This post is for the brothers and sisters with mobile devices that are used to click pictures and shoot videos, in an attempt to capture the sights and sounds of Haj rituals at the sacred sites, during the days of Haj. Imagine for a minute that we've been given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and are invited to the house of someone with tremendous (worldly) influence and riches. What would we do? Would we forego talking to the host in favor of clicking pictures of ourselves and our family in the host's magnificent house so that we could show them later to those who weren't there to witness our moment of glory? Would we spend our time chatting incessantly with friends and relatives back home or other guests in our company discussing our good fortune, while ignoring our host, not bothering to thank him for having us over, not considering how disruptive and distracting our behavior appears to the other guests? Chances are, we would not. Then, how do we feel free to do this on the most momentous journey of our lifetime, when we are guests of Allah, The All-Powerful, no less; Who is the Owner of all blessings and bounties, Who has the ability to grant us all that we desire in this world and the hereafter? How can we bring ourselves to forego connecting with Our Lord, making du'a to Him in earnest, begging for forgiveness from the mountainous burden of sins each of us carry, in favor of clicking pictures in the sacred sites, complaining about the arrangements or worse still, criticizing and gossiping about our fellow pilgrims during the days of Haj? How can we trade something of great benefit for something that carries lesser or no benefit, or is known to be a certian cause of harm? Perhaps one reason why we are easily distracted from the chief purpose of Haj is our lack of knowledge regarding the gravitas accorded to the Haj and the immense virtues of this journey. It is reported that Umar Bin Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, once came out and saw a traveling party and asked, “Who is this traveling party?” They replied, “Pilgrims (on Haj).” He asked them three times, “And nothing else has brought you forth?” They replied, “Nothing else.” He said, “If the travelers (on Haj) knew who they were coming to, they would feel the delight of having great virtue after forgiveness (from Allah). By He in whose hand is Umar's soul, never does (the pilgrim's) camel raise its hoof and place it back down except that Allah raises (the pilgrim) in rank, forgives one of his sins and writes for him a good deed.” (Al-Musannaf, 5:4,5) There are many stories of the our righteous predecessors and their successors (Tabi'oon) who were constantly conscious of the magnitude of their undertaking, and its implications for their worldly life and the Hereafter. u The Companion Hakim Bin Hizam (may Allah be pleased with him) used to stand in Arafat bringing 100 camels and 100 slaves. Once there, he would set free the slaves for the sake of Allah causing the people gathered there to take lessons from his act of piety and increase their du'a saying, “O Allah! Your slave has freed his slaves, and we too are Your slaves, so free us (from the Hellfire).” u Al-Fudhayl Bin Iyadh (may Allah have mercy upon him) saw the supplications of people and their weeping on the night of Arafat and asked the crowds, “If these people went to a man and asked him for a Daaniq (a very small amount of money), would he refuse?” The people said, “No.” He said, “The forgiveness of Allah is even easier to obtain than that.” u Abdullah Bin Al-Mubarak (may Allah have mercy upon him) said that he went to Sufyan Ath-Thawri (may Allah have mercy upon him) on the night of Arafat and he was kneeling down and crying. He asked him (Sufyan), “Who is the worst person in this gathering?” He said, “He who thinks Allah will not forgive him.” u Al-Hussain Bin Al-Hasan Al-Maruzi asked Sufyan Bin Uyainah, “What is the best supplication for the Day of Arafah?” He said, “La ilaha illAllahu wahdahu la sharika lahu.” He narrates: “I said, ‘But this is glorification of Allah and His praise, and it is not a du'a.” Thereupon Sufyan said, “Don't you know the hadith of Malik Bin Al-Harith which explains it?” I said to him, “Tell me about it.” He said, “Mansur narrated from Malik Bin Al-Harith that he said Allah The Almighty, says: ‘If a servant of Mine occupies himself in extolling and praising Me instead of asking Me for his needs I give him better than what I give to those who ask for their needs.'” Then he added, “This explains the saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him).” The point is: Our predecessors realized the magnitude of their journey, remained focused on its purpose, reminded each other and encouraged those in their company towards acts of worship and righteousness. As a result they went back with more than just memories, and went on to live and teach others by the benefits and blessings they had witnessed and gained during the Haj. Why do we let ourselves be distracted so easily, to be satisfied with so little when the blessings of this world and the eternal bounties of the Hereafter are ours for the asking during these days?
