Things you should know about Hajj
By Rezaul Hossain | August 15, 2021
I am taking this initiative to write down something about hajj for those who want to perform with or without understanding this Farz amol. Two types of people are doing Hajj, one type doing it just to give tick mark as Farz activity and other type is by really understanding it. I want to apologies for writing in a very Basic English of mine just because I don’t know how to type Bengali. I wish I could write it in Bengali.
First of all we need to understand that this Farz Amol is not for everybody. This is farz for those who are financially capable. (Sura Al-Imran Ayat 97) In one word this is a financial amol not mandatory amol. So, this is unjust in my logic to sell everything and perform hajj, which are very prevalent nature of our countrymen. However, this is also true that a person can do everything if almighty calls him to visit his house or to please him. That’s a different chapter or matter altogether.
Moreover, actually it’s a prerequisite to understand our religion well. And in a mature stage of understanding and realization people should perform hajj. In the current context it’s totally the other way around. We can find in lot of cases without having proper understanding of our religion people are actually visiting or performing (try to) hajj because they think that it’s farz for them. Perhaps they are incapable or not interested at all to understand our religion (Islam) and the essence of it first.
Every Muslim should go through proper process to understand Islam properly. That’s why it is evident and clear in Sura Al Imran verse 102 that “We shouldn’t die not except in a state of Islam”. Every individual should know that they can’t be Muslim by born, they have to be Muslim by their work or deeds. This is a process. Hajj is a very matured and beautiful stage of our religion. Nonetheless, it might be harmful for them and punishment is waiting as per sura kahaf verse 103/104, if you don’t understand the essence of the whole process and of practicing it.
Quite unfortunate part is that a huge percentage of people in our country performing hajj, are those who didn’t even go through Bangla Quran for at least once. As per our wrong social demand we are able to read Arabic without understanding the meaning of it. What a pity? I am not also exception.
One more thing we need to know that conceptually our every amol is interrelated. These are not independent. Iman, Namaj, Roja, Jakat n Hajj, all of those are closely connected. People need to understand that Islam is not that kind of a religion, which can be customized like Christianity or other religion. Surah Bakara 85, Allah said, “Do you believe in a part of the scripture and reject the rest?” Consequently, we have to maintain it completely or forget it.
In this small write up I will focus only on the inner meaning of Hajj not the rituals part. There is lot of good books in the market on rituals like what to do or what not to do. Prerequisite of Hajj Relevant important terms of Hajj, which are also prerequisite to understand inner meaning: What is Hajj? Our internal Kulb and Nafs have to be purified before going to him. In another sense you are returning home (Jannah) the house of Allah. Your physical and spiritual journey through change of your energy (internal) (Kalb/ Nafs) (Appetite/ Desire) towards home. Leaving the physical house of yours (nafs, duniya) and going towards house of Allah without Nafs. Moulana Abdul Kader Jilani (Rah) said: it requires two steps to arrive to the house of Allah, one is if you are away from Kahlq (attachment of families, friends/ lands/ creeds) and other is if you are away from your nafs. There is three type of Hajj. Hajj Tamattu (Can break the state of Ihram), Hajj Kiran (Without breaking the state of the Ihram) & Hajj Iffad (No Umrah and Qurbani). What is Nafs? What is Qalb? What is Ruh? What is Aql? What is Miqat? You have to recite talbiya “labbayak allahumma labbayak…. Labbayak Lasharikalaka Labbayak, Innal hamda wanna imata laka wal mulk, la sharika lak” “(Here we come, O allah, here we come! Here we come. No partner have you. Here we come! Praise indeed and blessings are yours the kingdom too! No partner have you!)” Arafat: Mujdalifa: Mina: Now you are ready to go to Allah’s house. By cutting your hair meaning by cutting leftover Ego of yours and by leaving or sacrificing your leftover Nafs by doing Qurbani. Conclusion:
Allah says in sura Yunus verse 9 that “ Those who believe and do deeds of righteousness their lord will guide them through their faith; “ Believe means Six Articles of faith (To believe in Almighty, His angels, His Books, His Messengers, Day of Resurrection and Al Qadar). Believe doesn’t mean only reciting Kolema. You have to understand the meaning of “Kolema”. Hope this small initiative of mine will help to think well before performing hajj. My Actual intention is to give hint to our people that they should learn more before performing Hajj. It will fulfill one and give him ultimate peace. Thank You.
# You have to be Muslim not only in name
sura bakara 132 and al Imran 41
# To become Muslim you have to know the inner meaning of Iman then Namaj, Roja and Jakat (As I am focusing only hajj in this write up so not going in detail of the above)
# You have to know the meaning of Toqlid, Taqwa and Akida at least
# You have to understand priority, proportion, sequence and overall balance of our religion
After all of the above if you are financially capable then go for hajj. It’s always better if you are physically n mentally strong. This journey towards house of Allah can be very interesting, divine and meaningful for them who really are capable to embrace what Allah is trying to get from us and what our Rasul (Peace be upon him) did.
Meaning of Hajj is to orient your self towards the house of Allah. This is the journey of our heart and body towards house of Allah through struggle. This is the ultimate destination and journey of life. This movement is not only geographical but also spiritual.
Soul is the origin of Nafs. In a short Nafs means desire or whims. In other words it is attraction towards duniya or means.
Heart is the origin of Qalb. It is interrelated with Nafs as well. If any individual can control his or her Nafs then his or her Qalb will be pure. That’s why Qalb is constantly changing.
Spirit is the origin of Ruh. Body can’t function without Ruh. So, this is actually the root of everything. Ruh was there, now body is functional for this and it will go back to Allah again.
Heart and Mind both are the origin of Aql. This means knowledge. Though there is a basic difference between knowledge and wisdom but Aql represents information or knowledge. In other words if your desire is pure and controlled then knowledge will be clear and divine as a result one can achieve eternal happiness everywhere.
When you arrive at Miqat through struggle in a certain meeting place where you will get into the state of Ihram (By giving up duniya). You will be much nearer to Allah’s holy sanctuary (haram). This situation of Ihram prohibits you to do many things. Reaching in Miqat represents the nearness of Allah. You are in the process of purifying your self. In this level of nearness (gift of being nearness) (inner tranquility or serenity ) if you are able to give up duniya then you will be able to close to infinity or close to zero. That’s why:
Hajj begins with Arafat. Word comes from Al Araf. It is a verb means “To know”. Knowing yourself and removing the stench of oneself. Allah will identify you by your stench. Allah shows his Angels that, “See my people came to confess and clear their stench”. This is the celebration day for the Angels. Cleaning stench is the process of cleansing oneself and we will be scented.
Another meaning of Araf is scent. This is the station for scenting yourself. We have to produced scent by leaving our stench. Every individual has his own scent. With the help of this scent of magferat we will leave our junub/stench and create divine scent and ready to go to his house.
End of Arafa (after jawal) we are exposed in arafa with seems less gourmet entering into the heat without any shed in outside and inside we are purifying by mentioning Talbiya by pleading waging till sunset until junub melts.
Means nearness. Near to Haram. Near to almighty. As a gift performing Salah as thankfulness, spent the night under the open sky. Feeling of leaving everything and alone. In the morning go to more nearer to him. Symbolically collected your leftover of Satan’s from here. Seven Pebbles per Satan.
Plural of “Munia”. Word comes from Muna, means desire/ wishes. Seekers desire fulfilled and one is ready to go to Haram. This desire to those who desire and ask for Allah’s nearness. Not asking any “means”. Asking for means leads you to Duniya for that reason you are not here.
Last action going to Jamarah is throwing your inside Satan and leaving your inside saytan’s behind there.
