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bismi-lLahi-rRahmani-rRahiem
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
=== News Update ===
THE HAJJ: IT ALL STARTED WITH PROPHET IBRAHIM
By Wahida Valiante -- December 22, 2006
This is the month of Hajj, a divinely prescribed pilgrimage to Makkah
that dates back to the prophet Ibrahim (Abraham), who with his son
Ishmael (Isma'il) built the Ka'bah or "house of Allah (God)." It is
through the rituals of the Hajj pilgrimage that Muslims commemorate the
personal struggle and sufferings of the Prophet Ibrahim whom the Qur’an
describes as; "indeed a paragon of virtue, obedient to Allah, and not
one of those who disbelieve. We chose him and guided him to a Straight
Path ..." (Qur'an 16: 121-123)
The message and mission of Prophet Ibrahim reached the culminating point
in the life and tradition of Prophet Muhammad. In his final address
before the vast Hajj concourse at Arafat, the last Prophet's message
highlighted the virtues of equality, justice, peace and human values.
We read in the Qur'an that Allah sends Prophets and messengers to all
nations of the world, bearing good news as well as warnings, and that
every prophet was chosen by Allah. They did not become prophets by their
own will or achievements. Some prophets did occasionally perform
miracles through the permission of Allah, but for the most part, they
all went through the same pains, trials, and tests in their lives as
other human beings.
"Lo! We inspired thee (Prophet Muhammad) as We inspired Noah and the
prophets after him, as We inspired Ibrahim and Isma’il and Isaac and
Jacob and the tribes, and Jesus and Job and Jonah and Aaron and Solomon,
and as we imparted unto David the Psalms; and messengers We have
mentioned unto thee before and messengers whom We have not mentioned
unto thee; and to Musa (Moses) God spoke directly. Messengers [are sent]
as heralds of glad tiding and of warning, in order that humankind might
have no excuse before Allah after the [coming of] these
messengers." (Qur'an 4:163-165)
These verses clearly show that there are two aspects involved in raising
or sending prophets; one aspect deals with "good news" and the other
with the concept of "warning." To punish a people for any wrong they may
do, without their being warned beforehand by a prophet from the Creator,
is contrary to Allah's mercy and compassion. The warning precedes
responsibility, which may be followed by reward or punishment: "So
anyone who has done an atom's weight of good, shall see it, and anyone
who has done an atom's weight of evil, shall see it." (Qur'an 99:7-8)
However, the majority of the people to whom prophets were sent rejected
these prophets and their teachings and showed intense animosity towards
them. And because of their arrogance and audacity, they brought Allah's
wrath upon themselves and in some cases were wiped off the face of the
earth. "Have they not learned anything from the previous generations? --
The people of Nuh (Noah), 'Aad, Thamud, the people of Ibrahim (Abraham),
the dwellers of Madyan (Midian) and of the cities overthrown; to them
come their Messengers with clear proof. So it was not God Who wronged
them, but they wronged their own souls." (Qur'an 9:70)
"We do not send messengers but as givers of good news and warning, and
those who disbelieve make a false contention that they may render null
thereby the truth, and they take My communications ... for a
mockery." (Qur'an 18:56) Let us reflect briefly as to what happened to
those people who rendered null the truth and made mockery of Allah's
apostles:
"... [A]s for the 'Ad - they were destroyed by a storm wind furiously
raging, which He willed against them for seven nights and eight days
without cease, so that in the end thou couldst see those people laid low
[in death], as though they were so many [uprooted] trunks of hollow palm
trees: and dost thou now see any remnant of them?" (Qur'an: 69: 6-8)
"And that was [the end of the tribe of] `Ad, [who] had rejected their
Sustainer's messages, and rebelled against His apostles, and followed
the bidding of every arrogant enemy of the truth." (Qur'an 11:50)
"[To those wrongdoers shall happen] the like of what happened to
Pharaoh's people and those who lived before them: they gave the lie to
their Sustainer's messages -- and so We destroyed them in return for
their sins, and caused Pharaoh's people to drown: for they were wrong-
doers ..." (Qur'an 8:54)
In the Bible (King James Version) we read: "The words of Amos who was
among the herdsmen of Tekoa which he saw concerning Israel: ‘Behold, the
eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it
from off the face of the earth; saving that I will not utterly destroy
the house of Jacob’." (Amos 9:8); "I will not turn away the punishment
thereof; because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a
pair of shoes." (Amos 2:5-6); "Ye who turn justice to wormwood, leaving
off righteousness in the earth. They hate him that rebuke in the gate,
and they abhor him that speaketh upright." (Amos 5:7-10)
The people of Lut (Lot) rejected (his) warning. "We sent against them a
violent tornado with showers of stones, (which destroyed them), except
Lut's household: them We delivered by early dawn as a grace from Us:
thus do We reward those who give thanks." (Qur'an 54: 33-36)
"This account of the communities -- some of them still remaining, and
some [extinct like] a field mown down -- We convey unto thee [as a
lesson for humankind]: for, no wrong did We do to them, but it was they
who wronged themselves. And such is thy Sustainer's punishing grasp
whenever He takes to task any community that is given to
evildoing." (Qur'an 11:100-102) Herein lies a clear warning for modern-
day evildoers,tyrants, occupiers and oppressors.
Once again, the annual Hajj coincides with dreadful events unfolding in
the Muslim world. The situation in the Middle East continues to be
volatile and ominous, with the international community and neighbouring
Muslim countries alike all distancing themselves from the intense
sufferings of the people of occupied Palestine, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
If this trend is not checked in time, impending catastrophe will
overtake us all.
Properly understood, the looming danger facing the world requires
Muslims to collectively -- as the global Ummah -- raise their voices
against tyranny and injustice. Millions of Muslims come to Makkah from
all corners of the world, reciting "O Lord I am here," a solemn promise
that also must be fulfilled in deed. But, as in the case of the Hajj,
mere rituals without deeper meaning and a spirit of justice and equality
behind their rites and customs, are not enough. The Qur'an drives home
this point, saying: "It is not their meat or blood that reaches
Allah." (Qur'an 22:37)
(Wahida Valiante is a longtime professional social worker, family
therapist and author. She is also a cyber-counselor with Islamonline and
national vice- president of the Canadian Islamic Congress. She can be
reached at [EMAIL PROTECTED])
source:
http://www.montrealmuslimnews.net/hajjstart.htm
===
-muslim voice-
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