Hajj
Meaning of Hajj
Our fourth main worship is Hajj. The literal meaning of Hajj is to intend to make a pilgrimage, to visit someone again and again. The meaning of the word “Hajja” is a year. Thus the literal meaning of Hajj is the annual pilgrimage. In Arabic, therefore, the days of Hajj are called “Hajj season” or sometimes just “season”. Hajj is named after its annual pilgrimage.
As an Islamic term, Hajj means “to visit the Holy Ka’aba during the Hajj days and perform all Hajj rituals in full.” Hajj, as a basic Islamic worship, is obligatory for every non-disabled Muslim once in his life.
“Hajj days” refers to the days from the 8th to the 13th of Dhu al-Hijjah, the last month of the lunar calendar. The actual day of Hajj is 9 Dhu al-Hijjah, but all the rituals of Hajj are performed on the above dates. Apart from the Hajj days, the pilgrimage to the Ka’aba and menstruation is called “Umrah”. This room-like centre of worship is called the Ka’aba in Makkah. The foundation of which was laid by Hazrat Ibrahim (عليه السلام) approximately four thousand (4,000) years ago. It is called Ka’aba because its length, width and height are almost equal, that is, “cubic”. Its other popular but real name is Baitullah “Allah Ka Ghar”.
It is referred to in the Holy Qur’an as Al-Bayt al-Haram (The House of Honor), Al-Bayt al-Atiq (The Oldest House) and sometimes simply as “Al-Bayt” (The House).
The Persian word “khana” means house. This is why the House of Ka’aba (composition) and the House of God (synthesis addition) are used by us. It is also worth noting that in Arabic, Bait usually refers to a house, not a dwelling place. A residential house or place is called “Dar” in Arabic. That’s why while referring to Ka’aba to Allah, it is called “not Dar Allah, but Bait Allah because Allah Almighty does not live in any particular place, He is everywhere.” Hazrat Ibrahim (عليه السلام) named it Baitu Allah because only Allah Wahdahu la Sharik will be worshipped there. It is in these senses that we call the mosque the house of Allah. That is why it has been mentioned in the Holy Quran about mosques;
وَأَنَّ ٱلْمَسَـٰجِدَ لِلَّهِ فَلَا تَدْعُوا۟ مَعَ ٱللَّهِ أَحَدًۭا
and that masājid (mosques) belong to Allah; so, do not invoke anyone along with Allah, (72:18)
Rituals of Hajj refer to all the Shariah rules, actions and rules and regulations which are necessary in Hajj. It includes Miqat, Ihram, Tawaf, Sa’i, Arafa, Rami, Qurbani, etc. Affordability means that a person is able in all respects to go on Hajj and return. This includes the full expenses of the journey (but also the expenses of your family during this time) as well as health, peace of passage, etc. If there is a financial ability, but other obstacles are not allowed, such a person should bequeath that in case of his death, another person (at the expense of the deceased) should perform Hajj on his behalf. This Hajj is called Hajj Badl. (Among the Islamic acts of worship, the commandment of “exchange” is only for Hajj). The meaning of one is clear; Hajj is obligatory for Muslims only once in a lifetime. If you have the opportunity to perform Hajj more than once, it is a great blessing. But breaking the ban on Hajj by the government for the second time by telling a lie that I am going to Hajj for the first time is a grave sin.
Importance of Hajj
In order to understand the importance of Hajj in terms of being the basic worship of Islam, let’s keep the following problems in front: In the Holy Qur’an, along with mentioning that Hajj is obligatory for Muslims, it is called kufr not perform Hajj despite being able to do it: In it there are clear signs: The Station of Ibrāhīm! Whoever enters it is secure. As a right of Allah, it is obligatory on the people to perform Hajj of the House – on everyone who has the ability to manage (his) way to it. If one disbelieves, then Allah is independant of all the worlds. (Al-Imran: 97).
Hajj is an act of worship that is the special symbol of the Abrahamic nation, and it is this act of worship that has been going on for the past three to four thousand years with historical continuity. It is known from the Holy Qur’an that the first order was given to Hazrat Ibrahim (عليه السلام) to call people for Hajj Ka’aba.
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), clearly considered Hajj, like the other basic acts of worship, among those things on which Islam is based, and the denial of any one of them, or abandoning it, would be considered an attempt to overthrow the House of Islam.
Purposes and benefits of Hajj
Many of the rituals of Hajj are repetitions of certain acts of Hazrat Ibrahim (عليه السلام), his wife Hajra (عليه السلام), and his son Ismail (عليه السلام), such as Tawaf Sa’i, Rami, Qurbani, etc. It is clearly stated in the Qur’an and the Sunnah that the Prophet (ﷺ) revived the religion of Islam on the basis of the Sunnah established by his great ancestor, Hazrat Ibrahim (عليه السلام). It is worth noting that in today’s world, Hazrat Ibrahim (عليه السلام) is the only person whose reverence and respect are in the hearts of the majority of people living on this planet. Because apart from Muslims, Christians and Jews are also included in it, and the majority of the population of the world consists of followers of these three religions. The most prominent aspect of the life of Hazrat Ibrahim (عليه السلام) was the Oneness of God (Tawheed) and his sincerity towards Him. Hajj is his eternal memorial and living invitation.
Man is an emotional creature. The most national emotion in human nature is “love”. Man feels a natural pleasure in giving his heart to someone and bowing his whole personality to him. In the stories of human love, this natural passion can be seen in a wonderful display. The mighty kings felt pleasure in laying their heads at the feet of their loved ones. The so-called love that commits crimes like kidnapping and murder to a person is not love but lust and evil desires. Real love is a name for finding pleasure in dying. That’s why virtual love (Ishq Bataan) is regarded as an early example of finding and understanding true love (God’s love). Hajj is a form of presence in the presence of the real Beloved (Allah). For the people of the heart, the Hajj journey is a means of satisfying the taste and pleasure of attending the beloved. The pleasure of remembering the beloved is possible everywhere and at all times, but where is the pleasure of seeing the house related to the beloved only in the memory? It is here that the boundaries of Sufism and poetic imagination meet.
Hajj is always a great gathering of Muslims in spite of the intrusion of many evils. The first large gathering of such people in the entire history of the country was the Hajjat ul-Wida’a, in which the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), was performing the Hajj rites taking his loved ones with him. Later, the number of pilgrims increased, and now it reaches millions, but that love has disappeared and is disappearing.
Like other acts of worship, it is very important to know and understand the benefits and purposes of Hajj and the wisdom hidden in it. To know the various aspects of the importance of Hajj and how Muslims today have neglected these purposes and closed their eyes to these pearls of wisdom, for example:
How the dress of Ihram erases the distinction between king and donkey. (Although the custodians of the Ka’aba have always maintained this distinction in one form or another, even today, the door of the Ka’aba is opened only to kings and chiefs).
Muslims from all over the world get an opportunity to gather in one place and discuss academic, political and social issues. In olden times, people used to go on Hajj and stay there for months and years to seek knowledge. Today, Hajj has become a mechanical process. To go, to complete and return from all tasks in the shortest possible time according to a running program. Some people consider Hajj as an annual conference of Muslims. However, Hajj is an act of worship. It is not and should not be a matter of sitting, saying and dismissing like conferences. All the real benefits and purposes of Hajj, For example, unity and equality among Muslims, mutual goodwill, understanding, etc., are not being achieved because Hajj is not considered a means of contact with Allah, which is the original wisdom and distinguishing glory of all Islamic worship, that was Islam—a brief description of the basic acts of prayer, zakat, fasting and Hajj. Being a direct link with Allah, these acts of worship are an end in themselves. Following their appearance and obeying them is also full of blessings. That is why this apparent ban is also obligatory. This obligation is proved by the Qur’an and Sunnah. Many of the objectives of Islam are also fulfilled by the outward performance of their worship. Downplaying the outward importance of worship and emphasizing its philosophy and wisdom, and Islamic training through it is putting the cart before the horse. Apart from the external restriction, thinking about the inner wisdom of these acts of worship and trying to achieve them, then what doubt remains in the ignorance of those who deny it?
May Allah Ta’ala give us the ability to fully practice the religion after understanding it correctly.
Aaameen
