By Shaykhul-Hadith, Hadrat Mawlana Muhammad Saleem Dhorat damat barakatuhum
On 6th Dhul Hijjah 1426 after the jumu‘ah salah, we arrived at Dhul-Hulayfah, outside Madinah, and made preparations to enter into ihram. Dhul-Hulayfah was chosen because it is where Rasulullah sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam and his Companions radhiyallahu ‘anhum had entered the state of ihram. It was our desire to begin the hajj by observing this sunnah of Rasulullah sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam. The thought persisted in my mind that the Beloved of Allah sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam performed only one hajj during his lifetime, and Allah ta‘ala had chosen this place for him to enter into ihram. Thus, there could not have been a better place for this act.
After making all the preparations, attired in only two sheets, we performed two raka‘at, made the intention for hajj and recited the talbiyah:
Labbayk, allahumma labbayk. Labbayk, la sharika-laka labbayk. Innal-hamda wan-ni‘mata laka wal-mulk. La sharika-lak.
Here I am (at Your service), O Allah, here I am. Here I am, no partner do You have, here I am. Truly, the Praise and the Favour is Yours, and the Sovereignty. No partner do You have. (Al-Bukhari)
It is impossible to express how I felt at that moment. Tears trickled down my cheeks wetting my beard. In my mind echoed the thought: ‘You are so careless regarding the Din of Allah ta‘ala. You are not worthy of being invited by Allah ta‘ala to His Blessed House. How Merciful and Kind is your Creator that despite all your negligence and shortcomings, He has listed you amongst the hujjaj of 1426.’
We were now in the state of ihram and many things had now become prohibited, including the use of ‘itr (perfume) and covering the head, both of which are sunnah at other times.
On 8th Dhul Hijjah, we arrived in Mina. According to the sunnah practice, we were to spend the whole day and perform all our salah there. On this day, being present in the Haram for us pilgrims was less rewarding than remaining in Mina.
On the next day, 9th Dhul Hijjah, we moved to ‘Arafah. Those who performed the Zuhr salah in Masjid Namirah behind the Imam of hajj combined the ‘Asr salah with it before its prescribed time. We remained in ‘Arafah until sunset, after which we left, delaying the Maghrib salah until we combined it with the ‘Isha salah in Muzdalifah, as this is the sunnah of Nabi sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam.
I came across hundreds of hujjaj from all walks of life, young and old, men and women, and masha’allah, not a single person questioned any of the above. Each individual carried out what had been commanded without raising any objection whatsoever. No one was concerned that covering the head and applying perfume, both prophetic practices, were forbidden. No remarks were to be heard regarding the reward of salah in the Haram during the stay in Mina. The performance of ‘Asr salah in ‘Arafah before its appointed time did not raise any questions, nor did delaying the Maghrib salah. Every single haji was an embodiment of Islam, submitting his/her will to the Will of the Creator, unquestioningly carrying out all the Commands of Allah ta‘ala.
Alhamdulillah, throughout my journey, amidst the thousands of hujjaj who had come from all corners of the world, I witnessed nothing but Islam i.e. submission to the Will and Command of Allah ta‘ala. This made me think that the greatest lesson of hajj is that Allah ta‘ala is telling His bondsmen: ‘If you are able to submit totally to my commands without any hesitation during these five days, surely you have the ability to do the same after hajj. Islam is not difficult, as long as you resolve to follow it.’
Once this lesson has been learnt, the haji resolves to submit himself to his Creator. By pelting the Jamarat and sacrificing an animal he practically begins his battle against those two things that prevent a person from fully submitting to Allah ta‘ala: Shaytan and the nafs. The act of pelting is an open declaration of enmity towards Shaytan, whilst sacrificing an animal is a vow to sacrifice the desires of the nafs. Once these two, Shaytan and the nafs, are under control, submission is no longer difficult. Allah ta‘ala and His Rasul sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam have warned us against both these obstacles:
O believers, enter into Islam completely and do not follow the footsteps of Shaytan; surely, he is your open enemy. (2:208)
As for the one who feared to stand before his Rabb and restrained his nafs from (evil) desire, Jannah will be his abode. (79:40-41)
The clever one is he who subjugates his nafs and works for what is to come after death… (At-Tirmidhi)
If the haji returns with a resolution to submit wholeheartedly to his Creator, then definitely his life will change. And this change is a sign that he has performed al-hajjul-mabrur (accepted hajj) and the reward for al-hajjul-mabrur is nothing other than Jannah.
Taken from ‘Inspirations’ (Volume 1) published by Islamic Da’wah Academy
© Islamic Da’wah Academy