HAJJ OF THE HEART. CONTINUE.... TAWAF OF THE HEART IN TAWAF THE PILGRIMS CIRCUMAMBULATE AROUND THEIR HEARTS WITH THE SEVEN ROUNDS REMOVING THE SEVEN DESTRUCTIVE QUALITIES OF ANGER, CONCEIT, COVETOUSNESS, ENVY, GREED, LUST AND PRIDE AND REPLACING THEM WITH KNOWLEDGE, HUMILITY, COURAGE, WISDOM, GENEROSITY, CONTINENCE AND JUSTICE. (SHAYKH ABDULLAH HAERI) THE PATH OF THE ESSENCE THE PILGRIM MOVES IN CIRCLES BECAUSE THE PATH OF THE ESSENCE IS NOT STRAIGHT BUT CIRCULAR. ITS END IS ITS BEGINNING. (HADRAT ABDUL QADIR AL JAILANI) SAEE SAEE MAKES US AWARE THAT OUR ALLAH-CENTERED LIFE MUST BE FILLED WITH EFFORT. IT IS EFFORT ANCHORED IN SUBMISSION TO ALLAH THE ALMIGHTY THAT WILL BRING THE RIGHT RESULTS, JUST AS IT DID FOR A MOTHER WHO RAN IN SEARCH OF WATER IN THE HARSH DESERT ENVIRONMENT. LOVE AND COMPASSION SAEE IS MORE THAN EFFORT. IT IS ALSO LOVE AND COMPASSION. HEAVEN MOVES WHEN AN INFANTS TEARS JOIN THE CRIES OF A MOTHER. SILENT PARTNER ALLAH THE MERCIFUL IS THE SILENT PARTNER IN ALL OUR NOBLE EFFORTS BUT HE WANTS US TO DO THE FIRST PART. TO HAJAR, THE RESULT (FINDING ZAMZAM) CAME NOT WITH EFFORT BUT AFTER THE EFFORT. MESSAGE ALLAH THE ALMIGHTY HAS ENNOBLED THE STRUGGLE AND DEEP FAITH OF A SLAVE WOMAN BY MAKING SAEE AN INTEGRAL PART OF HAJJ AND UMRAH. THERE IS A MESSAGE HERE. MALE PILGRIMS AND MUSLIM LEADERS SHOULD REFLECT ON THE STATUS AND TREATMENT THEY ACCORD TO WOMEN IN THEIR SOCIETIES. THE SCALES OF THE BALANCE IN SAEE, THE PILGRIM SHOULD RECALL HOW HE WILL OSCILLATE BETWEEN THE SCALES OF THE BALANCE (OF GOOD AND BAD DEEDS), RUNNING FROM ONE TO THE OTHER, SEEING WHICH IS LIGHTER OR HEAVIER, FLUCTUATING BETWEEN PUNISHMENT AND FORGIVENESS. (AL-GHAZALI) ARAFAH WHEN WE LEAVE THE KABAH IN THE DIRECTION OF ARAFAH, WE ARE MOVING FROM HIS HOUSE TO MEET THE LORD OF THE HOUSE. ARAFAH IS OUTSIDE THE BOUNDARY OF THE SACRED LAND (HARAM), SIGNIFYING THAT THE LORD OF THE HOUSE IS EVERYWHERE, AND IS CLOSER TO US THAN WE ARE TO OUR OWN JUGULAR VEIN. (THE NOBLE QURAN, 50:16) PRISON ARAFAH, MASHAR AND MINA OPEN THE DOORS FOR US TO GET OUT OF THE PRISON OF OUR BASE INSTINCTS THAT HAVE DISTANCED US FROM HIM, AND TO RENEW OUR CONVENANT TO ACT AS HIS TRUSTEE ON EARTH. CORE PRESENCE IN ARAFAH IS THE CORE OF HAJJ. ONES HAJJ IS INVALID WITHOUT ARAFAH. SIMILARLY, BELIEF IN ALLAH AND HIS MESSENGER IS THE CORE OF FAITH. ALL OTHER ACTS OF FAITH ARE INVALID WITHOUT THIS CORE BELIEF. NO OUTWARD ACT HAJJ IN ARAFAH HAS NO PRESCRIBED OUTWARD ACT. HERE, HAJJ GOES ON INSIDE THE HEARTS AND MINDS OF THE PILGRIMS - PLEADING IN THEIR OWN WAY FOR THE ALMIGHTYS FORGIVENESS AND MERCY. THE FEW HOURS OF WUKUF AT ARAFAH ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT HOURS IN A PILGRIMS LIFE. JUDGEMENT DAY WUKUF IN ARAFAH PROVIDES A FORETASTE OF JUDGEMENT DAY WHEN MANKIND WILL ASSEMBLE IN THE SAME PLACE IN THE DIVINE COURT OF JUSTICE. WHILE PILGRIMS CAN PLEAD FOR FORGIVENESS ON ARAFAH DAY, THERE WILL BE NO SUCH OPPORTUNITY ON JUDGEMENT DAY. MESSAGE OF ARAFAH THE MESSAGE OF ARAFAH IS SIMPLE: TURN, REPENT AND SUBMIT TO ALLAH. THIS IS THE KEY TO UNDERSTANDING OURSELVES. ARAFAH IS TRUE KNOWLEDGE. SUBMIT. INNER KNOWLEDGE ARAFAH IS INNER KNOWLEDGE. BEHIND THIS PRESENCE THERE IS NO OTHER PRESENCE OTHER THAN THE ESSENCE, WHICH CANNOT BE DESCRIBED. (SHAYKH ABDULLAH HAERI) THE FAREWELL SERMON AT ARAFAH, THE PROPHET (PBUH) SPOKE OUT ON MANY ISSUES INCLUDING RACISM AND WOMENS RIGHTS, AND CALLED ON THOSE PRESENT TO SPREAD THE MESSAGE TO THOSE NOT THERE. TODAY, MANY GO TO HAJJ WITHOUT ANY KNOWLEDGE OF THIS SERMON. IT IS A REAL TRAGEDY. THE REAL ARAFAH THE PROPHETIC SAYING HAJJ IS ARAFAH REFERS TO THE SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE THAT CREATES A DEEP COMMITMENT TO A NEW LIFE, AND NOT TO MERE PRESENCE IN ARAFAH FOR A FEW HOURS. SATAN IN THE STONING RITE, THE PILGRIM RELIVES THE TEST FACED BY PROPHET IBRAHIM (PBUH) AS HE TRIED TO OVERCOME THE ATTEMPTS BY SATAN TO PREVENT HIM FROM CARRYING OUT WHAT HE BELIEVED TO BE THE COMMAND OF ALLAH THE MERCIFUL. NOT JUST A SYMBOLIC ACT DO NOT REGARD THE STONING RITE AS A MERE SYMBOLIC ACT FOR IT IS SATAN WHO HAS PLACED THIS THOUGHT IN YOUR HEART, TO MAKE YOU FEEL THAT IT IS A USELESS ACTION. DEMONSTRATE YOUR DETERMINATION TO DRIVE HIM OUT OF YOUR LIFE BY PERFORMING THIS RITE WITH CONVICTION. SATANIC THOUGHTS IN THE STONING RITE, WE ARE CASTING OUT OF OURSELVES SATAN INSPIRED THOUGHTS THAT MAKE US ASSOCIATE OTHER THINGS WITH ALLAH THE MERCIFUL -THAT IS WHY WE CALL OUT THE TAKBIR AS WE THROW, BY DECLARING ALLAH IS GREATER YOUR ISMAIL ? PROPHET IBRAHIM (PBUH) WAS PREPARED TO SACRIFICE HIS SON IN OBEDIENCE TO WHAT HE BELIEVED WAS THE ALMIGHTYS COMMAND. WHAT IS THE ISMAIL IN YOU THAT YOU WILL SLAUGHTER IN MINA (YOUR WEAKNESSES)? ONLY YOUR HEART KNOWS THE ANSWER. SHAVING THE SHAVING OF THE HAIR IS SYMBOLIC OF A NEW BEGINNING. HAVING GONE THROUGH A PROCESS OF SELF-PURIFICATION THROUGH THE HAJJ RITUALS, THE PILGRIM RENEWS HIS COMMITMENT TO HIS LORD TO START AFRESH HIS NEW LIFE. HEART THE PILGRIM DOES NOT KNOW WHETHER HIS HAJJ HAS BEEN ACCEPTED. HE SHOULD DISCOVER THIS FROM HIS HEART AND ITS CONDUCT. DOUBTFUL IT HAS BEEN SAID THAT THE HAJJ OF A PERSON WHOSE LIFE DOES NOT CHANGE FOR THE BETTER IS DOUBTFUL. MAKKAH CALLS BEFORE YOU VISIT MAKKAH, IT BECKONS YOU, WHEN YOU LEAVE IT, IT CALLS YOU FOREVER. YOULL EXPERIENCE THE TRUTH OF THIS PROVERB AFTER YOUR RETURN FROM THE HAJJ. MAKKAH WILL CONTINUE TO CALL YOU HOME. YEARNING I DEPART, BUT THERE REMAINS FOR YOU MY YEARNING, MY FIRE OF GRIEF IS RAGING AND BURNING, I BID FAREWELL, BUT MY LONGING PULLS MY REINS- MY HEART IS ENCAMPED IN YOUR ETERNAL PLAINS. (IBN QAYYIM AL-JAWZIYYAH) WHERE ARE THE GOOD ONES? THE TRAGEDY IS NOT THE BRUTALITY OF THE EVIL BUT THE SILENCE OF THE GOOD, WHICH ALLOWS THE EVIL TO FLOURISH. EVERY YEAR MILLIONS OF PILGRIMS DECLARE AT HAJJ THAT THEY WILL SERVE ALLAH THE ALMIGHTY. WHERE ARE THEY? HOPE THEYVE NOT FORGOTTEN THEIR ISLAMIC DUTY TO FIGHT INJUSTICE AND IGNORANCE WITH THEIR TONGUES, HANDS, HEARTS AND RESOURCES? OCEAN HAJJ HAS MORE SIGNIFICANCE THAN WHAT MY MIND CAN COMPREHEND. ANALYZING IT IS LIKE ATTEMPTING TO POUR THE OCEAN INTO A CUP. (ALI SHARIATI) TALBIYAH OF THE PROPHET (PBUH) HERE I AM AT YOUR SERVICE, O ALLAH, HERE I AM. YOU HAVE NO PARTNER, HERE I AM. YOU ALONE DESERVES ALL PRAISE AND GRATITUDE. TO YOU BELONGS ALL FAVORS, BLESSINGS AND SOVEREIGNTY AND YOU HAVE NO PARTNER. (EXCERPTS FROM THE BOOK HAJJ OF THE HEART PUBLISHED BY Y. MANSOOR MARICAN) With the sincerest gratitude to Dato Sharifah Fatimah Syed Zubir
Posted on: Wed, 01 Oct 2014 02:57:41 +0000
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