Every year around two to three million Muslims travel to Makkah to perform Hajj. Due to Covid-19 they are not allowed to perform Hajj this year. Many Muslims are disappointed due to the cancellation of Hajj at a large scale. Only a few thousand Muslims who live in Saudi Arabia would be able to perform Hajj. I think those who had planned to go for Hajj do not need to be disappointed. They may get the same reward without going to Hajj if Allah wishes for they had the intention to perform it. However, we all need to understand how to get that reward for Hajj?
Hajj as a form of ibadah is a fundamental Pillar of Islam and a duty of Muslims. It is a programme of spiritual, moral and material development of people of the world. It is the source of human unity and universality of their existence. If we understand Hajj in its proper perspective then only we can form a positive opinion about it and benefit from it. To appreciate the true meaning and significance of Hajj and its proper place in the scheme of life and civilizational development we need to focus on some fundamental truths and realities of life and the world.
THE TRUTH AND REALITY
The concept of Allah is not a socially constructed idea as falsely understood in today’s world by sociologists, experts of social sciences and religious studies. It is the manifestation and demonstration of the Truth and Reality of this world and our life. The Existence of Allah is established in the Qur’an based on Knowledge supported by rational arguments and historical and empirical evidence. Allah’s Existence is as True and Real as our life and the world. If we accept Allah, it means we accept the Truth and Reality of the entire universe.
Hajj is the declaration by Allah that Islam and Muslims do not exist since the time of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ but rather they exist since the beginning of human life on the planet. Allah granted to people Islam as the Right Path of life from the very first day of their inception on earth. Hence, in truth and reality Islamic worldview is the only universal worldview. All those who accepted and followed Islam were called Muslims throughout history.
In truth and reality the Muslim Ummah proves to be the universal Ummah. It is not a product in some part in history. It furnishes a practical proof of the fact that the Ummah is united in spite of apparent divide by geographical boundaries. Though its members are scattered the world over and engaged in their own problems and difficulties and divided in various groups and nationalities yet during Hajj all their divergencies and strife disappear. They become moulded into a compact Ummah. Allah witnesses to this fact in the Qur’an. He declared:
“Believers, bow down and prostrate yourselves before Your Lord and obey [serve] Your Lord and do good that you may prosper. Strive in the cause of Allah in a manner worthy of that striving. He has chosen you [for His task], and He has not laid upon you any hardship in Din. Keep to the Iman of your father Abraham. Allah named you Muslims earlier and even in this [Book], that the Messenger may be a witness over you and that you may be witnesses over all mankind. So establish Prayer, and pay Zakah, and hold fast to Allah. He is your Protector. What an excellent Protector; what an excellent Helper. [22: 77-78]
HAJJ: ITS MEANING AS IBADAH
Allah makes a few fundamental claims and gives challenge to people of all ages to reflect about them. He claims that He is the Creator and Sustainer of the entire universe. Hence, people should spend their lives in accordance with His teachings. He explains to people that He being the Creator and Sustainer of the entire universe knows what is good for them in this worldly life. He claims He is All-Knowledgeable and All-Wise, so He guides people to the Right Path – Islam – which guarantees if practised a successful and peaceful life with prosperity and happiness. To explain all those things He equipped people with the faculties of cognition and sense perception. People are not left either in darkness or in ignorance. They were granted with Knowledge of both the physical and metaphysical aspects of life and the universe.
At the very outset Allah taught us that we should not act or think anything without true knowledge. Hence, knowledge became the basis of life and society. Thus, He not only granted us knowledge but also taught us what we did not know. Nothing is kept secret of the metaphysical world. Islam being the worldview, way of life and code of conduct presents various schemes for the development of society, culture and civilization.
Its scheme of Ibadah [process of obedience and submission, intimate communication with Allah with reverence, devotion and humble submission] is fundamental to a meaningful and realistic life of mankind, so that people can spend their entire lives in obedience to Allah. The scheme and the form of Ibadah is not a bundle of rites and rituals. The whole process of Ibadah makes life valuable. Hence, Ibadath helps to understand life and all sorts of thinking, understanding and action. It develops a sense of responsibility, commitment, dedication, devotion and submission to Allah.
All forms of Ibadah explain the fundamental features of life and set the direction of life. They create the consciousness that without being obedient to Allah people can neither follow Him nor get success in life. Hence, Ibadah – obedience to Allah – is the fundamental condition for a successful and good life. To make people obedient to Him He prescribed some specific forms of Ibadah such as Salat [prayers], Saum [fasting] and Hajj which are the Pillars of Islam. They are made obligatory to make people obedient to Allah. People do not perform some rituals during these obligatory Ibadah but review their consciousness of being obedient to Him. This sense and consciousness of obedience to Allah allows us to dedicate our life for the sake of righteousness and wellbeing which is integral to the idea of good life.
(to be concluded)