Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem
Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barkatuh!
Friday Nasiha;
*Hajj & Hope*
By- Br. Sadullah Khan
Many of those intending pilgrimage this year are about to embark on that
life-enhancing journey to hajj, that
largest annual convention of faith; where millions of Muslims gather in
the holy land, merging as streams of devotees from every corner of the
earth to become part of the sea of Believers, spiritually swirling in
human waves around the Ka'bah in tawaaf. Each individual
pilgrim is a drop in that ocean; an ocean that knows no barrier of
race, nor language, color, gender, age or time. The Hajj ...
Many of those intending pilgrimage this year are about to embark on that
life-enhancing journey to hajj, that
largest annual convention of faith; where millions of Muslims gather in
the holy land, merging as streams of devotees from every corner of the
earth to become part of the sea of Believers, spiritually swirling in
human waves around the Ka'bah in tawaaf. Each individual
pilgrim is a drop in that ocean; an ocean that knows no barrier of
race, nor language, color, gender, age or time. The Hajj ...
demonstrates universal Islamic fraternity acquaints pilgrims with historical
and spiritual environment of Prophet Ibrahim (Alaihis-salam), Hajirah, Prophets
Isma'il and Muhammad (sall'Allahu alaihi wa sallam) re-enacts fundamental
aspects of our history reminds of the ‘Grand Assembly' on the Day of Judgment
Hajj, Family and Future
Abraham (Alaihis-salam) was the first to
"announce the pilgrimage" [Qur'an 22:27],
while most hajj rites also focus on Abraham (Alaihis-salam) and his family.
Ibrahim (Alaihis-salam),
Hajirah and Isma'il, played a major role in the re-establishment of
tawhid/monotheism in Makkah and much of the annual pilgrimage/hajj
undertaken by believers are symbolic re-enactments of significant
phases in their life; and this include the tawaaf (circumambulation of
the Ka'bah), the sa'iy (running between the hills of Safa and Marwa),
the udhiyah (sacrifice of animals).
The story of Prophet Ibrahim (Alaihis-salam), Hajar and Isma'il is about..
- the establishment of tawhid
- the struggle of a family to survive
- about community, about the hope, about preparation for future generations
This family in that wadi ghayri dhi dhar'in ‘ind baytikal muharram / "barren
valley near the sacred house" [Q14:37] established
the foundation of sound belief for the ideological guidance of
generations to come; as a well as the blessing of the well of zamzam
which is a source of life and living, a source of hope for generations
to this day and beyond. We send salutation on Prophet Ibrahim (Alaihis-salam)
and the
family as we send salutation on Prophet Muhammad (sall'Allahu alaihi wa sallam)
and his family.
Rituals and Beyond
The performance of prescribed rites (manaasik), at specified
times, at particular places in a recommended manner is aimed at
reflecting a wholesome demonstration of Muslim brotherhood and
sisterhood. It familiarizes the pilgrim with the historic, spiritual
and physical environment of Adam and Hawa/Eve, of Ibrahim (Alaihis-salam),
Isma'il and
Hajirah and of Prophet Muhammad (sall'Allahu alaihi wa sallam). By
re-enacting some of the significant elements/moments/aspects of the
best of our history (Hajirah's running in search for water, Prophet Ibrahim
(Alaihis-salam)'s preparedness to sacrifice his willing and obedient son
Isma'il or Abraham (Alaihis-salam)'s pelting of the shaytaan, thereby
symbolically declaring war against evil; all this identifies us with
the best of our past and the lessons we need to learn from our great
legacy.
Perpetuating the Abrahamic Legacy
We, as Muslims have the responsibility of continuing the legacy of
Prophet Ibrahim (Alaihis-salam), which was perpetuated by Prophet Muhammad
(sall'Allahu alaihi wa sallam). We need to
be of those who transmit ..
the principles of tawhid be concerned about the (physical, spiritual and moral)
survival of our community be engaged in manifesting hope for future
generations.
Though the statement of the Prophet stating that "Islam is based on
five pillars" is well-known, most of us do not pay attention to the
wider philosophy behind it. Islam is not just about these five pillars.
The Prophet is trying to direct us to understand that the pillars serve
as our base but there is a structure on top of these pillars.
We need
to realize that most of Islam is beyond of the masjid. We are Muslims for 24
hours each day, as Allah says
"I have created you just to worship me".
If prayers takes only 15 minutes of our time, what about rest of the
hours in the day? Islam is something that needs to be expressed outside
wherever we are. An example can be found in the story of Prophet Yusuf
when the inmates who were with him in jail saw a dream and went to him
for its meaning, as they remarked that they noticed his goodness and
his ability to tell the truth in such matters إِنَّا نَرَاكَ مِنَ
الْمُحْسِنِينَ [Q 12:36].
We should therefore heed ...
وَلاَ تُفْسِدُواْ فِي الأَرْضِ بَعْدَ إِصْلاَحِهَا وَادْعُوهُ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا
إِنَّ رَحْمَتَ اللّهِ قَرِيبٌ مِّنَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ
Do not cause mischief/corruption on earth after it has been set
proportionately in order; rather call upon the Almighty with deep
consciousness and heartfelt desire. Surely, Allah is near to those who
do good.
[Qur'an 7:156]
Look at the major issues affecting the world ...
Global Climate Change is the single biggest threat to the planet and will
affect everyone on Earth. Nuclear War could destroy the human civilization The
United Nations Joint Program on AIDS (UNAIDS) estimates that since
the start of the global HIV pandemic over 30 million people have been
infected with HIV. Over 3 million people die annually due to AIDS, and
it is estimated that 25 million children will be orphaned due to AIDS
by 2010. In the past decade, more than 4million children
have been killed due to war (31 000 a month), and 6 million have been
seriously injured or disabled due to war. The onset of war inflates the
average child death rate up to 24 times. Thousands die as the result of
direct violence; millions more die from indirect consequences,
including destruction of food supply, water systems, health services
and sanitation. Approximately 1 million children have
been orphaned by war in the past decade and an additional 4 million
have been subjected to physical mutilation and torture.
Hunger, Starvation, Lack of Water.
Hunger, poverty, and homelessness are sources of desperation in all
parts of the world. Most victims of these social ills are found in
developing countries. Consider these statistics from the United Nations
Development Program (UNDP):Worldwide:
- nearly 800 million people do not get enough food daily
- half a billion people suffer from some form of malnutrition, 250
million of these are children of preschool age. Talking about children,
recent UNICEF and Save the Children reports indicate that ...
34,000 of the world's children die each day from starvation and related causes
Every three seconds, poverty takes at least one child's life, resulting
in 30,000 deaths each day. 11 million children every year and more than
5 million of these are un Only 1% of the world's water is usable to us.
About 97% is salty sea water, and 2% is frozen in glaciers and polar
ice caps. Thus that 1% of the world's water supply is a precious
commodity necessary for our survival. Dehydration (lack of water) will
kill us faster than starvation (lack of food). Since the plants and
animals we eat also depend on water, lack of it could cause both
dehydration and starvation.
More than one billion people worldwide lack access to clean water and
over two billion do not have adequate sanitation facilities. During the
past 10 years more people have died from lack of clean water than in
armed conflict. 2.4 billion people - or just under half the world's
population - have no adequate water supply for daily needs. The World
Resources Institute predicts that by 2025, at least 3.5 billion people,
or nearly 60 percent of the world's population, will face water
scarcity.
Prioritize
The case of the English school teacher Gillian Gibbons indicates how
some people are often more passionate about non-issues than about the
real issues. People are dying in Sudan, there is internal strife,
hunger... and people are emotionally over-charged over a teddy-bear
being used as a teaching tool being called by the name of Muhammad (sall'Allahu
alaihi wa sallam); a
name chosen by the school students due to the popularity of the name in
that area. The teacher is accused of publicly insulting or degrading
religion, its rites, beliefs and sacred items or humiliating its
believers -- she may face up to six months in jail, 40 lashes and a
fine. We must ensure that we never lose our sense of priorities,
focusing on major issues, then minor issues; always avoiding non-issues
from our priority list. There are enough major issues affecting the
world, let's start there.
The Crucial Question
How are we, the perpetuators of the tradition of Prophet Ibrahim (Alaihis-salam)
responding to these crises? How are we engaging in the affairs of
community, in bringing about hope,and laying the groundwork in
preparation for future generations?
Glory to the Almighty
Glory be to Allah for making the Ka'bah the meeting of the ummah,
for making hajj the key expression of solidarity among Believers and as
a manifestation of the bond of fraternity and mutual affinity. All
praise is due to Allah for making this unique, international gathering
of hajj an inexhaustible source for spiritual revival and as a
continuous re-affirmation of faith and may Allah accept the hajj of all who are
going.
Source: www.muslimbridges.org
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Our Lord! grant us good
in this world
and good in the hereafter,
and save us from the chastisement of the fire
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
