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The History of Hajj
BrKhalid
01/14/02 at 16:12:32
Asalaamu Alaikum ;-) InshaAllah this week we will cover some of the history behind Hajj. Most start with the story of Ibrahim (as) but in fact the story really begins with…… The Story of Adam(as) [color=Blue]There are many traditions concerning the places of Adam’s descent upon earth. Ibn Abi Hatim narrated that Ibn Abbas said: “Adam descended on land ‘Dihna’ between Mecca (Makkah) and Taif”. Al Hassan said that Adam descended in India, Eve in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), Iblis in Bodistiman(Iraq), and the serpent in Ashahan(Iran). This was also reported by Ibn Hatim. Ass’ady related that Adam descended with the Black Stone [A large black stone set into the wall of the Ka’ba in Mecca. It is said to have come from Paradise] in India, and he had a handful of seeds of Paradise. He sowed them in India and they grew into the fragrant tree therein. Ibn ‘Umar said that Adam descended on As-Safa and Eve on Al-Marwa. This was also reported by Ibn Hatim. ‘Abdul-Razzaq reported that Abi Musa Al-Sh’ari said that when Allah ordered Adam to descend from Paradise to earth, he taught him the making of everything and provided him with crops from Paradise. Abu Hurairah narrated that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: “The best of days on which the sun has risen is Friday. On this day Adam was created, and on this day he was descended to earth.”[/color] [Translated excerpt from “Stories of the Prophets” by Ibn Kathir]

Re: The History of Hajj
BrKhalid
01/17/02 at 03:26:04
Asalaamu Alaikum ;-) We continue with the….. Story of Ibrahim (as) [color=Blue]Abraham’s fame spread throughout the entire kingdom. People talked about how he had been saved from the blazing fire and how he had debated with the King and left him speechless. In the meantime, Abraham continued calling people to believe in Allah, exerting a great effort to guide his people to the right path. He tried every means to convince them. However, in spite of his love and care for his people, they felt angry and deserted him. Only one woman and one man of his people shared his belief in Allah. The woman’s name was Sarah and she became his wife. The man’s name was Lot (Lut), and he became a Prophet. When Abraham realised that no one else was going to believe in his call, he decided to emigrate. He left his people and travelled with his wife and Lot to a city called Ur, then to another called Haran, and then to Palestine. Allah the All Mighty told us: “So Lot believed in him (Abraham’s message of Islamic monotheism). He (Abraham) said: “I will emigrate for the sake of my Lord. Verily, He is the All Mighty, the All Wise.”[29:26] After Palestine, Abraham travelled to Egypt, calling people to believe in Allah wherever he travelled, judging fairly between people, and guiding them to truth and righteousness. Abu Hurairah narrated that Abraham (PBUH) did not tell a lie except on three occasions, twice for the sake for Allah (Exalted and All Mighty) when he said: “I am sick,” and when he said: “(I have not done this but) the big idol has done it.” The (third was) that while Abraham and Sarah (his wife) were going (on a journey), they passed by (the territory of) a tyrant. Someone said to the tyrant: “This man (i.e., Abraham (PBUH)) is accompanied by a very charming lady.” So, he sent for Abraham and asked him about Sarah saying: “Who is this lady?” Abraham said: “She is my sister.” Abraham went to Sarah and said: “O Sarah! There are no believers on the surface of the earth except you and me. This man asked me about you and I have told him that you are my sister, do not contradict my statement.” The tyrant then called Sarah, and when she went to him, he tried to take hold of her with his hand, but (his hand got stiff and) he was confounded. He asked Sarah: “Pray to Allah for me, and I shall not harm you.” So Sarah asked Allah to cure him and he got cured. He tried to take hold of her for the second time, but (his hand got as stiff as or stiffer than before and) he was more confounded. He again requested Sarah: “Pray to Allah for me, and I will not harm you.” Sarah asked Allah again, and he became all right. He then called one of his guards (who had brought her) and said: “You have not brought me a human being but have brought me a devil.” The tyrant then gave Hajar as a maid servant to Sarah. Sarah came back (to Abraham) while he was praying. Abraham gesturing with his hand , asked: “What has happened?” She replied: “Allah has spoiled the evil plot of the infidel (or immoral person) and gave me Hajar for service.” Abu Hurairah then addressed his listeners saying: “That (Hajar) was your mother, O Bani ma-is-Sama (i.e., the Arab, the descendents of Ishmael, Hajar’s son).” Abraham’s wife Sarah was sterile. She had been given an Egyptian woman, Hajar, as a servant. Abraham had aged, and his hair was grey after many years spent in calling people to Allah. Sarah thought that she and Abraham were lonely because she could not have a child. Therefore, she offered her husband her servant Hajar in marriage. Hajar gave birth to her first son Ishmael (Isma’il) when Abraham was an old man. Abraham lived on earth worshipping Allah and calling people to monotheism, but he was journeying to Allah, knowing that his days on earth were limited and that they would be followed by death, and finally resurrection. The knowledge of life after death filled Abraham with peace, love, and certitude.[/color] [To Be Continued] [Translated excerpt from “Stories of the Prophets” by Ibn Kathir]

Re: The History of Hajj
BrKhalid
01/19/02 at 05:50:52
[color=Blue]One day, Abraham woke up and asked his wife Hajar to get her son and prepare for a long journey. In a few days, Abraham started out with Hajar and their son Ishmael. The child was still nursing and not yet weaned. Abraham walked through the cultivated land, desert, and mountains until he reached the desert of the Arabian Peninsula and came to an uncultivated valley having no fruit, no trees, no food, no water. The valley had no sign of life. After Abraham had helped his wife and child to dismount, he left them with a small amount of food and water which was hardly enough for two days. He turned around and walked away. His wife hurried after him asking: “Where are you going, Abraham, leaving us in this barren valley?” Abraham did not answer her, but continued walking. She repeated what she had said, but he remained silent. Finally, she understood that he was not acting on his own initiative. She realized that Allah had commanded him to do this. She asked him: “Did Allah command you to do so?” He replied: “Yes.” Then his great wife said: “We are not going to be lost, since Allah, Who has commanded you, is with us.” Abraham invoked Almighty Allah thus: “O our Lord! I have made some of my offspring to dwell in a valley with no cultivation, by Your Sacred House (the Ka’ba at Mecca); in order, O our Lord, that they may offer prayers perfectly (Iqamat-as Salat), so fill some hearts among men with love towards them and (O Allah) provide them with fruits so that they may give thanks. O our Lord! Certainly, You know what we conceal and what we reveal. Nothing on the earth or in the heaven is hidden from Allah.”[14:37-38] Ibn ‘Abbas narrated: “The first lady to use a girdle was the mother of Ishmael. She used a girdle so that she might hide her tracks from Sarah (by dragging it). Abraham brought her and her son Ishmael, while she was suckling him, to a place near the Ka’ba under a tree on the spot of Zam-zam, at the highest place in the mosque. During those days there was nobody in Mecca, nor was there any water so he made them sit over there in a placed near them a leather bag containing some dates and a small water-skin containing some water and set out homeward. Ishmael’s mother followed him saying: ‘O Abraham! Where are you going, leaving us in this valley where there is no person whose company we may enjoy, nor is there anything (to enjoy)?’ She repeated that to him many times, but he did not look back at her. Then she asked him: ‘Has Allah ordered you to do so?’ He said: ‘Yes.’ She said: ‘Then He will not neglect us,’ and returned while Abraham proceeded onwards. On reaching the Thaniya where they could not see him, he faced the Ka’ba, and raising both hands, invoked Allah saying the following prayers: “O our Lord! I have made some of my offspring to dwell in a valley with no cultivation, by Your Sacred House (the Ka’ba at Mecca); in order, O our Lord, that they may offer prayers perfectly. So fill some hearts among men with love towards them and (O Allah) provide them with fruits so that they may give thanks.[14:37][/color] [To Be Continued]

Re: The History of Hajj
BrKhalid
01/19/02 at 06:50:16
[color=Blue]Ibn Abbas’s narration continued: “Ishmael’s mother went on suckling Ishmael and drinking from the water (she had). When the water in the water-skin had all been used up, she became thirsty and her child also became thirsty. She started looking at him (ie Ishmael) tossing in agony. She left him, for she could not endure looking at him, and found that the mountain of As-Safa was the nearest mountain to her on that land. She stood on it and started looking at the valley keenly so that she might see somebody, but she could not see anybody. Then she descended from As-Safa and when she reached the valley, she tucked up her robe and ran in the valley like a person in distress and trouble, till she crossed the valley and reached the mountain of Al-Marwa. There she stood and started looking, expecting to see somebody, but she could not see anybody. She repeated that (running between Safa and Marwa) seven times.” The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: “This is the source of the tradition of Sa’y [one of the rituals of the Hajj, pilgrimage] the going of people between them (ie As-Safa and Al-Marwa) When she reached Al-Marwa (for the last time) she heard a voice and she asked herself to be quiet and listened attentively. She heard the voice again and said: ‘O, (whoever you may be)! You have made me hear your voice; have you got something to help me? And behold! She saw an angel at the place of Zam-zam, digging the earth with his heel (or his wing) till water flowed from that place. She started to make something like a basin around it, using her hand in this way, and started filling her water-skin with water with her hands, and the water was flowing out after she had scooped some of it.” The Prophet (PBUH) added: “May Allah bestow mercy on Ishmael’s mother! Had she left the Zam-zam (flow without trying to control it) (or had she not scooped from that water to fill her water-skin), Zam-zam would have been a stream flowing on the surface of the earth.”   The Prophet (PBUH) continued: Then she drank (water) and suckled her child. The angel said to her: “Don’t be afraid of being neglected, for this is the House of Allah which will be built by this boy and his father, and Allah never neglects His people.” The House (ie Ka’ba) at that time was on a high place resembling a hillock, and when torrents came, they flowed to its right and left. “She lived in that way till some people from the tribe of Jurhum passed by her and her child, as they (ie the Jurhum people) were coming through the way of Kada’. They landed in the lower part of Mecca where they saw a bird that had a habit of flying around water and not leaving it. They said: “This bird must be flying around water, though we know that there is no water in this valley”. They sent one or two messengers who discovered the source of water and returned to inform them of the water. So, they all came (towards the water). Ishmael’s mother was sitting near the water. They asked her: “Do you allow us to stay with you?” She replied: “Yes, but you will have no right to possess the water.” They agreed to that. Ishmael’s mother was pleased with the whole situation, as she used to love and enjoy the company of the people. So, they settled there, and later on they sent for their families, who came and settled with them so that some families became permanent residents there. The child (ie Ishmael) grew up and learned Arabic from them and (his virtues) caused them to love and admire him as he grew up, and when he reached the age of puberty they made him marry a woman from amongst them.”[/color] [To Be Continued]

Re: The History of Hajj
BrKhalid
01/19/02 at 11:17:08
[color=Blue]The Prophet (PBUH) continued: After Ishmael’s mother had died, Abraham came after Ishmael’s marriage in order to see his family that he had left before, but he did not find Ishmael there. When he asked Ishmael’s wife about him, she replied: “He has gone in search of our livelihood.” Then he asked her about their way of living and their condition, and she replied: “We are living in misery, we are living in hardship and destitution,” complaining to him. He said, “When your husband returns, convey my salutation to him and tell him to change the threshold of the gate (of his house).” When Ishmael came, he seemed to have felt something unusual. So he asked his wife: “Has anyone visited you?” She replied: “Yes, an old man of such-and-such description came and asked me about you, and I informed him, and he asked about our state of living and I told him that we were living in a hardship and poverty.” On that Ishmael said: “Did he advise you on anything? She replied: “Yes, he told me to convey his salutation to you and to tell you to change the threshold of your gate.” Ishmael said: “It was my father, and he has ordered me to divorce you. Go back to your family.” So Ishmael divorced her and married another woman from among them (ie Jurhum) “Then Abraham stayed away from them for a period as long as Allah wished and called on them again but did not find Ishmael. So he came to Ishmael’s wife and asked her about Ishmael. She said: “He has gone in search of our livelihood.” Abraham asked her: “How are you getting on?” asking her about their sustenance and living. She replied: “We are prosperous and well off (ie we have everything in abundance).” Then she thanked Allah. Abraham said: “What kind of food do you eat?” She said: “Meat”. He said: “What do you drink?” She said: “Water”. He said: “O Allah! Bless their meat and water.” The Prophet (PBUH) added: “At that time they did not have grain, and if they had grain, he would have also invoked Allah to bless it. If somebody has only these two things as his sustenance, his health and disposition will be badly affected, unless he lives in Mecca.” The Prophet (PBUH) continued: “Then Abraham said to Ishmael’s wife: “When your husband comes, give my regards to him and tell him he should keep firm the threshold of his gate.” When Ishmael came back he asked his wife: “Did anyone call on you?” She replied: “Yes, a good looking old man came to me,” so she praised him and added: “He asked about you and I informed him, and he asked about our livelihood and I told him that we were in good condition.” Ishmael asked her: “Did he give you any piece of advice?” She said: “Yes, he told me to give his regards to you and ordered you should keep firm the threshold of your gate.” On that Ishmael said: “It was my father and you are the threshold (of the gate). He has ordered me to keep you with me.”[/color] [To Be Continued]

Re: The History of Hajj
BrKhalid
01/22/02 at 02:46:13
[color=Blue]Ibn ‘Abbas continued: “Once more Abraham thought of visiting his family he had left (at Mecca), so he told his wife (Sarah) of his decision. He went and found Ishmael behind the Zam-zam well, mending his arrows. He said: “O Ishmael, your Lord has ordered me to build a house for Him.” Ishmael said: “Obey (the order of) your Lord.” Abraham said: “Allah has also ordered me that you should help me therein.” Ishmael said: “Then I will do so.” So both of them rose and started building (the Ka’ba) while Ishmael went on handing him the stones, and both of them were saying : [I]“O our Lord! Accept (this service) of us, verily, You are the All-Hearer, the All-Knower.”[/I][2:127] When the building became high and the old man (ie Abraham) could no longer lift the stones (to such a high position) he stood over the stone of Al-Maqam and Ishmael carried on handing him the stones, and both of them were saying: [I]“O our Lord! Accept (this service) of ours, verily, You are the All-Hearer, the All-Knower.”[/I] Allah the Almighty told us of Abraham’s affliction with his beloved son: [I]“And he said (after his rescue from the fire): “Verily, I am going to my Lord. He will guide me! My Lord! Grant me (offspring) from the righteous.” So we gave him glad tidings of a forbearing boy. And when he (his son) was old enough to walk with him, he said: “O my son! I have seen in a dream that I am slaughtering you (offer you in sacrifice to Allah), so look what do you think!” He said: “O my father! Do that which you are commanded, Insha’ Allah (if Allah wills), you shall find me of the patient.” Then when they had both submitted themselves (to the Will of Allah) and he had laid him prostrate on his forehead (or on the side of his forehead for slaughtering); and We called out to him: “O Abraham! You have fulfilled the dream (vision)!” Verily! Thus do We reward those who perform good deeds totally for Allah’s sake only. Verily, that indeed was a manifest trial – and We ransomed him with a great sacrifice (ie a ram); and We left for him (a goodly remembrance) among generations (to come) in later times. “Salaamun (peace) be upon Abraham!” Thus indeed do We reward the Muhsineen (good-doers). Verily he was one of our believing slaves.” [/I][37:89-111][/color] [Translated excerpt from “Stories of the Prophets by Ibn Kathir]
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