About Hajj

Dear brothers and sisters rahimakumullah,

Praise is due to Allah alone who has made our hearts so motivated to attend this sacred congregation. We get together to perform Eid prayer as a means to develop vertical relations with Allah the Almighty as well as horizontal relations with our fellow human beings. We have to be grateful for His grace and mercy that we are enjoying in the form of ever increasing faith and righteousness. We ask Allah SWT to shower His peace and bounty upon our prophet Muhammad SAW, his family, his companions, his followers, and upon all of us here until the day of resurrection.

Zulhijjah which is widely known as the month of hajj is a very special month in the orbit of human’s lives. This month has rekindled our collective memory about the heroism of Muhammad SAW and the hardship, ordeal, and sacrifice of Abraham and his son, Ismail (peace be upon them). Ostensibly, to trace back the record of history and to inherit the spirit of these Allah’s lovers, millions of people are flocking towards a borderless spiritual pond. They sincerely sacrifice their wealth, times, and energies to get closer to The Creator of the universe. They come to fulfil the call of Allah to visit Him. The call always whispers in their soul. There is only one ultimate intention in this life that is everything must be submitted to Him; everything must be intended in the name of Allah. In this regard, Allah has mentioned ni Chapter al-An’am (6), 162, which means:

“Say (O Muhammad): "Verily, my Salât (prayer), my sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allâh, the Lord of the 'Alamîn (mankind, jinns and all that exists)”.

It is prudent to say that hajj must not be understood as a set of ritual activities (ritual manasik). Rather it must be transformed into a set of social sacrifices (social manasik). Social manasik (social sacrifices) are any attempt to translate a ritual symbolism into beneficial creativities. Ritual symbolism must be transcended into the creation of a better life in which social pieties are embodied. We are puzzled as to why vast numbers of hajj alumni going home every year without ability to transform the ritual manasik into social manasik? How many people who are in hope of being called as “hajj or hajis” after the hajj days, yet such a title cannot bring significant changes in their lives? How many people have made pilgrimage tens of times, but they ignore poverty and social and humanitarian crisis around themselves. We start asking then, is the hajj program merely a kind of a leisure trip or a fancy excursion? Is the hajj merely a trip for shopping fetishism? Or is it true that religion has become a formal part of our lives? It is hoped that a post-hajj condition should bring a positive change as the main evidence of a successful hajj, or hajj mabrur. For a hajj mabrur, he or she can get as many as lessons and benefit possible after the completion of a hajj session.

Some few lessons that can be drawn from the hajj session are the solidity and unity of ummah. This is exemplified through their gathering at Arafah where people from various countries and nations get together. There is no social and economic stratum whatsoever when all hajj stop at the plain Arafah where their hearts are touched by the glory and the majesty of Allah. There is no a political rift or social gaps when they should perform a prayer, as they direct towards the same kiblah. When they engaged in a jumrah ritual (throwing pebbles against three pillars of Satan), they can learn how to demolish all satanic behaviours from their hearts. In addition, they also learn the universal equality among human kinds. This particular lesson can be drawn from prophet’s speech on his last hajj which states:

أَيُّهَاالنَّاسُ اإِنَّ رَبَّكُْم وَاحِدٌوَإِنَّ آبَاءَكُمْ وَاحِدٌكُلُّكُمْ لاِدَمَ وَآدَمُ مِنْ تُرَابٍ إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِنْدَ اللهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ لَيْسَ لِعَرَﰊ فَضْلٌ عَلَى عَجَمِىًّ إِلاَّبِالتَّقْوَى

“All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over a black, nor does a black have any superiority over a white- except by piety and good action”.

Apart from the hajj ritual, there is also a tradition as an integral part of this special month that is sacrifice. Sacrifice is derived from an Arabic word, qurban. Its actual meaning is “getting closer”. Hence, qurban means any attempt made as a means of approaching Allah SWT. Qurban or sacrifice is a symbol of our effort to get closer to Him. We have to take some lessons from this sacrifice that is submission to the will of Allah. A sacrificed animal is a symbol of submission and surrender; it is a symbol of giving up our belonging to the favour of Allah SWT; it is also a way to share joy and happiness with others, especially with the needy and the poor. Furthermore, we can also take a lesson of the animal sacrifice that we have to relinquish our animal behaviours. We have to promote ourselves to be fully human beings with noble morality.

A sacrifice encapsulates the story of Abraham and Ismail where both prophets conducted the command of Allah. As a father, Abraham dearly loved his own son. But, he had to make a choice whether Allah was much more dearly to him or his son instead? There is a loving dialogue between a father and a son. This is a story about parental education in developing their children’s characters. Abraham had successfully prepared a young generation with good morality and behaviour; a child who inherited good manners and pious traditions from his father. We have to educate our children and protect them from any bad influence of this modern turbulence. There are so many challenges faced by our generations. However, we can create a better life in the future through the tradition of sacrifice. No pain, no gain. No sacrifice, no change. If we can turn this life into a better life through a sincere sacrifice, then Islam will find its transformative characteristics through the heartfelt commitment shown by its followers.

Melbourne, 30 december 2007