Hajj in 2020? A mirage?
Pilgrimage to a holy site is a core principle of almost all faiths. In Islam, it is the Hajj. What is Hajj? Literally speaking, Hajj means heading to a place for the sake of visiting. But what kind of visiting does it mean when it comes to ‘Islam’? Is it just any other place you visit to tour around, if yes, then why the fervor, the yearning, why isn’t it just like any other ordinary location that sightseers visit?
The Kaaba, meaning cube in Arabic, is a square building elegantly draped in a silk and cotton veil. Located in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, it is the holiest shrine in Islam. Muslims pray five times a day towards it. The Kaaba was a sanctuary in pre-Islamic times. Ibrahim (AS) and his son, Ismail(AS), constructed the Kaaba. Allah, the Almighty says:
“And when Abraham and (his son) Ishmael were raising the foundations of the House , (saying), ‘Our Lord! Accept (this service) from us. Verily, You are the All-Hearer, the All-Knower’” [2:127]
Prayer five times a day and the Hajj are two of the five pillars of Islam, the most fundamental principles of the faith. The Muslims visit the Kaaba, the house of Allah during Hajj. Allah the Almighty says:
“And [due] to Allah from the people is a pilgrimage to the House — for whoever is able to find thereto a way. [3:97]“
So we come to know that the Kaaba has a strong connection with the legacy of Abraham or Ibrahim (AS). It turns out the whole or most of the concept of the Islamic pilgrimage is based around the notion of ‘Sacrifice.’ A pilgrim sacrifices his health and wealth to make the virtuous journey.
It all starts from Ibrahim (AS) experiencing a dream one night, in which Allah (SWT) told him to sacrifice Ismail (AS), his beloved son. Ibrahim (AS) realized that this was a message from Allah (SWT).
Ibrahim (AS) loved his son, Ismail (AS). Yet he was fully prepared to follow Allah’s (SWT) command and do as He instructed. When he left Mina (part of the ritual of Hajj is staying at Mina) and was brought down to al-Aqaba, the Devil appeared to him at Stone-Heap of the Defile. Gabriel (Jibril) said to him: “Pelt him!” so Ibrahim (AS) threw seven stones at him so that he disappeared from him. Then he appeared to him at the Middle Stone-Heap. Gabriel said to him: “Pelt him!” so he pelted him with seven stones so that he disappeared from him. Then he appeared to him at the Little Stone-Heap. Gabriel said to him: “Pelt him!” so he pelted him with seven stones like the little stones for throwing with a sling. So the Devil withdrew from him. And thus, the stoning of Jamarat denotes complete obedience to the commands of Allah without anything dissuading a Muslim against it. There are three pillars at the places where the devil appeared to Ibrahim (AS), which the pilgrims stone.
He was commanded to sacrifice his son, and Satan tried to discourage Ibrahim (AS) from doing so, but Ibrahim (AS) demonstrated complete faith in Allah and followed His command without any questions or temptation. Satan tried to instill confusion in Ibrahim’s (AS) mind and tried to tempt him away from submitting to God’s will. Ibrahim’s heroism is to be celebrated because Ibrahim (AS) was childless until the age of seventy, when Allah gave him his first son, Ismail (AS). In these circumstances, this was a very great sacrifice that was demanded of Ibrahim (AS). Satan tried to discourage Ibrahim (AS) by giving the argument of old age and who’s going to look after you in such an age.
However, Ibrahim (AS) was firm in his faith, and to drive Satan away, he threw pebbles at him. It was an act of casting aside his desires and wishes, something all Muslims are expected to do during Hajj and otherwise also. He took his son to the top of Mount Arafat and brought with him a knife and rope. Upon reaching an appropriate place, he told his son about his dream and what Allah (SWT) had commanded him to do. Being an obedient son, Prophet Ismail (AS) immediately obliged to the wishes of Allah (SWT) and his father.
Ibrahim (AS) did as Ismail (AS) had said. Blindfolded and with the knife in his hands, he did as Allah (SWT) had asked of him. When he took the blindfold off, to his surprise, he saw the body of a dead ram in front of him. Ismail (AS) was completely unharmed, standing right next to him. Thus, the concept of ‘Udhiya’ or sacrifice.
Since then, every year, during the month of Dhul Hijjah, the last month of the holy calendar, Muslims from around the world perform a sacrifice to remember what Ibrahim (AS) did. We use his deed to inspire devotion, obedience, and submission in our own lives. Muslims sacrifice animals in memory of Prophet Ibrahim’s (AS) sacrifice.
Now, we understand the significance of the Kaaba, the mount of Arafat on which the sacrifice was performed, the stoning of jamarat, the staying at mina and the mount of Arafah about which the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:
implying that the whole Hajj revolves around one postulation: “Sacrifice.”
Now, Hajj contains many other rites, for example, running between Safa and Marwah and their story is also one of sacrifice. It precedes even the construction of Kaaba, Now let’s go back to a time when Ismail [A.S] was a small child, here is his mother Hajar’s story about her ‘sacrifice’:
Ibrahim (AS) took Hajar and their baby Ismail to a valley that was completely deserted. He was inspired to take them there, then leave. As he was leaving, Hajar went after him and kept asking why he is doing that. When he didn’t respond, she got the message!
She asked him, “Has Allah commanded you to do so?” He said: “Yes.”
She said: “Then He will not neglect us.” [Al Bukhari]“Then she drank (water) and suckled her child. The angel said to her: ‘Do not be afraid of being neglected, for this is the site on which the House of Allah will be built by this boy and his father, and Allah will never let neglected His people.’ [Al Bukhari]
She initiated the ritual of sa’ee (walking) between Safa and Marwa, without which Hajj and Umrah won’t be complete. A pillar of Islam won’t be complete without following this woman. This is not merely in the physical sense of walking between Safa and Marwa but also in the spiritual sense of trusting Allah in the severest of moments and, most importantly, ‘sacrifice.’
Now let’s travel to when Ibrahim (AS) has completed the structure of the Kaaba, and then Allah commanded him to call the people to Hajj. Ibrahim (AS) pleaded, “O Allah! How shall my voice reach all of those people?” Allah told him that his duty was only to give the call, and it was up to Allah to make it reach the people.
Ibrahim (AS) then climbed Mount Arafat and called out in his loudest voice, “O People! Verily Allah has prescribed upon you Haj, so perform Haj.” Allah revealed in the Qur’an:
“And proclaim the Haj among mankind. They will come to thee on foot and (mounted) on every camel, lean on account of journeys through deep and distant mountain highways.” (Qur’an, 22:27)
Fast forward to 2020, and due to coronavirus fears, the Saudi government has recently announced that Hajj 2020 will be restricted to include only the residents in the kingdom, thus ‘shattering the hopes’ of millions of pilgrims worldwide, who were yearning to visit the Kaaba with extraordinary flavor.
But the real question is, who is responsible for it? Is it the Saudi Government, or the virus, or that the pilgrim’s aspirations were simply quixotic? Well, the government had to take these measures, so it is not to blame. With regards to the virus, an inanimate being is also not be blamed for its non-rational actions and their consequences. Thus, it remains with us the pilgrim’s expectations, which, if looked at with a materialistic lens, appear to be the reason for the supposed “shattering of hopes.”
This is not the case with Islamic Theism, and on the contrary, it encourages such “wishful thinking.” Therefore, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ encouraged it by saying:
“There are some men in Al-Madinah who are with you wherever you march and whichever valley you cross. They have not joined you in person because of their illness.” In another version he said: “They share the reward with you.” [Muslim]
Another tradition clearly states:
“When a slave falls ill or travels, then he will get reward similar to that he gets for good deeds practiced at home when in good health.” [Al Bukhari].
But the question arises how does one make sure his intention is pure, and he gets reward for it, especially when the matter is of great significance such as Hajj, the reward of it is mentioned as said by the Prophet ﷺ :
“…an accepted Hajj brings no reward but Paradise.” [Al Bukhari, Muslim]
In Allah’s infinite mercy, He has given everyone the chance to earn such rewards even from the comfort of their own homes. Say what?! Yes! Although there is no substitute for performing Hajj in real life, Allah has allowed earning rewards equivalent to performing Hajj every single day.
But how? A prophetic tradition reads as follows:
“Whoever prays Fajr in congregation then sits remembering Allah until the sun rises, then prays two rak’ahs, will have a reward like that of Hajj and ‘Umrah, complete, complete, complete.” [Tirmidhi]
The simple problem of shattering of hopes has been turned into a blessing by the beauty of the religion of Islam. A person who was intending to do Hajj will get the reward of his intention. One can even earn it every day by simply acting on the tradition mentioned above while hoping and praying to get a chance of performing this great ritual in the succeeding years because guess what, his hopes will not be shattered rather, he would be rewarded every time it’s not fulfilled.