Al-Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam. The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said,
"He who performs (Hajj) with no obscenity or evil practices
will come out as a newly born baby free from all sins."
[Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim].
The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) is also reported to have said that actions bear more
rewards if done with understanding and sincerity. Today, millions of Muslims perform al-Hajj,
but to many it is simply a ritual that is to be performed once in a lifetime. And
apparently this attitude does not bring any noticeable changes in the state of our ummah.
In this article, we will insha’Allah try to understand the purpose behind the
specific actions performed throughout Hajj.
Talbia
لَبَّيْكَ اللَّهُمَّ لَبَّيْكَ،
لَبَّيْكَ
لا شَرِيكَلَكَ
لَبَّيْكَ،
انَّالْحَمْدَ،
وَالنِّعْمَةَ، لَكَ وَالْمُلْكَ، لا شَرِيكَلَكَ
Labaik, Allahumma Labaik.
Labaika La Shariika,
laka Labaik, Innal Hamda,
wa ni'mata Laka walMulk, La Shariika Lak.
Here I am O Allah, Here I am.
Here I am. There is no partner with You.
Here I am. Verily, Yours is the praise,
the blessings and the sovereignty of the Universe. You have no partner.
Ihram
The first action is to put on Ihram after a thorough bath.
Putting on Ihram is actually putting on Kafan, dress of the deceased. This
by itself signals that we are ready to cut off all connections with this world and bear
difficulties to complete the prescribed training for the sake of Allah (subhanahu wa Ta'ala). This
also triggers us to continuously recite Talbia out loud.
Waquf in Arafat
On the 9th of Zul Hijjah, Waquf in Arafat is
performed from Zuhr to sunset. The main action in Waquf is not to pray lots
of Nafls but to stand facing the Haram asking Allah (subhanahu wa Ta'ala) for
forgiveness while recognizing Him as our Lord. The Prophet said, "Al Hajju Arafah,"
meaning that standing in the Arafat is the Hajj. Why? To answer this, we
must first understand the first Waquf that all of us performed in front of Allah
(subhanahu wa Ta'ala). Al-Qur’an mentions, "And (remember) when your Lord brought forth
from the children of Adam from their loins, their seed and made them testify as to
themselves (saying): ‘Am I not your Lord?’ They said: ‘Yes! We testify.’
" (7:172). This happened when Allah (subhanahu wa Ta'ala) gathered us all in one large
assembly before the birth of any of us. It is also very important to note that this event
took place when Man was made Allah’s vicegerent (khalifa) on this earth. At
that time, Allah (subhanahu wa Ta'ala) asked the rhetorical question "Am I not your
Lord?" By replying in the affirmative, we have established a covenant with Allah
(subhanahu wa Ta'ala) to accept only Him as our Lord. In other words, He made sure that as Khalifa
we don’t forget the real owner, and act as if we are the owners. Satan, the accursed,
also resolved that he would persuade Man to take his own desires as his god or have Man
worship someone other than Allah (subhanahu wa Ta'ala).
Herein lies the significance of Hajj. Waquf is really the place
where we go through the process of once again recognizing our Lord. It is no coincidence
that Arafat means recognition. This is the real significance of Hajj. We
analyze and assess our past. We ask for His forgiveness, and make a firm resolve to
worship only Allah (subhanahu wa Ta'ala), to stop accepting others as our Lord, and if necessary,
to take action to change or eliminate those who deny Allah (subhanahu wa Ta'ala) and worship others
or enforce other unjust systems.
Jamarat
After reminding ourselves of our belief, we proceed to stone the devils
rehearsing the oath taken at Arafat. It is interesting to note that we were reciting Talbia
since we put on the Ihram. But as soon as time comes for Jamarat, we stop
saying Talbia which signifies that we are where we want to be. Now as we stone the
devils, we shout Allahu Akbar!!! Allah (subhanahu wa Ta'ala) is the Greatest!!! After realizing
that only Allah (subhanahu wa Ta'ala) deserves to be worshipped, we drill to combat the forces of
evil.
Animal Sacrifice
It is obvious that once we declare that we will not worship anyone
other than Allah (subhanahu wa Ta'ala), the people with vested interests in other systems will
definitely retaliate. In such a situation, we must be ready to sacrifice ourselves and our
wealth without hesitation. Sacrificing an animal prepares us for such times. When we
sacrifice an animal, we really are sacrificing possessions beloved to us.
Shaving/Trimming Hair
In Arab tradition, slaves used to shave their heads to announce their
freedom from their masters. Similarly, during al-Hajj, after performing the actions
mentioned above, the shaving of the hair symbolizes that we are free from the systems that
are devoid of the guidance of Allah (subhanahu wa Ta'ala).
Other Actions
We now take off Ihram, take a bath, perform Tawaff and Saiy
of Haram to cap off our training.
Today, when we go for Hajj, we are mostly concerned about the
complicated fiqh issues. This is a very humble effort to remind all of us the real
purpose behind the actions that are performed throughout Hajj. I pray that each and
every one of us is able to perform Hajj, and to change himself/herself accordingly.
Ameen.