. This is the climax of Hajj and everyone looks forward to it. You can feel the spirituality and holiness during this time as everyone communicates directly with the creator. From Arafat, we move to Muzdaliffah and then to Mina and throw the jamrat on the 10th of dhul Hijjah, When we do the stoning in the jamrat, this should make us contemplate about our daily war and struggle with shaitan. A war that has no cease fire because shaitan declared the following: “Then I will come to them from before them. Raising doubts in them concerning their Hereafter. And from behind them, making them more eager for this life. From their right, causing them confusion in the religion, and from their left luring them to commit sins. In this fight with Shaitan, those who are allies of Allah, shaitan will not shake them. Hajj is an extreme physical and social trial: Not only does one cope with dust and heat and thirst, but also the stress of squeezing and squashing. Therefore, doing it when you are will be a big relief. 1. Hajj goes around praising & glorifying Allah through dua,zikr, talbiyya. 2. It is a reminder of death and the hereafter 3. It is the greatest gathering of over 3million pilgrims in the earth 4. It gives the chance to start life as a new born with sins forgiven 5. Hajj is about patient, tolerance and caring for other Muslims. 6. It is a spiritually and emotionally cleansing undertaking. When the pilgrims return to their home countries after the journey of Hajj, they return spiritually refreshed, forgiven, and ready to start life afresh, with a clean slate.
Posted on: Sat, 13 Sep 2014 23:26:24 +0000
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