Humble request to the fortunate Hajjis

By Dr. Muhammad Hafizullah

Clad in Ahram we waited patiently in a long queue for our turn at the airport counter. Just as we approached the counter, a gentleman escorted by a local employee overtook us. He too was clad in Ahram! This was a blatant attempt to rob us of our rights. There were still at least ten more families behind me. It was most annoying and I was about to lose my cool! Just then I reminded myself that we were travelling on the same flight and it was quite obvious that the flight could not leave without either of us. But more important was the fact that we were both clad in Ahram and had publicly declared our intention of leaving for the holiest of the holy places. And the goal was only to seek the pleasures of Allah and His Prophet (SAW). Once one puts on the Ahram and shuns away the worldly things, the inner self has to be cleansed from worldly temptations. Every effort should be made to be humble and be a source of comfort and not nuisance for other fellow human beings. As such our behavior as a Muslim has to be good but now clad in Ahram it has to be at its best. Even if someone commits an excess we should exercise more tolerance and pray that this may enhance our earnings in His sight.

Sometimes just before Aasar prayers a queue is formed in the Haram to kiss Hijre Aswad. Most times this queue moves very fast and even people like me, who are not very daring and prefer not to hurt anyone, get a lifetime chance to get close to Hijre Aswad. As we were standing in the queue extending from Rukne Yamani to Hijre Aswad, almost touching Khana Kaaba, the person ahead of me started grumbling about intruders in the queue. An elderly person, with good command on language, turned around and said, “Don’t you realise that right now you are standing next to Khana Kaaba?; you are one of the luckiest persons on this earth and this time is very precious. Forget about others and concentrate on your prayers.” This is an important lesson for all of us, we should always concentrate on our submissions and prayers and should not be distracted by trivial. The goal of pleasing Allah and His Prophet must never elude us. The days we spend over there are numbered and we should not waste them in worldly things especially in inconsequential bickering.

It’s our firm belief that nobody can go to Hajj and Umra unless so desired and allowed by Allah Subhanu Taala. As such, all the Zaireen are elevated to the coveted status of ‘guests of Allah’.

Whereas this guarantees a special status, it also imposes special responsibilities. First of all one has to understand that all Zaireen are very special people, who are only there as His special guests and as such they are very respectable for all of us. Second important thing to comprehend is the bond between all Zaireen is the love for Allah Subhanu Taala and His prophet. This is not an ordinary bond – this undoubtedly should be one of the strongest bonds. This makes it imperative for us not to only extend the usual respect but to go out of our way to accommodate and be very nice and polite to each other. 

“You don’t have to do this, I will find another space for myself,” said the octogenarian dressed in dhoti and long shirt. The simpleton from rural Punjab did not have polished manners but surely had a fire sizzling in his heart with love for Allah Subhanu Taala and His Prophet. In Mataf he occupied the space of a gentleman who returned after a few minutes from bathroom. As tempers started running high a young man sitting in the next row offered him his own space. Most people arriving late occupy whatever space is available but some venture in front rows. It is miracle in its own right when one witnesses hundreds of devotees getting absorbed in thousands where there is apparently no space. The general desire of people is to have a little space to offer prayers with concentration and would generally decline offering space under the pretext that another person is occupying the space and has gone out for ablution. Very few people realise and actually practice that there may be more in ‘giving’ than ‘taking’. Who knows that the prayers offered when one is squashed in rush and cannot even stand properly and offer Sajda may be rewarded more by Him. The reward of accommodating another person only to please Allah may be very high. Every effort should be made to accommodate other Nimazis even at the cost of a little discomfort!

Immediately after prayers people leave Harmain Sharefain; naturally this leads to a lot of pushing and pulling. Worse so that at the peak of rush people praying outside try to force their way into Harmain Sharefain. Of course there is no simple solution and this is bound to happen in every busy place like football stadiums and airports. But if we exercise a little patience and follow a few basic principles of forming a queue and letting those in front of us take precedence the problem may be eased off to a great extent. Special courtesy should be extended to elders and disabled persons.

Cleanliness is almost like an obsession to our hosts. During Ramazan while there is extravagant distribution of food and water, many concentrate only on distribution of tissue papers. Allah Subhanu Taala has pledged plenty of fruit and food for the dwellers of holy cities.

But how we consume the food is entirely up to us. Extra steps should be taken to ensure cleanliness – starting from ourselves, our rooms, our buildings, roads and most importantly in Harmain Sharefain. This has to come from within ourselves and we should actively and physically contribute towards cleanliness not only because it is logically, socially and medically desirable but also that it is an integral part of our faith. Bathrooms need our attention – may it be in our buildings or at the collective facility. It is our responsibility to spend some time cleaning them and leaving them in a better and cleaner state.

“Oh Allah grant prosperity, solidarity and harmony to all Muslim countries and bless all Muslims with eternal peace and Barakaat from your special treasures,” the gentleman kept repeating with his arms up in the air near Multazim.

This hit me like a bombshell. Whereas most people around me were praying for worldly things and that too confined to their family members, here was a person who was praying for everyone. It is essential that we must include all our Muslim brothers and Ummah in all our special prayers at all special occasion and places.

Indeed it is great honour to be invited as His special guests but with honour comes responsibilities. One of my friends took upon himself to do something ‘extra’ for fellow Hajis, at least once between two prayers. At times he would help an old man with wheel chair, sometimes he would help someone climb stairs, at other time he would volunteer to carry someone’s bag, buy someone a drink, offer Zamzam to Nimazis, distribute dates or dry fruit among fellows around, pick up wrapping papers or offer his space to an elderly or disabled person.

May be at the end of this noble journey if we do something extra and special for His special guests and earn prayers of our fellow Hajis, Allah Subhanu Taala may bless our Hajj and our lives with eternal Barkaat.

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