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What is the greater significance of Hajj?

The Prophet was once asked by his Companions about the animal sacrifice performed during Hajj. The Prophet replied: “This was the way of your forefather Abraham.” (Mishkat)

The Prophet Abraham has been mentioned in a verse in the Quran: “Strive for the cause of God as it behooves you to strive for it. He has chosen you and lain on you no burden in the matter of your religion, the faith of Abraham, your forefather.” (22: 78)

This verse implores believers to strive and do jihad and follow the footsteps of Abraham. God has chosen the believers for this task. But what kind of jihad did Abraham undertake? There is no proof whatsoever to establish that Abraham used sword or fought battles against others. Jihad in this case, refers to the practical struggle undertaken by the Prophet Abraham on the path of dawah work, or conveying the message of God to people. Abraham initially did dawah among the people of Ur, a city in ancient Iraq where he was born. When people there did not respond to his message, he travelled to Syria, Egypt, Palestine and Makkah for the sake of conveying the message to people in these regions. Thus Prophet Abraham’s life was entirely devoted to God’s cause—he was one who made universal planning for the sake of dawah. When people in one region did not accept his message, he travelled wherever he possibly could in order to continue the divine mission.

This is the true message and learning we gain from Hajj; when we perform the rites of Hajj, we must pledge to follow the path of the Prophet Abraham in the sense of his utmost devotion to the task of dawah.

What is Hajj-e-badal?
According to an Islamic teaching, when a person dies, he is completely cut off from this world; the only thing that survives is his intention (niyyah), which remains alive even after death. For example, when a person who wished to perform Hajj passes away before doing so, his heirs can appoint another person to perform Hajj on the behalf of the deceased. This is referred to as Hajj-e-badal. Such an act is rewardable for both—the one who performs Hajj and also the deceased who intended to perform it.

Unfortunately, people have a very limited understanding of this Islamic teaching. And, it must be understood that no teaching of Islam has a limited purview.

For example, suppose a person desired to be part of the Al-Quran Mission. That is, he wished to spend his lifetime in God’s mission, however, he passed away before being able to devote himself to God’s cause. Then the fulfilment of the deceased person’s intention now devolves upon his heirs. This case made me realize that instead of the common practice of performing Quran recitation (Quran khwani) after the death of a person, the task one should engage in is Quran distribution. This would be no ordinary matter, because not only those who distribute the Quran, but also the departed soul, would become eligible for God’s high reward. Doing so would amount to fulfilling the intention of the deceased to become part of the divine mission.

What can we learn from the Prophet Muhammad’s last Hajj (Hajjat al-Wida)?

The focus of the Prophet’s Last Sermon (Khutbah al-Hajjat al-Wida) was to instill in his Companions the spirit to undertake planning for dawah work. Human beings need guidance to make their lives successful in this world and the Hereafter. Prophets and messengers were sent by God for the purpose of guiding people on the path of spirituality and wisdom. The Prophet’s Last Sermon marked the end of an era and the beginning of a new one; The culture of fighting and bloodshed, which was prevalent in the tribal age, was to be completely abandoned. Now, a new era was to begin in which believers were to strive to impart the message of God to people. During his final Hajj, the Prophet while addressing his Companions said:

“O People! No prophet or messenger will come after me and no new faith will be born. All those who are listening to me should pass on my words to those who are not present.” (Ibn Hisham)

Therefore, those who return from performance of Hajj must be imbued with the spirit to act on this prophetic advice and should henceforth make it their goal to devote their lives to God’s cause so that they can fulfil the prophetic mission of having the word of God reach every home on the planet.

The problem of stampede during Hajj is often reported in the media. What is the solution?

Several pilgrims at Makkah have died in stampedes. These incidents tell us of our lack of planning. The reason for these kinds of stampedes is that there is a wrong notion prevalent among people. During Hajj, pilgrims have to perform the rite of stoning, that is, to hit a certain stone with pebbles. This rite is known as rami al-jamar. The stone they are required to hit represents Satan and hitting it with their pebbles signifies their pledge not to come under satanic influences. Therefore, this rite is performed to consciously instill in oneself the spirit of not letting oneself be influenced by satanic promptings and remain steadfast on God’s path.

Pilgrims think that unless they physically hit the stone with their pebbles, their rite will not be complete. But this is a wrong notion. One does not need to actually hit the stone with the pebble, stoning from a distance too is enough, as it is symbolic stoning and not real stoning. Stampedes occur when pilgrims rush to actually hit the stone with the pebbles in their hands. Pilgrims need to understand the underlying spirit of the rite of rami al-jamar and realize that a symbolic but conscious stoning is sufficient to complete the rite.

Which aspect of Hajj highlights the concept of Ijtihad?

Ijtihad means to reapply the teachings of Islam to a new situation. In today’s age, the principle of ijtihad is a necessity. Ijtihad is a principle to be followed in every age. It was used even at the time of the Prophet.

For example, the Quran says: “Call humankind to the Pilgrimage. They will come to you, on foot, and on every kind of lean camel, by every distant track” (22: 27). This verse calls on all Muslims to perform the Hajj to Makkah on camelback. In today’s times, this command cannot be followed literally, and is taken to mean: ‘Use the available means of transportation for the Hajj.’ This is why we see today Muslims travelling to Makkah from around the globe by modern means of conveyance; nobody comes on camel. This is an example of reapplying the above Quranic verse to modern-day situations.

In life, situations and circumstances always change and thus there is a need to re-study and re-apply the original teachings of Islam, rather than following religious teachings literally.