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Admonitions for the Pilgrims
Shaykh Saud bin Ibraaheem
Ash-Shuraym [(Dhul-Hijjah 6, 1424 (February 7, 2003)]
All praise is due to Allaah,
Lord of all the worlds. May peace and blessings of Allaah be upon the
Messenger, his household and companions.
Fellow Muslims! Visitors to
the Sacred House of Allaah! Hajj is an important manifestation of
selflessness and altruism, brotherhood and equality in addition to its
being an act of worship.
The scholars are unanimous
that the Messenger of Allaah did not perform more than one Hajj in his
life, which is known as the Farewell Hajj. For he departed this mundane
world few months after his return from that Hajj. Every aspect of his Hajj
is however, a point of admonitions and lessons as well as deeper
understanding of and emulating the Prophet’s way of life.
Brethren in faith!
Compassion, mercy and consideration for other people’s convenience and
safety are qualities that Islaam strongly enjoins. This is enjoined with
greater emphasis if the brotherly get-together takes place under a
spiritual atmosphere. In the Farewell Pilgrimage, the Prophet gave his
blessed directive to ‘Umar when he wanted to kiss Al-Hajar Al-Aswad that
he should not push or shove people and that if he were able to kiss it
without pushing people he should kiss it and if not he should just say
Allaahu Akbar and move on.
This incidence shows the
Prophet’s fervent wish that Muslims should be compassionate to one another
and that they should not cause harm to others especially in an atmosphere
of worship that should normally be characterized with tranquility and
purity.
Dear brethren! Shoving
people and fighting them while performing rites of Hajj like kissing
Al-Hajar Al-Aswad and throwing the pebbles, or blocking pathways in
mosques and passageways without respecting the atmosphere of peacefulness
or other people’s feelings and rights are acts that do not befit sincere
worshippers. The Messenger of Allaah said: “When kindness is introduced
into a matter it adorns it and when it is removed from a matter it
disfigures it.” (Muslim)
Attaining rewards in acts of
worship cannot be without kindness. For Allaah gives through kindness what
He does not give by harshness.
Fellow Muslims! In the
Farewell Pilgrimage, the Messenger of Allaah ascended on the mountain of
Safaa, looked unto the Ka‘abah, faced it and then said the statement of
Monotheism and glorified Allaah saying: “Laa ilaaha illallaah wahdahoo
laa shareeka lah, lahul-mulk walahul hamd wahuwa alaa kulli shay’in qadeer.
Laa ilaaha illallaah anjaza wahdah wanasara ‘abdah wahazzamal ahzaaba
wahdah.” Meaning: (There is no deity worthy of worship except Allaah
Alone. He has no partner. His is the Sovereignty and the Praise and He has
power over all things. There is no deity worthy of worship but Allaah. He
has fulfilled His promise, gave victory to His servant and all by Himself
defeated the hosts.)
The Prophet has recited this
statement in the land of peace and security and at a time when his
authority and message were prevalent. When a Muslim remembers Allaah with
this statement during his Hajj rites, that rekindles in his heart the
faith in absolute power and ability of Allaah. This makes him rely on
Allaah alone and attribute all power and victory to Him alone. Allaah
says,
“If Allaah helps you, none
can overcome you; and if He forsakes you, who is there after Him that can
help you? And in Allaah (Alone) let believers put their trust.”
(Aal ‘Imraan 3:160)
When the Prophet glorified
Allaah in every round of his Tawaaf, on the mountains of Safaa and Marwa,
while throwing the pebbles at Jamaraat and on the days of Tashreeq, that
kindles in the hearts of the Muslims a deep feeling of the importance of
remembrance of Allaah.
The word “Allaahu Akbar”
is the head and the pillar of remembrance of Allaah and it was one of the
first commandments issued to the Prophet. Allaah says,
“O you (Muhammad (peace
be upon him)) enveloped (in garments)! Arise and warn! And magnify your
Lord (Allaah)!”
(Al-Muddaththir 74:1-3)
The word ‘Allaahu Akbar’
is a great word. It revives the dead souls. It is the destructive weapon
against the enemies of Islaam and those who steal other people’s lands. It
is the sword that never goes blunt. The Messenger of Allaah even informed
us that a city would be conquered at the end of the time with this word.
He said, “When the Muslims will come to this town, they will settle down.
They will not strike a sword nor throw an arrow but will only say: ‘Laa
ilaaha illallaah Allaahu akbar’. The first half of the town will fall
and when they say: ‘Laa ilaaha illallaah Allaahu akbar’ again, the
other half of the town will fall and when they say: ‘Laa ilaaha
illallaah Allaahu akbar’ the third time, the town will be opened for
them and they will enter it and collect booties.” (Muslim)
Dear brethren!
On the mountains of Safaa and Marwa was the Prophet remembering the
favours of his Lord on himself and the believers. He was praising Him for
repelling the evil plot of the hosts, giving victory to His servant and
giving glory to His army in the Battle of the Trench about which Allaah
says,
“O you who
believe! Remember Allaah’s Favor to you, when there came against you
hosts, and We sent against them a wind and forces that you saw not (i.e.
troops of angels during the battle of Al-Ahzaab (the Confederates)) And
Allaah is Ever All-Seer of what you do. When they came upon you from above
you and from below you, and when the eyes grew wild and the hearts reached
to the throats, and you were harboring doubts about Allaah. There, the
believers were tried and shaken with a mighty shaking.”
(Al-Ahzaab
33:9-11)
Belief in the omnipotence of
Allaah and His overwhelming power is the only feeling that should occupy
the Muslims’ hearts at all times. For this encourages reliance on Allaah
alone, creates bravery in the mind and prevents giving in to vicissitudes
of time and the threats of the enemies. It also prevents the Muslims from
listening to those who are saying that, ‘the enemies have gathered to
fight you so fear them’. And when they hear this statement, it increases
them in faith and reliance on their Lord.
There is doubt in the fact
that a Muslim who believes that man’s life has been predetermined, that
his provision has been guaranteed and that everything is in the hand of
Allaah which He turns as He wills, such Muslim will not fear death,
afflictions or poverty however malicious the enemy may be. The word that
he will always utter is,
“Say: "Nothing shall ever
happen to us except what Allaah has ordained for us. He is our (Lord,
Helper and Protector)." And in Allaah let the believers put their trust.”
(At-Tawbah 9:51)
Fellow Muslims! After the
sunset on the day of ‘Arafah, the Messenger of Allaah proceeded to
Muzdalifah and loosened the bridle of his camel so that it would not move
fast. And he was telling the people: ‘O you people! Gently! Gently!’ If
this stance signifies anything, it is the fact that rites of Hajj should
be done in total peacefulness and tranquility and lack of haste.
Nothing equals tranquillity,
for haste is a disease of many societies and the time bombs that produce
nothing but shattered parts of body and destruction. Haste is a sign of
miserable minds and ignorance of consequences. Allaah says,
“And man invokes (Allah) for evil
as he invokes (Allah) for good and man is ever hasty.”
(Al-Israa 17:11)
The Prophet said, “Indeed
Allaah answers the invocation of anyone of you as long as he is not hasty
and that is by saying: I have invoked and my invocation was not answered.”
(Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim)
The word ‘haste’ is
mentioned in the Book of Allaah in 37 places and it is condemned in all
but one place that is where Allaah says,
“And remember Allaah
during the appointed Days. But whosoever hastens to leave in two days,
there is no sin on him and whosoever stays on, there is no sin on him, if
his aim is to do good and obey Allaah (fear Him).”
(Al-Baqarah 2:203)
Haste is therefore a
despicable character in man’s religious and worldly deeds. The wise man
should be deliberate in all his affairs.
Of the manifestations of
haste is to talk without knowledge, to answer a question without
understanding and to praise someone before testing him. The hasty man
always regrets and fails to attain safety. The Arabs used to call hasty
the mother of regrets. Allaah says the truth in His Book,
“Man is created of haste,
I will show you My Aayaat (torments, proofs, evidences, verses, lessons,
signs, revelations, etc.). So ask Me not to hasten (them).”
(Al-Anbiyaa 21:37)
Visitors to the Sacred House
of Allaah! The Prophet has exemplified the greatest meanings of easiness
and mercy to mankind and compassion for the believers in his Hajj. He was
always anxious that his followers were not burdened with what was beyond
their ability. On the greatest day of Hajj (the 10th of
Dhul-Hijjah), he was never asked of anything done prematurely or delayed
on that day but he said to the questioner: ‘Do it, no problem.’ A man came
to him and said: ‘I mistakenly shaved my head before I slaughter my
sacrificial animal.’ To him the Messenger of Allaah said: ‘Slaughter your
animal. No harm.’ Another man came to him and said: ‘I unknowingly
slaughtered before I throw the pebbles.’ He said to him: ‘Throw your
pebbles and no problem.’ (Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim)
He also said on that day: “I
slaughtered here and all Mina is a place for slaughtering. So slaughter
your animals in your places of stay. I stayed here and everywhere in
‘Arafah is a place for staying. I stayed here (in Muzdalifah) and
everywhere in Muzdalifah is a place for staying.” (Muslim)
This is the habit of the
Messenger of Allaah. He would command his envoys to take things easy and
make things easy for people. He told Mu‘aadh bin Jabal and Aboo Moosaa Al-Ash‘aree
when he sent them to Yemen: “Make things easy and do not cause difficulty.
Give good news and do not scare people away.” (Al-Bukhaaree)
It should however, be added
that the required facilitation should be within the framework of Islaamic
injunctions and justice not according to whims and caprices. Had it be
according to desires; there would never have been obligations in the first
place because obligation is in itself, a kind of difficulty. People must
therefore consider this and should not strain themselves in things that
Allaah has made easy for them. Let every one choose for himself the
easiest in all rites of Hajj as long as that does not run counter to the
Sunnah.
It is also compulsory for
Hajj guides not to make things difficult for people through incorrect
religious counseling or to answer people’s questions through personal
understanding and without valid evidence. For those who issue fatwas
will be held responsible before Allaah for all that they say. The
Messenger of Allaah said, “Whoever is given a religious counseling without
adequate knowledge, his sins will be borne by him who gave him the
counseling.” (Aboo Daawood)
Among the common mistakes
made by many Hajj guides do is lack of ability to differentiate between
violations that need to be atoned by blood and violations in which the
perpetrator is given options of atonement with blood, fasting or feeding
six poor people. Violations that need to be atoned by blood is to abandon
one of the obligations of Hajj like lack of passing the night in Mina,
refusal to cast the pebbles at Jamaraat and the like according to the
majority of the scholars. Violations in which the pilgrim is given options
are those relating to Ihraam.
May Allaah accept your Hajj
and make its rites easy for you.
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