Taking Lessons from Hajj

Transcript of the Friday Sermon delivered by Dr. Munawar Haque on August 25, 2017

My dear brothers and sisters! Alhamdulillah, we are passing through the first ten days of the month of Dhul Hijjah—the 12^th month of the Islamic calendar. These are the days when pilgrims make a journey to Mecca to perform Hajj. These days are blessed for both pilgrims and non-pilgrims. Rewards of good deeds are multiplied in these days. It has been confirmed in Sahih al-Bukhari from Ibn Abbas (RA) that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: "There are no days in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than these ten days."

One of the reasons why these days are distinguished is due to it being the time in which the foundational worships are collectively carried out i.e. prayers, fasting, charity, and Hajj are carried out in conjunction with one another. These acts are not carried out collectively in any other days. It will not be wrong to say that just as the month of Ramadan is a period of attaining taqwa and God-consciousness throughout the Islamic world, so also is Hajj a time for revival of hearts and a time for reawakening of the Muslim ummah. My khutba today is on the topic: “Taking Lessons from Hajj.”    

Hajj, which is one of the five pillars of Islam, has been part of our heritage for hundreds of years. It is more effective and powerful than any other conceived gathering to propagate our movement throughout the world and keep it alive till eternity. This universal movement is more powerful than any other to draw out human beings in the name of Allah and make them into a brotherhood transcending race, color and nationality. InshaAllah, as long as the Ka’ba remains the center of the Islamic world, it will be impossible to end the life of this body of the Muslim Ummah.

We usually think of journeys to be of two kinds: those made for business and those made for pleasure. In both cases, it is to fulfill our worldly desires and to benefit ourselves that we leave our homes and our families, and spend money. The journey is undertaken purely for our own sake. But the journey to perform Hajj is quite different in nature.  This is not meant for any personal end.  It is undertaken solely for Allah, and for fulfillment of the duty prescribed by Allah. The person going for Hajj is prepared to incur great expenses on a journey that will bring no material rewards.

Let us reflect upon some of the many lessons that we could learn from Hajj and that have great benefits for Muslims, both individually and collectively.

An important lesson to be derived from Hajj is one of attaining taqwa or God-consciousness leading to righteousness and piety. While ordaining the rules and ethics of Hajj, Allah says in Surat al-Baqarah,

وَتَزَوَّدُوا فَإِنَّ خَيْرَ الزَّادِ التَّقْوَى وَاتَّقُونِ يَا أُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ

“Provide well for yourselves: the best provision is to be mindful of Allah- always be mindful of Me, O people of intelligence!” (al-Baqarah, 2:197)

Referring to the practice of sacrificing animals, Allah says in Surat al-Hajj,  

لَنْ يَنَالَ اللَّهَ لُحُومُهَا وَلَا دِمَاؤُهَا وَلَكِنْ يَنَالُهُ التَّقْوَى مِنْكُمْ

“Their flesh and blood does not reach Allah but what reaches Him is your taqwa.” (al-Hajj, 22:37)

The ayah 32 of Surat al-Hajj tells us that honoring the sacred rites ordained by Allah is because of the piety of hearts.  

وَمَنْ يُعَظِّمْ شَعَائِرَ اللَّهِ فَإِنَّهَا مِنْ تَقْوَى الْقُلُوبِ

“As for those who honor Allah´s sacred rites; that comes from the taqwa in their hearts.”  (al-Hajj, 22:32)

Ibrahim (AS) gave Muslims a great lesson by doing exactly what Allah ordered him to do. Once he passed the test, Allah showered His mercy upon him and made his great sacrifice a confirmed act of Sunnah for Muslims until the Day of Judgment. This is a great lesson of love and sacrifice and comes only with piety of the heart.

Hence, to show their love and obedience to Allah, the people of taqwa, despite their natural love of money, keep away from practices involving usury, gambling, cheating, false oaths and all types of injustices since they are ordered by Allah to refrain from such evil practices.  Despite their other natural desires, they keep their gaze lowered, maintain their chastity, and guard their private parts—all because Allah has ordered them to do so. So, one of the most important lessons of Hajj is to cultivate within oneself the taqwa of Allah (SWT).

A further lesson is that of unity and brotherhood.  Just visualize what it must be like to see people from countless communities and countries converging on one center from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. Their faces are different, their colors are different, their languages are different, but on reaching a point near the center, all pilgrims replace their differently designed garments they are wearing for a simple uniform of the same design. This single, common uniform of Ihram distinguishes them as the army of one single King. It becomes the symbol of obedience and submissiveness to the One Supreme Being.

Acquiring good morals is another lesson from Hajj. Pilgrims are trained to be tolerant and patient. They have to restrain their anger, which could be aggravated by the mere presence of the multitude of people all around them and by tiredness and fatigue experienced while performing the rites of Hajj. Pilgrims know that Hajj is performed during a limited number of days and they do not want to nullify their Hajj by giving free rein to their evil desires or by becoming intolerant and impatient. They learn to be generous, righteous and merciful, and to favor other people over themselves. When they get used to enduring hardships and practicing good morals during the Hajj days, they would hopefully maintain good morals during the rest of their lives.

Another lesson from Hajj is to get used to zikr or the remembrance of Allah. This is because tawaf, sa‘y, Rami Jamrah, wuqoof al-‘Arafah, udhiyah, and all other rites and rituals were legislated in order to remember Allah. When pilgrims remember Allah constantly while performing these acts of worship, they feel assured; they have peace of mind and heart, and they draw closer to Allah. All this leaves a mark in their hearts and helps them to get accustomed to remembering Allah even after Hajj.

Yet another lesson is to get used to making du’a or supplication and to repent sincerely for one’s sins and shortcomings. The Hajj trip is a great opportunity for supplicating Allah as pilgrims have many merits that make their supplications more likely to be answered. This is because pilgrims supplicate during honored days and at honored places. There are certain rites and rituals and certain times when dua’s are more worthy of being answered. The Hajj season makes the pilgrims get used to invoking Allah in the future as well.

Time management is also an important lesson that pilgrims learn from Hajj. There is no time to be wasted during the limited period of Hajj. Many rites, rituals and activities have to be carried out meticulously with the optimum utilization of time. Every pilgrim strives sincerely towards perfect time management so that his or her Hajj is accepted by Allah (SWT). Naturally, this is a lesson for life and not just for the four days of Hajj. May Allah (SWT) give us the tawfiq to put in practice these useful lessons in our daily lives.

أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ وَلِسَائِرِ المُسْلِمينَ وَالمُسْلِمَاتْ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهْ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ 

الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على سيد المرسلين وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين

My dear brothers and sisters! Being thankful and grateful to Allah (SWT) is another lesson that Hajj offers. During Hajj, a pilgrim sees many people who are physically challenged and some others who may even be crippled. He thanks Allah for granting him health. He also sees the poor and the needy. So, he thanks Allah for granting him wealth. He sees crowds of people sitting on the ground; sleeping in the tents, and remembers the spacious place where he lives, back home, and thanks Allah for this. He praises Allah for making him perform Hajj and making it easy for him while many other Muslims long for Hajj but cannot perform it. He also thanks Allah for making him a Muslim and this makes him adhere to Islam and to live Islam as a way of life. 

A vivid remembrance of the hereafter and particularly of the Day of Judgment is also a lesson to be derived from Hajj. When a pilgrim sees crowds of people surging over each other at one place, humbling themselves to the Almighty, he too is humbled with the awe and love of Allah. He remembers the Day of Judgment when he will be called upon to give an account of his life on earth. He begins to avoid indulging in useless and time-wasting activities and starts preparing himself for the day he will meet His Lord.

Another lesson is a reminder that Shaytan (Satan) is a clear enemy to man. Allah (SWT) has ordered us to take him as an enemy and never to follow his footsteps. People of understanding learn this lesson and realize the wisdom of Rami Jamrah or stoning the devil, which is a symbolic rite of rejecting the Shaytan and his temptations. They apply this lesson when dealing with Shaytan from humans and Jinn who want to prevent them from obeying Allah (SWT). They know that anyone who tries to sidetrack them from the way of Allah is a Shaytan regardless of his appearance and behavior. They detest Shaytan, keep away from him, and seek Allah’s refuge from him and his agents.

Let me conclude by saying that combined with prayer, fasting and charity, and looked at as a whole, we can see that Hajj constitutes a preparation for the great task, which Islam wants Muslims to do.  This is why it has been made compulsory for all who have the money and the physical fitness for the journey to the Ka’ba.  This ensures that, in every age, there are Muslims who have passed through this training.

Now, having discussed some of the valuable lessons that can be derived from Hajj, what is the reality on ground? Every year, nearly three million pilgrims go to the center of Islam and come back after having had the privilege of performing Hajj, but does that experience have the desired positive effect on them. Do the pilgrims make any impact on those whom they meet or with whom they live after their return from Hajj? Unfortunately, many of them continue to exhibit their undesirable habits and lifestyles that they had before performing Hajj. Yet if Hajj is performed as it is intended to be, it would change the lives of millions of Muslims, and attract thousands of non-Muslims to Islam.

May Allah (SWT) accept the Hajj of all the Hujjaj; accept their tawaf, their sa’y, their sacrifice, their rukoos and sujood, and their dua’s. May Allah (SWT) forgive our sins and help us to turn to Him. Allahumma Ameen. 

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