The Greatest Objective of Hajj - I

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Worshipping Allaah The Almighty alone, making one’s heart Allaah-conscious, having tongues oft-remembering of Allaah, having the body's organs preoccupied with fulfilling the rituals of Hajj and spending effort and wealth in every aspect drawing the person nearer to Allaah are the greatest goals behind the great Hajj.

This is a novel arrangement of worship that affects the individual’s heart, soul, mind, words and deeds as well as affecting the entire Ummah (Muslim nation) during the process of performing these rituals and glorifying these holy sites. This is an immense matter that is deserving of our attention because it is connected to annulling the foul practices of the pre-Islamic era, refuting its falsities, and putting an end to its discrimination and racism.

It is an amazing scene that deserves reflection and contemplation. It is the very process of remolding the Muslim during Hajj - remolding him within the Islamic Sharee‘ah and the guidance of the Prophet Muhammad  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) .

Tawheed (monotheism) dates back to the start of creation on the day when Aadam (Adam may  Allaah  exalt  his  mention obeyed his Lord whereas Satan refused to obey Allaah The Almighty. Hence, the believing person was distinguished by his worshipping Allaah alone and avoiding the way of Satan in terms of ungratefulness, arrogance and haughtiness, and then in avoiding Satan’s whispers and seductions.

When we look into our deep-rootedness in history that dates back to the father of the Prophets, Ibraaheem (Abraham may  Allaah  exalt  his  mention we will find the first mark and sign of Tawheed. Allaah The Almighty Says (what means):

In light of this Tawheed, we reflect upon Hajj and the guidance of the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) when he came to Makkah for ‘Umrat Al-Qadhaa’ (the compensatory lesser-Hajj) following the Al-Hudaybiyah treaty. He headed for the House of Allaah, glorifying it and without paying any attention to the idols and false gods erected around the Ka‘bah that contradicted monotheism and worshipping Allaah alone. However, when he entered Makkah as a conqueror, he struck the three-hundred and sixty idols around the Ka‘bah with his crook and stick, bringing them down to the ground by the hand of Tawheed while reciting the verse (which means): {And say, "Truth has come, and falsehood has departed. Indeed is falsehood, [by nature], ever bound to depart."} [Quran 17:81] The Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) dismounted from his riding animal and refused to enter the House. Ibn ‘Abbaas  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  him and his father, narrated, “When the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) entered Makkah, he refused to enter the House with the idols therein. He ordered them to be taken out. There was an image depicting Ibraaheem and Ismaa‘eel, may Allaah exalt their mention, holding divining arrows in their hands like the polytheists. The Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) said: ‘May Allaah kill them (the polytheists)! They know that they (Ibraaheem and Ismaa‘eel) never used divining arrows.’ Then, he entered the House declaring Takbeer (Allaah is the greatest) in its corners and went out without praying.” [Al-Bukhaari]

The next year, when the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) was in total control of Makkah, he did not leave for Hajj and sent Abu Bakr  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  him leading a small group of the Companions. Abu Hurayrah  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  him said, “Abu Bakr sent me - in the ninth year when he led people in Hajj - along with other announcers on the day of sacrifice to announce publicly that, 'No polytheist is allowed to perform Hajj after this year and no naked person is allowed to perform the Tawaaf around the Ka‘bah...'” [Al-Bukhaari] This abolished all the signs and foul customs of Shirk (polytheism). Polytheists claimed that they made Tawaaf around the Ka‘bah naked in order not to wear the clothes that they had committed sins and transgressed in. Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {And their prayer at the House was not except whistling and handclapping. So taste the punishment for what you disbelieved.} [Quran 8:35] The Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) wanted to nullify all these practices. The Hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  him continues, “…Then he (the Messenger of Allaah) sent ‘Ali to read out Surat Baraa’ah (Chapter At-Tawbah) before people on the day of the greater Hajj.” [Al-Bukhaari] This announced that Allaah The Almighty and His Messenger  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) are disassociated from the polytheists. It was a declaration of Tawheed indicating disassociation from everything that contradicts it and annulling the practices of Jaahiliyyah (pre-Islamic ignorance). All of this was confirmed in every move made during the Hajj of Abu Bakr and the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ).

To be continued …