The Road to Makkah

Nothing celebrates the equality and oneness of mankind as the annual pilgrimage Haj does, finds AIJAZ ZAKA SYED

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AIJAZ ZAKA SYED

Published on

August 16, 2022

Nothing celebrates the equality and oneness of mankind as the annual pilgrimage Haj does, finds AIJAZ ZAKA SYED

There’s not a more majestic and humbling sight in the whole world. The sight of men and women in white endlessly going around the black-robed Kaaba during the Haj, and at other times throughout the year, never ceases to awe, inspire and fascinate you. This is perhaps the only spectacle of its kind on the planet; the sea of humanity constantly surging, swirling and revolving around the square majestic structure.

This is not a quiz.  But how many people outside the Muslim lands know that the Haj celebrates a tradition that was introduced not by Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, but sacrifices of Prophet Abraham and his son Ismail?  .

Of course, the Prophet of Islam performed the Haj and the faithful still do it as he and his Companions did it 15 centuries ago.  However, what the Haj and its demanding rites commemorate is the ultimate example of submission offered by the ever obedient Abraham and his incomparable son Prophet Ismail.  This week this year – and every year – nearly three million pilgrims retrace the path of the original architects of the first mosque on earth, Kaaba, the black cubic monument around which pilgrims circumambulate, and their epic sacrifice three thousand years ago.

Abraham, who is revered by all three great monotheistic faiths as their patriarch, who spent all his life wandering across this ancient, difficult land spreading the word of God and offering immense sacrifices and didn’t waver for one moment when ordained to offer his son’s life in sacrifice.

According to the Quran, when Abraham set about complying with the divine injunction, laying a young and willing Ismail on the ground with a knife at his throat, close to where the Kaaba stands today, his son was replaced by a lamb.

That supreme sacrifice has been immortalised by God with millions every year reliving the incredible experience of the father-son duo and their unquestioning faith and willingness to sacrifice everything in the way of God.

The Muslims save and prepare all their lives to undertake this sacred and often arduous journey – mandatory to everyone who can afford it – to the holy city of Makkah.

The ritual has been going on for thousands of years following in the footsteps of Abraham, often literally – going around the Kaaba, praying at the Grand Mosque and running between the hills of Safa and Marwa, just as a restless Hajrah (or Hagar) did centuries ago when the newly born Ismail was thirsting for water.

You don’t have to be a believer or even get close to the Kaaba to be part of the surreal experience. No one remains unmoved and unaffected by the sight of the faithful from across the globe – black and white, tall and short and rich and poor – submit themselves before God as equals in the brotherhood of faith and humanity.

As Keith Ellison, the first Muslim member of US Congress put it recently, you forget who you are – black or white, American or African – and where you come from when you are before God praying out in the open in a two-piece, unstitched cloth.

Perhaps nothing celebrates the oneness of humanity and universal brotherhood as the Haj does when more than three million pilgrims from around the world undertake the journey of a lifetime.

What really fascinates me is how the followers of Islam, Christianity and Judaism, Christianity and Islam, who make up for almost half of humanity, are inextricably linked to each other and are united in Abraham and his teachings.

Notwithstanding the long history of their conflicts spanning several centuries, the three religions have much more in common than their followers care to admit. Every year, during the Haj sermon, one is struck by the numerous references to the prophets and scriptures that are sacred to Muslims as well as Christians and Jews.

Why is the world then ignorant or not adequately aware of this all-embracing quality of the much-maligned and misunderstood faith? In fact, today not even many Muslims are familiar with this generous spirit of tolerance and acceptance that suffuses their faith.

It was not the cutting edge of Islam’s sword, as many like to believe, but the revolutionary nature of its message and the liberating teachings that conquered the world and hearts and minds everywhere–the message championing the oneness of God and of mankind, preaching simple but universal basics like honesty, equality, justice and accountability for one’s actions.

It was this path-breaking message that opened the doors for early Muslims wherever they went – from Persia to Spain and from India to Indonesia. Contrary to what its many detractors allege, Islam did not spread to far corners of Asia, Africa and Europe riding on the military conquests of the Arabs, Turks and Mughals but because of the endearing simplicity, honesty and truthfulness of Arab traders, welcomed enthusiastically on the coasts of Kerala, Malaya and Java.

Today as this great faith increasingly comes under attack from within and without and a lunatic fringe pretends to speak on its behalf, it’s time to go back to basics. There’s never been a greater need to revisit and reinvent Islam’s universal and humane message.

We can confront historical injustices and grievances and the centuries of exploitation only by returning to the benevolent and just teachings of this faith. You cannot deal with injustice by greater injustice. Only the force of faith can take on injustice. It’s time to rediscover faith. It’s time to go back to basics.

[AIJAZ ZAKA SYED is a Dubai-based writer who has extensively written on the Middle East and Muslim world [email protected]]