Mohamedarif Mohamed Suleman (Dar es Salaam, Tanzania) is a digital marketing specialist and an Educator-cum-Trainer. He has involved himself in community organisations and matters from a young age, and through his writings, continues to speak of social and cultural reform to this day. He is also the founding moderator of this forum.
Hajj, the sacred pilgrimage to the House of Allah (SWT), is not merely a journey of miles but a journey of the soul. It is a call to every Muslim heart, echoing across centuries, summoning us to the Kaaba’s stones and the very essence of faith. Yet, in our times, how often has this profound act been reduced to a checklist, a ritual performed, a duty discharged, its spirit lost in the clamour of routine? Allama Iqbal, the poet-philosopher of the East, wept for this very loss. His verses, drenched in longing and pain, urge us to rediscover the true meaning of Hajj – a meaning that transcends rituals and awakens hearts.
Iqbal’s words are a mirror held up to our souls. In one of his most poignant couplets, he declares:
Ragon mein vo lahoo baqi nahin hai Jo dil mein tha, namaz mein baqi nahin hai Dua, roza, hajj, qurbani baqi hai Tum mein lekin vo Muhammadi baqi nahin hai
That blood no longer runs in your veins, What was in your heart, is no longer in your prayers. Prayer, fasting, Hajj, sacrifice remain, But in you, the Muhammadan spirit is no more.
What is this Muhammadan spirit? It is the fire of love, the courage of sacrifice, the unity of the Ummah, and the longing for God that once made Muslims the torchbearers of humanity. Hajj, in its truest form, is not a ritual of walking and circling, but a living symbol of surrender, humility, and brotherhood. It is a reenactment of the trials of Ibrahim (AS), the tears of Hajra, and the submission of Ismail. It is a declaration that we belong not to ourselves, but to Allah (SWT) alone.
Iqbal’s longing for Hajj was so intense that, even when illness kept him from the journey, he poured his soul into Armaghan-i-Hijaz. There, he writes:
Haram juz qibla-e-qalb o nazar nist Tawaaf-e-oo tawaaf-e-baam o daar nist
The Kaaba is nothing but the Qibla for your heart and eyes; Its circumambulation is not merely circling bricks and mortar.
Iqbal reminds us that the true Kaaba is the heart purified of all idols-pride, greed, hatred. The real tawaf is the circling of our lives around Allah’s love, not just our bodies around the stone. The journey of Hajj is meant to shatter our ego, to strip us of all worldly distinctions, and to unite us as one Ummah, equal before God.
In his poem Aik Haji Madine Ke Raste Mein (A Pilgrim on His Way to Madinah), Iqbal captures the perilous spiritual journey of the pilgrim, symbolizing the sacrifices and courage required to truly embrace faith:
Iss byaban yani behr-e-khushk ka sahil hai door Bach gaye jo, ho ke bedil sooye Bait Ullah phire Maut ke zehr ab mein payi hai uss ne zindagi ‘Haye Yasrab’ dil mein lab par naara-e-touheed tha Shauq kehta hai tu Muslim hai, bebakana chal Ashiqon ko roz-e-mehshar munh na dikhlau’n ga kya Hijrat-e-madfoon-e-Yasrab (S.A.W.) mein yehi makhfi hai raaz Ishq ki lazzat magar khatron ki jaankahi mein hai
The coast of this desolation, this dry ocean, is far; Those who survived, disheartened, turned back towards the Ka’bah. In the poison of death, he has found the taste of life. “Ah, Yathrib” was in his heart, the slogan of Tawhid on his lips. Longing says, “You are a Muslim, travel fearlessly.” Would I not appear confidently before Lovers on the Judgment Day? The secret is hidden in the emigration of the Prophet to Yathrib. The pleasure of love lies in the heart-breaking affliction of danger.
This poem is a stirring reminder that the path of faith is not easy. It demands sacrifice, courage, and an unwavering commitment to the Divine. The pilgrim’s journey to Madinah is a metaphor for the spiritual journey every Muslim must undertake-one that is fraught with hardship but filled with the sweetness of divine love.
Yet, today, how many return from Hajj unchanged? How many hearts remain untouched, their lives untransformed? Iqbal’s pain is our pain. He calls us to awaken, to let Hajj be the spark that rekindles the Muhammadan spirit within us. Let us not allow this sacred journey to become an empty ritual. Let it be a renewal – a pledge to live with humility, to serve humanity, to love Allah above all.
The essence of Hajj is not in the outward acts alone but in the inward transformation. It is a journey from the self to the Divine, from division to unity, from despair to hope. When the pilgrim stands on the plains of Arafat, stripped of all worldly status, it is a reminder that before Allah, we are all equal, bound by faith and brotherhood.
May we heed Iqbal’s call. May our Hajj be more than a ritual -may it be a revolution of the heart, a return to the spirit that once made us great. For in the true Hajj lies the hope of our revival.
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Mohamedarif Mohamed Suleman (Dar es Salaam, Tanzania) is a digital marketing specialist and an Educator-cum-Trainer. He has involved himself in community organisations and matters from a young age, and through his writings, continues to speak of social and cultural reform to this day. He is also the founding moderator of this forum.
