Pilgrimage
Mohammed Khaku (Allentown, USA) is the past president of Al Ahad Islamic Center in Allentown. He is a Social and criminal justice writer and regularly writes for a number of international publications
Pilgrimage
A Journey of Faith, Submission, Obedience, Trial and Tribulation of Prophet Abraham with the Supreme Sacrifice!
On this auspicious occasion of Eid al-Hajj, I take this opportunity to wish you and your honoured families a joyous Eid Mubarak. Let us today don our hearts with the love of Allah (God) for the sake of harmony, friendship, love, and peace for all of humanity.
The Hajj is the largest annual “Convention of Faith” where millions of Muslims gather in the holy land, merging as streams of devotees from every corner of the earth to become part of the sea of believers swirling in spiritual waves around the Kaaba.
Each pilgrim is a drop in that ocean that always yearns to be part of that ocean. An ocean that knows no race, no language, no colour, no gender, nor time.
All praise is due to Allah for making this unique, international gathering of hajj an inexhaustible source of spiritual rejuvenation and a reaffirmation of faith.
This great panorama of the life of the Ummah of Islam manifests itself so much so that one can see beyond nationality, racial, ethnic, and tribal frontiers; When I see the pictures, my heart yearns for that moment when this universal message of love and unity finds its roots in the heart of each human being on this earth. This is One Ummah! One Community! Al Ahad!
Hajj is a living and everlasting practical lesson that, if studied intelligently, can directly reform and transform our lives. This great global gathering of the Ummah is held every year so that in its atmosphere of unity we can understand and display solidarity with Palestinians.
The fact that Almighty God! The Exalted has called all Muslims to assemble at a certain place, at a certain time for several days to perform certain rites and rituals to symbolize coexistence and discipline.
“Verily, this Ummah of yours is a single Ummah and I am your Lord, so serve and worship Me.”
More than ever, it is essential that we, as a united Ummah, strengthen our bonds with our luminous past and be aware of other people defining our future for us. Hence, it is so important that we exercise our rights, and this can be done by making sure we all vote in the coming election.
We cannot afford to be on the sideline. We need to be on the table, not the menu nor can we drink from the two poison cups of democrats or republicans. We must be able to detach ourselves from the Zionist concepts of right and wrong, good and evil, individuality and equality.
To find solutions to our problem objectively, and define our struggle, we must elevate our consciousness above the temporal ideology of Angolo-Saxson colonial imperialism.
Our community, today more than ever, is facing stern challenges. Whilst this is a difficult time, I am confident that we can overcome these trials by continuing to remember and live the very principles of every action we perform in the Hajj to nurture a legacy of unity, peace and love for the benefit of future generations.
The lesson of our beloved Prophet Abraham:
Hajj places a symbolic stamp on the close ties of Muslims to the beliefs and practices of Abraham (pbuh.) The rites of hajj are essentially a reenactment of significant events in the life of Abraham and his family as well as a celebration of his legacy.
These rites and legacy provide important lessons, not just to the pilgrims, but to people of all faiths with an affinity for Abraham. Hajj encapsulates many powerful rituals that awaken us to our relationship with the divine and, with one another.
A Journey of Faith and Obedience
Abraham’s life journey offers us profound insights and invaluable lessons. His unwavering faith, patience, obedience, intercession, and generosity continue to inspire and guide countless individuals throughout history.
By studying his story in the Quran, Bible and Torah we can learn from Prophet Abraham’s triumphs and struggles, applying these timeless lessons to our own lives, and ultimately deepening our relationship with God – Submission!
Thus, the ‘Tests of Abraham” are but a yardstick by which we can power through our challenges by drawing parallels from the trials and tribulations of Prophet Abraham.
Each of these tests contains powerful lessons and a message that has meaning to the everyday life that we face. It’s incumbent upon us to look to the Quran in search of guidance that will help weather the storm and ensure that we remain firm.
Prophet Abraham passed test after test by placing his faith and trust in the oneness – Tawhid! There was a purpose and divine reason he was being tested just like the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad Hussain ibn Ali was tested on the battle of Karbala with his six-month-old son Aliasgher, known as the “Supreme Sacrifice.”
Prophet Abraham is our role model of what it means to be tested. Not once, twice but successive he faced uphill challenges
So, as challenges are part of our lives – not stumbling but building blocks – let us look at our Prophet Abraham and take an example. Step by step, one challenge at a time we will nurture our souls, and perfect our character to get closer to the Almighty God!
As the old saying goes, “For every door of opportunity that closes, another one opens so, next time we face a challenge, let’s realize the opportunity that lurks on the other side.
When performing the pilgrimage, the citizens of the world become one family, on Mecca’s soil. In a modern world where racism has reached a new height. ‘Labaik’ is chanted by both blacks and whites.
The miracle of Hajj (the pilgrimage) sends a message to all men, put your differences aside, and live hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder from the north, south, east and west.
“There were tens of thousands of pilgrims, from all over the world. They were of all colors, from blue-eyed blondes to black-skinned Africans. But we were all participating in the same ritual, displaying a spirit of unity and brotherhood that my experiences in America had led me to believe never could exist between the white and the non-white.”
I envy that man who will walk Makah’s street for that piece of land, once touching my Prophet’s feet. I envy that man who kisses the black stone, for in his darkest days, that privilege will never leave him alone
I envy that man who sips from Zam Zam’s well, for in every droplet, countless blessings dwell. I envy that man who will pick up and pelt, for every pebble thrown, a spark of faith is felt.
I envy that man who shaves his head clean just as his bad deeds are cleansed. I envy that man who returns home pure. The pilgrims of the world are embracing the slogans of Palestine – “Palestine will be free from the river to the sea.”
O Hujjaj – pilgrims going to Hajj May I ask?
You have visited the “house of Allah” in Makkah, that city, which is dearest to Allah, that city where the greatest of all creation was born, where he lived, where he received revelation, where he preached his message, where he was mocked and ostracized; that city which he was forced to leave Yet that very city which he returned after 8 years later and forgave his persecutors.
O HUJJAJ!
When you walked through the streets of Makkah, did you recall the torments and hardship our Prophet (saw) had to go through to deliver Allah’s message? Did you look at the hills and wonder where he shepherded the sheep of the rich Makkans as a teenager? Did you look towards Jabal an-Noor and consider how the Prophet sought solitude in those hills until he received revelation from Allah?
O HUJJAJ!
When you removed your designer clothes and put on your ihram, did you also cast off your arrogance and racism? When you prayed at the station of Maqam-e-Ibrahim did you wonder about his status, impact and influence on world history? When you ran between the hills of Safaa and Marwah, did you realize that you were re-enacting the running of a slave woman (Hajirah) whose selfless search for water for her son was considered worthy enough by Allah to be incorporated as part of the hajj? When you drank Zamzam did you reflect on how this once water served to quench the thirst of baby Ismail who was later to become the forefather of our Prophet?
O HUJJAJ!
When you stood on the plains of Arafah, did you contemplate your insignificance amidst the multitude? Did you accept the fact that race, colour, gender or nationality means nothing if you are truly a Muslim? Did you remember to ask Allah for forgiveness, and did you promise to be forgiving? Did you realize that you were symbolically close to death in the two pieces of white cloth? Did you understand that the day of Arafah reflects Qayamat?
O HUJJAJ!
When you gathered your stones at Muzdalifah, did you prepare to equip yourself for the challenges and tribulations of the world? When you pelted the “Shaytan” in Mina was that a permanent declaration of war against all forms of internal and external evils? When you sacrificed on the day of Eid did you slaughter your ego and selfishness as well? When you buried the bones of the sacrifice did you bury with it the bad habits, attitudes and behaviour of your old self?
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