Yusuf Estes
Hajj: A Personal Account of Worship, Love, and Marriage
Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem
As-Salamu alaykum:
We have almost completed the rituals of the Hajj. All that remains
now is the last stoning of the jammerat. This will be taking
place within the next few hours inshallah.
The time here in Mekkah is about 2:30 in the morning. When most
of the folks in this time zone would be expected to be sleeping
and enjoying a good night's rest, there are hundreds of thousands
of people walking in the desert with the sole ambition of throwing
7 pebbles at a concrete pillar. Sound strange? Maybe.
If you are not familiar with the rites of hajj (pilgrimage)
in Islam, all of this would make little, if any sense at all.
But when you come to know that these manask (rituals) are a part
of something far greater and as old as recorded history, it may
begin to open a better understanding of why 3 million people
a year risk their ve4y lives and often spend everything they
have
just to come here in the Arabian desert to remove their comfortable
and expensive clothes to replace them with two sheets (or over
sized bath towels) take off their designer shoes or sneakers
to put on a pair of rubber sandals, and then begin to walk, trot
and run through what some might consider to be an obstacle course
or training camp.
Hajj (pilgrimage) is something long associated with the religion
of Abraham, peace be upon him. The Jews, Christians and Muslims
all except the fact that the prophet of God called Abram (Abram
later became known as Abraham according to the Old Testament)
from ancient Iraq had to go on a long and tedious trek throughout
what is today considered to be the "Holy Land" that
includes most of the area of Iraq, Arabia, Palestine and Egypt.
One journey took him to Bekkah (latter called Makkah) in the
Arabian desert just off the western coast of the Red Sea. He
left his wife and son, Ishmael (Ismail in Arabic) their at a
place that is now known for the water of Zamzam. This was an
ancient site for worship of the One true God Almighty (Allah
in Arabic). This is the very place where Abraham, peace be upon
him, was tested by God to see if he would actually offer his
son as a sacrifice for God, although he had waited almost one
hundred years to have a child. Although Abraham, peace be upon
him, was willing to perform the feat and offer his son, he was
shown the true Mercy of God, when Allah made a ram appear to
be sacrificed in his son's place. This event is interpreted in
different ways by the Jews, Christians and Muslims as to the
significance, but they all agree to its importance as a key part
of their respective religions.
This occasion is one that I in particular was studying about
as a Christian preacher, when I first learned about the Islamic
view on the subject. I was so impressed that I continued my studies
of Islam and prayed to God that He guide me to the right path.
And of course the results were, that I entered into Islam. And
now here I am today, performing those very sacred rites associated
with the first Hajj of Abraham, peace be upon him.
My family and I have traveled half way around the world to be
a part of this most magnificent event. We can all tell you first
hand, that it is not easy. Yet it is something that if you understand
and participate to the best of your ability, you will receive
benefits beyond anything that this would has to offer.
For the Muslims, Hajj is one of the five primary pillars and
if it is completed correctly, the promise is forgiveness of sins
and entrance to Paradise for the true believers.
May Allah grant a successful Hajj to all the believers, ameen.
Salam alaykum,
Yusuf Estes
Hajj: A Personal Account of Worship, Love, and Marriage - Part 3
