The pilgrim said, "O young man, there are three Pillars of Worship, and they are: love of Allah, desire for His mercy and fear of His wrath. These three pillars are the pillars of servitude of the heart as worship of the heart is the greatest worship. Allah is to be worshipped out of love of Him, hoping for His reward and fearing His wrath or punishment. Allah Subhanhu Wa Ta'ala mentioned these pillars of worship in Surah Al-Faatihah which is the best Surah of the Qur’an. Love as a pillar of worship is found in verse "Alhamdulillahirabbil aalameen," That is to love Allah according to how you know Him, and to love Him because He is the Rabb, the Provider, the Sustainer, and to love Him because of His qualities and attibutes. Next verse, "Arrahmanirraheem." This is because the believer hopes for Allah’s Mercy and desires its attainment. Then, the verse after that, "Maliki yawmiddeen," That is you fear His wrath because reminding of the Day of Judgement. Therefore, the one who worships Allah, must combine these three pillars.
Also, as I mention before, there are two conditions of worship that every Muslims should know. First, sincerity, to purity your intention in every act that you do for the sake of Allah. The intention should be gaining His pleasure and love; seeking His mercy, reward and Jannah; avoiding His wrath and punishment. Second, the act of worship must be according to the Quran and the Sunnah.This second condition is equally important with the first condition."
The pilgrim silenced for a second, then said, "Now, we continue of journey about the Hajj. On the 9th of Dhul-Hijjah, the trip to Arafat is made. The sunnah of the Prophet (ﷺ) was to cross into Arafat at midday. On the way to Arafat, look back to Mina and assess what was done wrong and what can be done better. Make an intention that upon returning to Mina, those mistakes will not be made again. Try to maximize the time to be truly beneficial.
Since the Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Al-Hajju Arafat.” “The Hajj is Arafat,” particular care should be taken to maximize the time there in supplication and prayer. The time for “standing at Arafat” is between Dhuhur and Maghrib. This time varies from season to season and can be about four to five hours or as many as six and a half hours depending on what time the worshipper arrives. Dhuhur and Asr are prayed together and shortened maximizing the amount of time there for du'aa. The Prophet ﷺ) said that the best of supplications is the one done on the day of Arafat. And he went on to say that the best du’aa which he and the prophets before him said was, "La ilaha illa Allah Wahdahu la sharika lah, lahu al-mulk wa lahu al-hamd wa huwa ‘ala kulli shayin qadeer," "No one has the right to be worshipped except Allah Alone without partner. To Him belongs all praise and sovereignty and He is able to do all things." All of the actions performed previous to the Day of Arafat prepare the believer for that moment of du’aa. Therefore, this du’aa should be the best, free from doubt because doubt weakens du’a.
One of the blessed areas in which Hajj serves to refine the soul manifests itself on the Day of ‘Arafah in that gathering of immense proportions, the greatest Islaamic gathering that exists. During it, as well as all other rites of Hajj, Muslims from all parts of the world, east and west, meet and become familiar with each other and exchange words of advice. They learn more about the situations of others, sharing in their happiness, feeling their pain, and guiding them to the correct course of action. All of this is done complying with the command of Allah to mutually cooperate in righteousness and piety.
Another one of the important and deeply profound admonitions of Hajj, is the massive, blessed assembly seen by all who perform Hajj on the Day of Arafat, in Arafat itself. There, they all obediently stop, humbly beseeching Allah, hoping for His mercy, and dreading His punishment; earnestly asking of His immense bounty, during the grandest Islamic gathering witnessed. This massive assembly reminds the Muslim of the great standing to take place on the Day of Resurrection where the earlier nations will meet the later ones, all waiting for judgment to take place so that they can proceed to their final abode; either eternal bliss, or painful torment.
On that day, the sun will be brought near to the people, until it is only a meel away. There will be no shade on that day except the shade from the Throne of ar-Rahmaan. Some will seek shade from the Throne, while others will be left exposed to the heat of the sun which will melt them and in which they shall be afflicted with severe hardship and discomfort. The many nations will be crowded and congested, pushing at each other. Feet will be entangled, and throats will be torn apart due to severe thirst. They will simultaneously be stricken by the scorching of the sun, the blazing heat of their breathing, and their bodies compacted against each other. Sweat will pour from them onto the ground, and then rise up their feet, relative to their rank and standing with their Lord – whether fortunate or miserable. Some will be submerged in sweat up to their shoulders and waists, others to their earlobes, and others to their mouths.
The Day of Arafat is the day on which Allah took the covenant from the progeny of Adam. Arafat is also the day of forgiveness of sins, freedom from the fire and freedom from the pride of the people who are in there. Fasting on Arafat for those who are not on Hajj is expiation for 2 years of sin. The Prophet (ﷺ) said it expiates the sins of the previous year and the coming year.
Ibn ‘Umar, radiallahuanhum, said that two men went to the Prophet (ﷺ) to ask him about matters of religion and the Prophet (ﷺ) said to them, “As for the standing at ‘Arafah, Allah descends to the lowest heaven and boasts of the people there to the angels saying, ‘Here are My slaves! They have come to Me with disheveled hair and covered with dust, from every distant pass. They seek My Mercy and fear My Punishment, although they have not seen Me. And what [would be their state] if they had seen Me!’ [Even] if you have sins like [the number of grains of] sand, the [number of] days of the worldly life or the [number of] drops of rain, Allah will [nevertheless] erase them for you."
Having certainty that our supplications will be answered is a very important principle. The Prophet (ﷺ) told us that among the people who will be shaded by Allah’s throne on the day when there will be no shade besides His throne will be one who remembers Allah and his/her eyes becomes filled with tears. This is the best kind of du’aa, the du’aa which brings the worshipper to tears. Softening of the heart is something to be striven for because the heart which does not fear Allah has become hardened and will not be able to cry. The eyes remain dry. Crying is symbolic and represents the softening of the heart.
Allah informs us of people with hard hearts like rocks; these are those people who cannot benefit from guidance. The words of Quran repel, they don’t enter those hearts. It is very important to develop the heart which is soft towards remembrance of Allah, and be able to cry when asking Allah. Surely everyone cries at some time in life, however it may be misdirected sorrow. When a person cries over worldly events, yet does not cry when appealing to his Creator, it shows that there is something wrong with the state of the heart. This state of the heart is very important. One cannot come before Allah and have prayers heard with a hard heart or a blind heart. Therefore, this time in Arafat is for developing this softness of the heart, and making sincere du’a is one path to softening the heart. Arafat is du’aa, so the focus should be on anything that will develop the ability to make effective du’aa.
It is sufficient to make du’a from any place within the limits of Arafah. It is permissible to make du’a inside a tent and sitting. Standing the whole time is not required. The rite is called “Wuqoof Arafah” and “wuqoof” means standing . It also means stopping . What is meant is “stopping at Arafah”. It is not necessary to stand.
At sunset, the “hujjaj” move from Arafah. Maghrib is not prayed at Arafah. This prayer is delayed and prayed at ‘Isha time with the ‘Isha prayer in Muzdalifah . The prayers of the Day of Arafah are shortened and joined: Dhuhur and Asr at Dhuhur time, two raka’at each; and Maghrib is joined to ‘Isha at Muzdalifah , Maghrib being three raka’at and ‘Isha is two raka’at . Leaving Arafah at sunset and going to Muzdalifah is in accordance with Allah’s command, and following Allah’s command draws believers closer to Him.
Muzdalifah is a huge, open space with the least number of facilities. There are no tents there, so there is even more humility as the “hujjaj” leave their transport and go sleep on the ground on nothing more than a mat, sleeping bag or blanket. This part of the journey brings the believers right down to the most basic of necessities.
The tenth day of Dhul-Hijjah is the Eid al-Adha. It is the day with the most number of rites on a single day of Hajj. Therefore, taking a rest on the occasion of Muzdalifah is worship; it is following the sunnah. There is more reward in taking rest than in staying awake in prayer. The sunnah has certain amounts of flexibility and dynamism in it. It is not a rigid set of practices that are locked in at any one specific way. There is a “living character” to it.
The next major rite is the stoning, ramee. the stoning is part of the remembrance of Allah. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, this is the purpose for which it was prescribed. Prophet Ibraheem, alayhissalam, is commemorated in this act and his going forth with Allah’s command and overcoming the suggestion of Shaytaan to dissuade him from Allah’s command. The Prophet (ﷺ) stressed that the pebbles be small. He also exhorted us to avoid extremism in the religion and to take the moderate path. This instruction of the Prophet (ﷺ) should be kept in mind at the time of stoning. When people get into groups, “group dynamism” tends to arise, and they get worked up and emotional. This can lead to going to extremes in worship.
The next major rite of the tenth is the slaughter. In the past, each person making Hajj could experience it for himself because each person slaughtered his own animal. But now, coupons are sold and the slaughter is taken care of away from the hujjaj . A person must give this act meaning because it is one of the high points of Hajj. It commemorates when Prophet Ibraheem, alayhissalam, was The intention of the sacrifice for Allah should be in the heart. The sacrifice comes from personal wealth for the sake of Allah, giving thanks to Allah for that wealth. This rite is in from the financial aspect. It is a display of love for Allah more than the wealth He has given and gratefulness for the blessings He has given.
After the sacrifice, the next rite is shaving. The Prophet (ﷺ) made a du’a for those who shave and repeated it three times then on the fourth he made du’a for those who trim their hair. Shaving is better because it involves more humility so that should be striven for. The Prophet (ﷺ) said “as for shaving your head, there is a reward for every strand you shave and a sin is erased with it.” Shaving the hair is symbolic of a new beginning. There is another time when the hair is shaved also. When a newborn child is seven days old, an animal is sacrificed and the hair is shaved. That removed hair is what is called aqeeqa . Usually the hair of the womb ends up falling out and is replaced by other hair anyway. The removal of that hair is part of the transition into a new life.
The last remaining rite is tawaf al-ifaada. Also the stoning which goes on all three days of the 11th , 12th and 13th is done at all three jamarat after midday and extends to sunset. That is the time the Prophet (ﷺ) did it.
The other major rite is the farewell tawaaf or tawaaf al-wada’a. It is like the previous two tawaafs, the only difference is that it is the last. There should also be a sadness concerning the tawaaf as it is the last. It is completely unique to Makkah and should be valued. There is a sense of accomplishment surrounding the Hajj, however there is a sense of loss that the Hajj is coming to a close. Tawaaf is done at the beginning, middle and end of Hajj giving it a special place. Allah has put it throughout the Hajj .
Islam and all of its pillars are focused on building the correct human moral character with regards to Allah, to other human beings, and to the world in which we function. There is moral behavior in relationship to Allah. Worshipping Him Alone is morally correct. The worship of others along with Him, or besides Him, is morally incorrect. Similarly, there is moral behavior in relationship to other human beings. Stealing and cheating are morally incorrect. Being honest and fair is morally correct. With regard to the world in which we live, Allah has submitted it to us. The air, the sea, the land are all submitted to us to extract the fruits and food and for transportation. It is morally correct to look after the created world in which we live. It is morally incorrect to pollute it, corrupt it or destroy it. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “If the last hour comes and any one of you has a seedling in his hand, plant it.” Planting trees is a righteous deed for which we are rewarded. It’s morally correct.
It is important to study the various pillars of Islam and their moral perspectives. Each of them invites to certain character traits. The Hajj encompasses all of the other pillars, but there are two unique traits concerning it. One is the development of the universalistic character. A human being who has a universalist or an international view is not restricted by nation, tribe, clan etc. All other human beings are viewed as part of Allah’s creation. From that overall group of humankind there are those who believe and accept Allah into their hearts. Those who have correct belief, believe in the true God. They represent within the overall body of mankind in brotherhood or sisterhood as Allah says in Surah Al-Hujurat [49]:10, "The believers are but brothers, so make settlement between your brothers. And fear Allah that you may receive mercy."
The pilgrim then said, "O young man, Hajj is one of the finest institutions of Islam that serves a multitude of purposes. The Hajj is a wonderful 'school' where such a quality can be nurtured. It is a demonstration of the universality of Islam which attracts to it people from all walks of life and from the four comers of the world; it is a reminder of the Grand Assembly on the Day of Judgement when people will stand equal before the Lord of the worlds. Hajj is an act of worship which tests one's true following in the Prophet's (ﷺ) footsteps. But for many, those purpose can quickly fade once they arrive home. They return to the environments of hardship, laziness and sin. Coming home from Hajj does not mean the journey has ended, but the journey must still be continued by bringing new supplies."
(Part 1)"And strive for Allah with the striving due to Him. He has chosen you and has not placed upon you in the religion any difficulty. [It is] the religion of your father, Abraham. Allah named you "Muslims" before [in former scriptures] and in this [revelation] that the Messenger may be a witness over you and you may be witnesses over the people. So establish prayer and give zakah and hold fast to Allah . He is your protector; and excellent is the protector, and excellent is the helper." - [QS.22:78]
Reference :
- Sayyid Qutb, In The Shade of The Quran, Volume XII, Islamic Foundation
- ‘Abdur-Razzaq ibn ‘Abdul-Muhsin al-Badr, From the Teachings of Hajj, Al-Badr
- Dr. Bilal Philips, Soul of Hajj, Islamictube.com
