This is an obligatory post on Hajj. The final and last pillar of Islam, once one completed the rituals he would surely feels that he has completed his duty as a Muslim and as a servant of Allah Al-Mighty. It is not a simple task to complete, and the journey is full of hardships that each individual will face and experience. One experience would be totally different from the other depending on the eye that views it and the soul that experiences it. One would feel humility and is humble by walking on his two legs to the mosque each time while another would feel that it’s the worst thing that he has to go through in his entire life, what with the heat and the multitude of pilgrims and beggars that he bumps into on the road. All of them however, have the same objective and target and all on the same path, the path that the Most Gracious, Most Merciful has shown.
It is a privilege for the one who is chosen to be present on the day of Arafah amidst millions of people, but in numbers the percentage is significantly small maybe 0.004%, a fraction that one can't help but feel grateful to be able to commit to the journey.
Hajj is a specific rituals perform at a specific time and place and the only way that one could ever hope to accomplished it is through knowledge and education of how and why to go about it. There is no short cut to learning the rituals as relying on chance or copying others is not the way, but would only leave you with empty hands and maybe sin. One may have all the money in the world and still cannot even make the journey simply because he or she does not understand the ‘Manasik’ of Hajj (Manasik=jurisprudence?) and its significance. Bottom line, if he is not the one on the VIP list of Ar-Rahman, he could never make it nor even think about it.
The Preparation
Before he leaves his home, he has to remove from him all his clothes and wealth and wear only 2 piece of unsewn white cloth: one covering the waist to the ankle and another piece is thrown over the shoulder. Thus, he enters the state of Ihram! He can’t help but feel that he is but a corpse and that his love one had wrapped him with 2 pieces of white cloth before sending him to his grave. Such is the emotion!
At that time, all his family has only well wishes to complement him that reinforced his spirit to leave his comfortable home and begin his long awaited journey. His children may cry and made a ruckus of a scene at the bus terminal but no tears were shed, at least not until his completely alone waiting for the bus that will take him to the plane.
All the pilgrims wear the same white cloth, the women in white veil, a symbol of unity and together they chant the Talbiyah:
"Here I am, O God, at Your service! Here I am at Your service! O Lord, no partner do You have. Here I am at Your service! Truly, all the praise and the favor is Yours, and the dominion. No partner do You have”
Hearts melts, voice hoarse, tears running each cheek, the feeling deep inside that pulls you, shredding your emotion, grips your belly, sadness, fear, longing and a 1001 emotions rush through you are the allegory of feelings you get as you repeat the Talbiyah in the state of Ihram!
Than calmness takes over and you feel peaceful once again and you give yourself up completely to The All Mighty, thus is ‘Redha’ and ‘Tawakkal’.
Allahu Akbar, how I wish I am bestow yet again with the same feeling I had then and let it remain with me through thick and thin. Human forget. I forget. Have mercy on me.
Last night, I saw the live Isha’ prayer from Masjidil Haram on Huda.TV and the imam recites the verses from Al-Hasyr (59:21) consequently inspired me to post this blog.
59:21. Had we sent down This Qur'an on a mountain, Verily, Thou wouldst have seen it humble itself and cleave asunder for fear of Allah. such are the similitudes which we propound to men, that They may reflect.
I remembered the disquieting feeling when the Imam recite the same verses when I was there, praying in the sight of Kaabah… Subhanallah… lembik lutut beb!!
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