A cry of joy, a baby is born, free from sins, pure of obscenities and born on the correct fitrah, which is the inborn natural human disposition. With all the sins that we have accumulated over the years, with our hearts going black, one yearns to expiate oneself, but it seems such an impossible task! How can we get rid of a lifetime of sins? Sins that weigh on us heavily as the salt bags on a mule's back. But even for a mule carrying its weighty bags, a day comes when it rains, dissolving the salt, and terminating his burden. This shower of wonderful water for us humans can be defined as Haj, the pilgrimage. A wonderful opportunity of annihilating our burden of sins and starting afresh, for indeed it was narrated in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim that Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say: “Whoever performs Haj and does not utter obscenities or commit sin, will come back as on the day when his mother bore him.” (Al-Bukhaari, 1521; Muslim, 1350) Also, Haj is the fifth pillar of Islam, which shows the utmost importance of this holy ritual. But coming to the greatest virtue of Haj, we see that the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said in a Hadith which the scholars have agreed that it is an authentic Hadith, “The reward for an accepted Haj is nothing less than Paradise.” This Hadith is evidence that an accepted Haj has no reward except Paradise. The scholars defined an accepted Haj as the Haj which is free from: 1. Rafath (sexual engagement) 2. Fusooq (sins) 3. Jidaal (arguing)
So now with Haj around the corner, those going for Haj should take it upon themselves to learn the correct ways, etiquettes, and manner for performing it. When we go for a tourist trip to some country, how much preparation do we make for it? We read brochures, purchase the appropriate clothing, research the culture, and even try to learn a bit of its language. Haj is of no comparison to such trips and is indeed a once in a lifetime opportunity and so it is essential that we prepare ourselves accordingly. Keeping this in mind, one should also sincerely try to repent from all sins; major or minor, for one never knows when such an opportunity may come to pass again. Finally, as we stand on Mount Arafat praying, with people from all around the globe standing with us as equals, it reminds us of the Day of Judgement when we will be accounted for and recompensed. May Allah grant us Paradise and may Allah make the Haj that we perform a means of reaching Paradise.
