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Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| A Hajj Story |
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| Anonymous |
| 02/25/03 at 17:02:56 |
| My Hajj: The Journey Of A Life Time (Part I) by Yahya Abdul Rahman - Feb 21, 2003 www.montrealmuslimnews.net "The first House (of worship) appointed for humanity was that at Bakka (Mecca): Full of blessing and of guidance for all kinds of beings: In it are Signs Manifest; (for example), the Station of Abraham; whoever enters it attains security; Pilgrimage thereto is a duty men and women owe to Allah,- those who can afford the journey; but if any deny faith, Allah stands not in need of any of His creatures." - (Holy Quran 3: 96-97) "And proclaim the Pilgrimage among humanity: they will come to thee on foot and (mounted) on every kind of camel, lean on account of journeys through deep and distant mountain highways; That they may witness the benefits (provided) for them, and celebrate the name of Allah, through the Days appointed, over the cattle which He has provided for them (for sacrifice): then eat ye thereof and feed the distressed ones in want. Then let them complete the rites prescribed for them, perform their vows, and (again) circumambulate the Ancient House.Such (is the Pilgrimage): whoever honours the sacred rites of Allah, for him it is good in the Sight of his Lord. Lawful to you (for food in Pilgrimage) are cattle, except those mentioned to you (as exception): but shun the abomination of idols, and shun the word that is false,- (Holy Quran 22: 27-30) I want to take this opportunity to publicly thank my creator for the opportunity, along with my dear wife, to have performed the Hajj this year, which is in fact the 10th anniversary of my embracement of Islam. It was indeed the biggest and most difficult test I have ever experienced in my entire life, and I am truly thankful and appreciative to Allah that he has made a way for us to fulfill this sacred obligation. It was also a huge honour that Allah allowed a lowly servant like myself to enter into his sacred house - the most sacred place on earth. It would be impossible to capture all that I experienced during the Hajj in one article as there are so many things to convey. Up until now I have never experienced anything like the Hajj, and it will have an impact on my perception of reality for the rest of my life. Never before have I seen such human diversity in one gathering, as people from every corner of the globe - both rich and poor, the very young and the very old - gathered together to fulfill their sacred obligations and to re-affirm the oneness of Allah. Many came under great hardship and personal suffering, and I was truly astonished at the commitment of those who endured such trials for the sole purpose of pleasing Allah. The trip to Mecca was long and exhausting, but we finally arrived in the early morning of Wednesday February 5th- a couple of hours before morning prayers. We had just enough time to wash up and head directly to the sacred Haram Sharif -which houses the Kabah- in order to perform the Umrah. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims where all headed in the same direction and we were squeezed on every side by the crowds. We cried out in a loud voice "Labbaik Allahumma Labbaik. Labbaik, La Shareek Laka, Labbaik. Innal Hamdah, Wan Nematah, Laka wal Mulk, La Shareek Laka Labbaik." which means "Here I am at Thy service O Lord, here I am. Here I am at Thy service and Thou hast no partners. Thine alone is All Praise and All Bounty, and Thine alone is The Sovereignty. Thou hast no partners, here I am." But alas, our entrance into the sacred Haram was not to be on that day, as my wife injured her leg during the trip and she could barley walk. Tears ran down her cheeks as she viewed the sacred Haram for the first time in her life but knew that she could not proceed any further due to the pain and we had to turn back. A great heaviness filled my heart. I tried later in the day to perform the Umrah by myself but was overwhelmed by the crowds and once again had to turn back. I became really discouraged as others in the group performed the Umrah and I and my wife were still unable to do so. I felt Allah was displeased with me and I wept like a baby. Fortunate for us, a compassionate brother in our group took us to the Haram the next evening where my wife and I performed that Umrah with great ease- which involved the circulation around the Kaba seven times and the walking seven times between the hills of Safa and Marwa (see Quran 2:158), and the cutting of the hair. It was the first time since birth that I was completely bald as the barber removed every speck of hair from my head. It was indeed a very happy moment in my life. It was during the circulation around the Kabah that I made supplication to Allah for my friends who requested it and also for the Muslim Ummah (nation) in general. My most heartfelt supplication was for the Palestinian people and that Allah would foil the plans of their enemies and grant them victory. I pray to Allah that He accepts this prayer. At the end of the Umrah, I removed my Ihram garb - consisting of two white clothes - and for the next couple of days resumed wearing regular clothes and waiting for the beginning of the Hajj rituals. It was then that I became very sick and practically lost my voice, and I remained sick and very weak for the rest of the journey. As a result, it was hard to concentrate on anything other than trying to get well, but due to physical exhaustion, this was an almost impossibility, and heath considerations - like most others in the group - dominated the rest of the journey. During that time of waiting for the hajj period to begin, one incident does stand out in my mind, however. It was on Friday February 7th after the Friday prayers. As we headed back to our hotel, the crowds became overwhelming and we became pushed and squeezed very tightly on every side. I literally had to envelope my wife in order to protect her, and although we were both fearful for our safety, I consoled her by telling her that Allah was with us and that we had nothing to fear. Later I reflected on the incident and thought how this large crowd we were trapped in was much like the events in our lives which we have no power to escape from and we are pushed along without any power to change things. No matter how smart or clever we may think we are, many times we are completely powerless. It is at these moments that we have to place our complete faith in Allah and that He will rescue and make a way for us. And indeed that was a lesson to be learned for the remainder of the Hajj journey. Reflecting back on it now, there is no way possible I could have mustered up the strength to complete the rituals. In fact, I learned about myself just how utterly weak and defenseless I really am, and that without the help from Allah I would not be able to carry on. To be continued........... |
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