The Ultimate Reward

" O mankind! Fear your Lord! For the convulsion of the Hour (Of Judgment) will be a thing terrible!. The Day ye shall see it, every mother giving suck shall forget her suckling babe, and every pregnant female shall drop her load (unformed): thou shall see mankind as in a drunken riot, yet not drunk; but dreadful will be the Wrath of Allah". (Quran, Surah 22, Verses 1-2).

These are the first verses of Surah Al Hajj (The Pilgrimage) reminding us of the Day of Judgment. Hajj is not an ordinary worldly journey like

Not all who undertake Hajj will have their Hajj accepted. Allah most High has prepared a great reward for Hajj mabroor, i.e., an accepted Hajj that is done in the most complete manner and in which its rules are all fulfilled. As Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said "….The reward for Hajj mabroor is no less than jannah (paradise) ." (Al-Bukhari). Hajj is therefore a journey of faith that Inshaallah, will ultimately bring a believer to (paradise).

Our Own Journey

Like any other believer longing and striving for the final bliss of paradise, my husband, Abdullah and I have always intended to undertake Hajj to fulfill this most important pillar of Islam. Abdullah is fortunate to have performed it two times when he served as a diplomat with the Philippine Embassy in Nigeria from 1995 to 2002. I did not have the same opportunity until this Hajj 2004 when finally, I got the calling from Allah (swt) to perform my first Hajj together with my husband.

In Islam, a person is allowed to perform Hajj for family members who are not able to undertake the journey themselves, provided he had done the first Hajj for himself. Abdullah therefore carried out this journey on behalf of our beloved son Hamdani, who passed away in the grace of Allah (swt) on 15 June 2003 at the prime age of his life. Aside from praying for an accepted Hajj for myself, I fervently prayed that Allah swt would accept my husband's Hajj for Hamdani and grant him a share of paradise.

The different rituals performed throughout our Hajj left us with touching and lasting impressions, which strengthened our faith as well as understanding of the purpose and wisdom behind Hajj as one of the most important pillars of Islam.

Ihram

There are three ways to perform Hajj, i.e., Qiran, Tamattu and Ifrad. We performed Tamattu, the Hajj recommended by Prophet Muhammad saw (sallahu alaihi wassalam). This required us to enter Ihram for Umrah, remove it after Umrah and enter Ihram again for Hajj.

Putting on Ihram was therefore the first action done for Hajj. The seamless white garments worn in the state of Ihram reminded us of the shroud we will wear after death. It signaled our readiness to sever ties with this world and bear the hardships and difficulties entailed in performing the Hajj. For me, wearing Ihram gave a great and wonderful feeling of purity, calmness and decency. In the state of Ihram, we had to observe specific rules and prohibitions, such as “no obscenity, no wickedness, nor wrangling" as commanded by Allah swt in the Holy Quran (Surah Al Baqara, Verse 197). We were under a state of training to cultivate and sustain good and praiseworthy acts of decency and chastity, gentleness, softness and calmness, humility, patience, concern for others, accountability for one's mistakes and suppression of anger, argumentation and disputes.

As we struggled to achieve Hajj mabroor, each of us had to be very careful not to engage in any prohibited act that would render our Hajj null and void. It is therefore no wonder that with the simple rules ordained by Allah swt during Hajj, the pilgrims, about 3 million of them who performed it this year, were generally disciplined, orderly and bore the hardship and sacrifices of Hajj with admirable patience and perseverance.

While one tragedy occurred like the stampede in Mina during the stoning in Jamarah that killed more than 250 people, such incident was somehow unavoidable with the sheer number of people doing the stoning at the same time. May Allah (swt) bless those who perished in this tragic incident and grant them paradise. As one hadith of Prophet Muhammad saw was narrated (Al Bukhari) ……the man was standing with the Prophet when he was thrown from his camel. The camel stomped and the man's neck was snapped and died. “Bathe his body with water and sidr and bury him with both garments," said the Prophet. “ Do not cover his head, nor touch him with camphor…for verily he will be returned to Allah (swt) on the day of resurrection in the state of Talbiyah (Labaik, Allahumma Labaik…Here I am O Allah, Here I am).

Wearing of Ihram also triggered the continuous recitation of Talbiyah……..

Labaik, Allahumma Labaik. (Here I am Oh Allah, Here I am) Labaika La Shariika, (Here I am. There is no partner with You) Laka Labaik, Innal Hamda, (Here I am. Verily, Your is the praise) Wa ni'mata Laka walmulk, La Shariika Lak (the blessings and the sovereignty of The Universe, You have no partner)

Every time we recited the Talbiyah, tears swelled our eyes for here we were, lowly servants of Allah (swt), answering His call for us to worship Him in His Holy House to declare our belief in His oneness, reinforce our struggle to follow His final and last messenger, Prophet Muhammad (saw) and surrender ourselves to His will in all humility, reverence and fear.

Waquf in Arafat

On the 9th of Zul Hijjah (31 January 2004), we performed the Waquf in Arafat. Here lay the significance of Hajj. Standing at Arafat, we gathered together with millions of people of different nationalities forming a community of nations, and raised our hands in unity to seek Allah's forgiveness and mercy and proclaim Him as our Lord and making firm resolve to worship Him and Him alone. The union of aspirations and the strength derived from such harmony constitute the secret of Hajj and its ultimate purpose. It was in Arafat where we went through the process of once again recognizing our Lord and where we were finally confirmed as Hajjis. Jamarah

After reconfirming our belief in Allah (swt), the one and only God of all creations, we took the next step in our journey to Mina to stone the devils in Jamarah.

We left Arafat and proceeded to Muzdalifah where we spent the night to collect pebbles. The weather was chilly cold and we had to sleep for few hours in an open air together with all the pilgrims from all over the world. This ritual was again another exercise that tested our patience, humility, suppression of anger and concern for others. It was already dawn of 10 Zul Hijjaj (1 February 2004) when our turn came to ride the bus to go to Mina for the stoning.

From designated tents where pilgrims stayed in Mina, various groups of pilgrims marched to Jamarah, carrying different flags to identify their respective groups. The various groups of people represented the entire community of nations with different colors, tongues and ethnic background. As we marched with the pilgrims reciting Takbir (Allah is the greatest) and other various supplications, I thought that the scene was simply moving and incredible. It reminded me of battle scenes in war movies where soldiers carrying flags, armed with guns or spears and swords, marching with bravery and courage, thrust to attack and fight an enemy. Who is the enemy? In this case, it is the devil himself who we stoned, armed with the recitation of Allahu Akbar (Allah is the greatest) at every throw to combat all forces of evil in the world.

Tawaf

The tenth of Zul Hijjah (1 February 2004) was Eid Ul Adha, signallling the culmination of Hajj rites. Right after the stoning, we proceeded to undertake Tawaf of Kaa'bah. We went around the Kaa'bah seven time where at the beginning of each round, we uttered the words “ Bismillah hu Allahu Akbar" (in the name of Allah, Allah is the greatest).. It was during the Tawaf that our eyes again puffed up with tears and our hearts filled with reverence and awe as we proclaimed the glory and greatness of Allah (swt) and sought His forgiveness, love and mercy. At one round of our Tawaf, an elderly black lady held tightly on to my hand for support and we looked at each other as tears rolled from both our eyes. This scene was among one of the many little miracles of Hajj cultivating the brotherhood of man under one God that deeply touches the heart.

With countless number of pilgrims doing the Tawaf, it was truly remarkable to see how each one was oblivious of the worldly things that happen around him and simply concentrated on remembering Allah (swt) and making Him the center of his life.

Sa'i Between Safa and Marwah

In Sa'i, we ran seven times between the two hills that easily reminded us of the story of Prophet Ibrahim, his wife Hagar and infant son Ismail when they migrated to Hijaz. It also took us to the time of the struggle of Hagar to look for water in the middle of a desert, to ensure her and her son's survival. As a mother, I truly felt the sacrifice and love of a mother for a beloved son. And it also reminded us of the greatest miracle that Allah (swt) bestowed on Hagar and her son, when she called upon Allah (swt) for mercy and help. That miracle continues to astound us with the zam-zam water that sprung in the middle of a barren land in answer to Hagar's fervent prayer. That water continues to benefit not only the inhabitants of Mecca but also the millions of believers who visit the Holy sites all throughout the year.

Shaving/Trimming Hair

After completion of the sa'i, hairs were shaved and trimmed to symbolize our freedom from the systems that are devoid of the guidance of Allah swt. During our turn to trim our hair, we had to borrow scissors from a lady who willingly trimmed my hair and lent the scissors to my husband. As I looked at her eyes, smiled and thanked her sincerely for her simple act of kindness, she gave me a tight and warm embrace and wished me 'Hajj mabroor'. This was another touching moment during our Hajj that left a lasting impression in my heart.

Animal sacrifice

I often wondered why we needed to sacrifice an animal during Hajj. Yes, we had to be reminded of Prophet Ibrahim's sacrifice of his beloved son Ismail but what does it really signify in our daily lives? It was during our Hajj that I was able to grasp its true meaning. Once we have declared that we will not worship anyone other than Allah (swt), people with faith in other systems will attempt to strike back. In such a situation, we must be ready without hesitation to sacrifice our wealth and ourselves. Sacrificing an animal that represent our worldly possessions, prepares us for such time.

The Miracle in Kaa'bah

To me, the annual Hajj is a great miracle in itself. Millions of people all over the world converge in one place, perform the same rituals, pursue a collective worship of Allah (swt) and seek closeness to Him in the one and only location chosen by him. No other religious system in the world could compare with the Hajj. The reality of being able to bring millions of people to one place and perform same rituals at same time is truly marvelous and astonishing. For the host, it is an equally daunting and challenging task to ensure the security, well-being and convenience of the pilgrims. But the demanding and challenging task become feasible and manageable to carry out as the Hajj continues to happen every year by the miracle and mercy of the Almighty One. Aside from this greatest miracle, I believe that little miracles do happen to each and every individual pilgrim and one did happen to my husband and me.