HAJJ Of The HEART INTENTION, HEART AND ACTION THE GOODNESS OF AN ACTION IS DEPENDENT ON THE GOODNESS OF THE HEART, WHICH IS DEPENDENT ON THE GOODNESS OF THE INTENTION. EVERYTHING ABOUT THE HAJJ RESTS ON THE SINCERITY OF THE INTENTION, BODY, MIND AND HEART MANY GO TO HAJJ WITH THEIR BODIES; FEW TAKE THEIR MINDS AND REASONING. THE HAJJ IS NOT A HUMAN STAMPEDE OR A SUITCASE OF GIFTS. IT IS A TREASURE OF MEANINGS. PILGRIMS MUST GO TO THE HAJJ WITH THEIR MINDS AND EXPERIENCE IT IN THEIR HEARTS. RETURNING TO YOUR SOURCE THE HAJJ IS NOT A JOURNEY OF GOING; IT IS A JOURNEY OF RETURNING. THE PILGRIM IS NOT GOING TO MAKKAH, HE IS RETURNING TO HIS SOURCE, ALLAH THE SOURCE OF EVERYTHING. LEVELS THERE ARE THREE LEVELS: THE HAJJ OF THE BODY (WALKING, STANDING, COLLECTING AND THROWING), THE HAJJ OF THE MIND (PERFORMING THE RITES WITH UNDERSTANDING) AND THE HAJJ OF THE HEART (PERFORMED IN TOTAL SUBMISSION TO THE ALMIGHTY). APPROACH, NOT REACH THE HAJJ OF THE HEART HAS NO PLACE TO REACH. IT IS A MOVEMENT TOWARDS AN ABSOLUTE GOAL - RETURNING TO THE ALMIGHTY - WHICH ONE TRIES TO APPROACH. WAKE UP CALL HAJJ IS A WAKE UP CALL. WHEN DEATH COMES, WE WILL HAVE NO OPPORTUNITY TO DELAY, OR TO COMPLETE UNFINISHED TASKS. HAJJ IS AN EXCELLENT TIME TO START SETTING THINGS RIGHT. SINCERITY THE SINCERITY OF ONES INTENTION AND FAITH IS REFLECTED IN ONES ACTIONS. REFLECT ON THIS QUESTION BY AL-GHAZALI: ARE YOU BOUND FOR THE HOUSE OF KING OF KINGS, WHEN YOU ARE NEGLECTING HIS COMMANDS HERE AT HOME, BELITTLING AND IGNORING IT? PILGRIMAGE THE HAJJ IS A MICRO REPRESENTATION OF THE ENTIRE UNIVERSAL EXPERIENCE AND MANS UNIQUE POSITION IN IT. ISLAMIC TRADITIONS TRACE ITS ORIGINS TO THE APPEARANCE OF MAN ON EARTH. OF ALL THE PILGRIMAGES OF HISTORY, ONLY THE HAJJ HAS SURVIVED WITH ITS ESSENCE INTACT. COLLECTIVE WORSHIP THE HAJJ IS A UNIQUE FORM OF COLLECTIVE WORSHIP BY A COMMUNITY OF BELIEVERS. THEY PERFORM THE RITES COLLECTIVELY WITH THE SAME AIM - TO SEEK HIS MERCY. HAJJ IS DIFFERENT HAJJ DIFFERS FROM OTHER OBLIGATORY DUTIES (DAILY PRAYERS, ZAKAT AND FASTING ) IN THAT IT HAS TO BE PERFORMED AT DESIGNATED PLACES DURING A FIXED PERIOD OF TIME. IT IS ALSO DIFFERENT IN THAT IT IS OBLIGATORY ONLY TO THOSE WHO ARE ABLE TO MAKE THE JOURNEY. REAFFIRMATION THE HAJJ IS A JOURNEY OF REFLECTION ( OF ONES LIFE UP TO NOW), REPENTANCE ( FOR ONES SINS ) AND REAFFIRMATION ( TO RETURN TO THE STRAIGHT PATH), AND THE REWARD OF THIS JOURNEY IS AFTER DEATH. INWARD JOURNEY THE OUTWARD JOURNEY OF HAJJ TAKES US FROM OUR HOMES TO THE PHYSICAL CENTER OF ISLAM. THE INWARD JOURNEY OF HAJJ IS TO FIND OUR OWN CENTER - THE KABAH OF OUR HEART AND SOUL. HIJRAH THE HIJRAH WAS A TURNING POINT IN THE HISTORY OF ISLAM. IT REPRESENTS SACRIFICE, RENEWAL AND PURIFICATION. THE HAJJ IS THE PILGRIMS HIJRAH IN THE DIRECTION OF ALLAH THE MERCIFUL. IT SHOULD BECOME A TURNING POINT IN HIS LIFE. GUEST THE PILGRIM IS A GUEST OF THE ALMIGHTY, BOUND BY THE RULES OF HIS SANCTUARY. THIS STATUS IS TO REMIND THE PILGRIM THAT HE IS A GUEST ON EARTH BOUND BY THE RULES OF ITS REAL OWNER, ALLAH THE ALMIGHTY. THINKING THAT WE OWN ANYTHING HERE IS AN ILLUSION AND IS THE CAUSE OF MANY OF OUR PROBLEMS. DEATH SETTLING DEBTS AND WRITING A WILL BEFORE LEAVING HOME FOR HAJJ ARE TO REMIND US THAT WE SHOULD AT ALL TIMES BE PREPARED FOR DEATH, AND NOT GO ON LIVING WITH THE ILLUSION THAT OUR DEATH IS VERY FAR AWAY. BATH WHEN THE PILGRIMS TAKE BATH PRIOR TO ENTERING THE STATE OF IHRAM, THEY ARE CLEANSING THEMSELVES OF THE DIRT OF ALL THEIR PAST ACTIONS AND DECLARING TO THE ALMIGHTY THAT THEY ARE GETTING READY TO LEAD A CLEAN LIFE THAT IS LOVED BY HIM. IHRAM IHRAM IS THE ROBE OF TRUTHFULNESS, PURITY, HUMILITY AND FEAR. PILGRIMS MUST KEEP AWAY FROM ALL THINGS THAT PREVENT THEM FROM REMEMBERING AND SHOWING THEIR OBEDIENCE TO ALLAH THE MERCIFUL. MUSLIM BY BEING IN IHRAM, THE PILGRIM ACCEPTS THE FACT THAT RACE, GENDER, COLOUR, INDIGENOUS STATUS OR NATIONALITY MEANS NOTHING TO A TRUE MUSLIM. ALL BELIEVERS ARE BROTHERS AND SISTERS. TALBIYA IN RECITING THE TALBIYA THE PILGRIM IS RESPONDING TO THE SUMMONS OF ALLAH THE MERCIFUL. HE SHOULD RECALL THE MOMENT OF THE TRUMPET BLAST WHEN MANKIND WILL GATHER AT THE SITE OF RESURRECTION TO BE DIVIDED INTO THE FAVOURED AND THE REJECTED. KABAH THE KABAH IS THE EXTERNAL SYMBOL IN THE VISIBLE WORLD FOR THE UNSEEN DIVINE COURT IN THE INVISIBLE UNIVERSE. (AL-GHAZALI) THE LOVER AND THE BELOVED THE MORTAL EYE CANNOT SEE THE FACE OF ALLAH THE MERCIFUL. BUT THE LOVER CRAVES EVERYTHING IN ANY WAY CONNECTED WITH HIS BELOVED. THE KABAH IS CONNECTED WITH ALLAH THE MERCIFUL, SO THIS CONNECTION IS ENOUGH IN ITSELF TO MAKE ONE YEARN FOR IT. (AL-GHAZALI) TAWAF IN TAWAF, THE PILGRIM IS PART OF A RIVER THAT IS FLOWING TOWARD THE OCEAN OF ETERNITY. THIS LIFE IS A JOURNEY OF RETURN TO ALLAH THE MERCIFUL. THE LIFE OF THIS WORLD IS TEMPORARY. THE BELIEVER MUST LIVE IN IT LIKE A TRAVELLER. THERE IS NO STOPPING PLACE IN TAWAF. IT ENDS WHERE IT STARTS. LIFE CAME FROM HIM AND WILL RETURN TO HIM. THE TAWAF REPRESENTS THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE THAT IS PERPETUALLY IN ORBIT. AND REGARDLESS WHERE ONE IS IN THIS ORBIT, THE KABAH IS THERE. ALLAH IS THERE. THE IMPOSED CONCEPTS OF EAST, WEST, NORTH AND SOUTH ARE SHATTERED IN TAWAF. ALLAH IS THE LORD OF THE EAST AS WELL AS THE WEST. CIRCLING BY THE HEART IN TAWAF, THE PILGRIMS RESEMBLE THE ANGELS WHO CIRCLE AROUND THE THRONE OF ALLAH. THE TAWAF IS NOT THE BODY CIRCUMAMBULATING THE HOUSE. IT IS THE CIRCLING BY YOUR HEART IN REMEMBRANCE OF THE LORD OF THE HOUSE. (AL-GHAZALI) (TO BE CONTINUED...) Thanks to Sharifah Fatimah Syed Zubir
Posted on: Mon, 29 Sep 2014 22:10:38 +0000
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