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The Hajj (Pilgrimage) The Quranic Way . The reader of the Quran will note that all the rites of Hajj that are decreed by God Almighty are to be found in the Quran. Sadly, many idolatrous rituals have crept into the Hajj that is practised today. These corrupted rituals, not only have no Quranic basis, but they also clearly violate the concept of Hajj as given in the Quran. In an attempt to present the true Quranic Hajj to the reader the following issues are analysed: FIRST : The rites of Hajj that are decreed in the Quran. SECOND : The idolatrous rituals that violate the Quran. THIRD : The price of abandoning God’s Law. . FIRST The Rites of Hajj in the Quran . 1- The commencement of Hajj The sighting of the crescent signals the commencement of the Hajj: "They ask you about the hilal's (crescents) ,say ‘They provide a timing devise for the people and for the Hajj" 2:189 The 12th month of the Islamic calender is called Zu Al-Jijja and that is because it is the first of the four consecutive months 12th , 1st , 2nd and 3rd during which God decreed the Hajj. Since the Islamic calender is based upon the rotation of the moon around the earth, the sighting of the first crescent signals the beginning of each month in the calender. The first sighting of the crescent in Zu Al-Hijja signals the beginning of the Hajj. 2- The Duration of Hajj The duration of Hajj is given in 2:197 which reads: "Hajj is (to be observed in) the specified months. Whoever shall ‘farada feehinna Al-Hajj’(execute the Hajj in these specified months) shall refrain from sexual intercourse, misconduct and arguments." The reader of the Quran will note that God often gives us key words inside various verses that assert the true meaning of these verses. In 2:197 we read the Arabic words "farada feehinna". Here we have two Arabic words of great significance: 1- The first word is "farada". This verb is from the word ‘fard’ which means a command or duty set by God on the believers. Thus the Salat is a ‘fard’ so is Zakat and Hajj. Thus the verb "farada" means to actually execute or consummate the command. 2- The second word is "feehinna". This word is in fact two Arabic words joined together. They are ‘fee’ which means (in), and ‘hinna’ which means (them) and is used in the feminine gender. Thus the whole word means (in them). The word (them) here refers to the specified months. Now by placing these words inside the verse we get: "Whoever shall execute the Hajj in them (the specified months) shall refrain from ……." In these two Arabic words execute the Hajj in them God endorses the legality of executing Hajj anytime within the specified months. Those who have corrupted the law of God and reduced the time of Hajj to the first ten days of the 12th month, have justified their claims by corrupting the meaning of some Quranic verses such as: "They shall commemorate God’s name during the specified days" 22:28 "You shall commemorate God for a number of days" 2:203 They claim that the words "specified days" and "a number of days" indicate that Hajj can only be observed in the ten day period and not anytime during the four months. The reply to that is double folded: FIRST Immediately Almighty God has given us a clear distinction in the verses that speak about Hajj. When God addresses Hajj itself, the words "specified months" are used as in 2:197, or the words "sacred months" are used as in 9:36. The reason for that being that the duration of Hajj is the full four months. However when God addresses the believers, the words "a number of days" are used, as in : "You shall commemorate God for a number of days". The words "You shall" which addresses the believers speak of "a number of days" for the simple fact that any believer who goes to do his Hajj goes for a number of days, he does not stay for the whole four months. SECOND Consider the example of the fasting of Ramadan as in the following verses: "Ramadan is the month during which the Quran was revealed, providing guidance for the people, clear teachings and the statute book. Those of you who witness the month shall fast therein" 2:185 Here we read "the month"as being the duration of fasting. Now consider the following verse: "Specific days (for fasting); if one is ill or travelling an equal number of other days may be substituted." 2:184 Here fasting is spoken of as "specified days". However, no one came up and said that we should only fast for the first ten days of Ramadan! The explanation to all that lies in the fact that a month or months can also be spoken of as days, simply because they are made of days. The fact that they are spoken of as days does not change the fact that they are still months. This is similar to someone describing the years of his childhood by saying ‘they were the best days of my life’. 3- Abstentions (Ehraam) during Hajj a- Hunting Hunting is prohibited during Hajj as per the following verses: "You shall not permit hunting throughout Hajj pilgrimage." 5:1 "Once you complete the pilgrimage you may hunt." 5:2 "O you who believe, do not kill any game during pilgrimage." 5:95 b- War and fighting All warfare is prohibited in the Sacred months of Hajj except in self defence: "They ask you about the Sacred Months and fighting therein: say, ‘Fighting therein is a sacrilege." 2:217 c- Sexual intercourse, misconduct and arguments The prohibition against these appear in one verse: "Whoever shall execute the Hajj in them (the specified months) shall refrain from sexual intercourse, misconduct and arguments" 2:197 d- The cutting of the hair Abstaining from cutting one’s hair is a requirement during Hajj, this is to encourage the believers to concentrate on the spirituality of the occasion. "You shall observe the complete rites of Hajj and Umrah for God. If you are prevented, you shall send an offering, and do not resume cutting your hair until your offering has reached its destination." 2:196 It must be noted here that the ritual of cutting a piece of one's hair at the end of Hajj is non Quranic and therefore is not obligatory. 4- The ‘Tawaaf’ (circling the Ka’bah) The customary circling of the Ka’bah is an integral part of Hajj and is mentioned in the following verse that speaks of Hajj: "They shall complete their obligations, fulfil their vows and ‘Yattawafoo’ (visit and go round) the ancient shrine." 22:29 5- The Safa and Marwah "The knolls of Safa and Marwah are among the rites decreed by God. Anyone who observes Hajj or Umrah commits no error by traversing the distance between them."2:158 6- Mount Arafat The visit and worship at Mount Arafat is one of the Quranic rites for Hajj: "When you file from Arafat you shall commemorate God at the Sacred location." 2:198 The sacred location here is the sacred masjid in Mecca, that is because it is the only location described in the Quran as 'sacred' around the area of Hajj. 7- Animal Offerings The animal offerings are to conserve the resources at the pilgrimage site (note that around two million people converge on Mecca during pilgrimage). "The animal offerings are among the rites decreed by God for your own good." 22:36 The Quran makes the point clear that this is not to be confused with the Pagan concept of animal sacrifice for the gods, by stating that God Almighty is in no need of sacrifice. This is emphasised by the words "for your own good". This is also asserted in the following verse: "Neither their meat, nor their blood reaches God. What reaches Him is your righteousness." 22:37 The offerings to the Sacred Masjid and the traditional markings on them are also mentioned in the following verse: "God has appointed the Ka’bah, the Sacred Masjid, to be a sanctuary for the people, also the Sacred Months, the ‘hadye’ (offerings to the Sacred Masjid) and the ‘qala’ed’ (garlands marking them)" 5:97 . These are the rites of Hajj that are decreed by God and are
mentioned in
the Glorious
Quran. . SECOND The
idolatrous
rituals
that . 1- The ‘Black stone’ All throughout the Quran God commands us to stay away from stone and alters, yet during the visit to the Ka’bah, and at one of its corners, Muslims from all over the world push and shove their way ferociously to get to what is called ‘the black stone’ in order to touch it and kiss it, believing that the stone has the power to heal them, save them or bless them!!! If this is not idolatry I do not know what is!! Not surprisingly, this ritual has no sustenance in the Quran whatsoever, but originates instead from a corrupt ‘hadith’ stating that this stone was descended from heaven since the time of Abraham, that it is thus sacred, and that the prophet used to kiss it!! One is left wondering ‘have they not read the Quran!!?’ The Quran informs us that Abraham destroyed all the stone that his people were worshipping and said: "Do you then worship beside God what possesses no power to benefit you or harm you?" 21:66 How could anyone in their proper sense of mind accept a dubious saying that is in total violation of the Quran! How could anyone believe that the prophet could ever kiss and idolize a stone that has no power to "benefit" or "harm"anybody? Needless to say, there is no mention whatsoever in the Quran about a blessed stone that has descended from heaven !! It is a sad sight today at the Ka'bah to see hundreds of people adhering their bodies to the walls of the Ka’bah, thinking that the walls of the Ka’bah will bless them! The scenes at the location of the ‘black stone’ are abhorrent. In front of the ‘black stone’ there is a line drawn on the ground. This line is intended as a marker from which people could keep count of each lap they have completed, however it is indeed a truly sad sight to see the people raising their hands in awe in the direction of the ‘black stone’ every time they passed the line! Some were even praying on the line itself in total awe of the ‘black stone’!! Once again, have they not read the Quran?!! "Say ‘Would you worship besides God what can neither harm you, nor benefit you?" 5:76 also see 10:18 and 25:55. 2- The water of ‘Zamzam’ The idolatry does not stop there, the devil has indeed instilled in the human being the worship of objects that cannot benefit him nor harm him. A further idolatrous superstition is connected to the water of ‘Zamzam’ which can be obtained in the Ka’bah and which Muslims believe it to be sacred and to cure one’s ailments! This superstition takes its origin from the Biblical story of ‘Hager’, Abraham’s slave wife who was sent away to the wilderness of the desert with her child Ishmael. In desperation and fear of dying of thirst, it is said that she ran back and forth between two hill tops in search of water, at which point God mercifully produced for her a gushing well from which she and Ishmael drank(The Bible, Genesis 21:14-21). However when we read the Biblical story of this event we find that it took place in the wilderness of Beer-Sheba. The town of Beer-Sheba which is south of Jerusalem, between Gaza and the Dead Sea, is nowhere near Mecca where the water of Zamzam is extracted! This, wide disparity of locations, together with the fact that there is no Quranic evidence whatsoever to substantiate or invalidate this story, adds a great deal of uncertainty about the truth of the water of Zamzam! One thing is for certain; there is nothing in the Quran that says that we should idolize and hold sacred any object, whether it is the water of ‘Zamzam’ or the ‘black stone’, thinking that either could benefit us in any way. On the contrary, doing so is in direct violation of 5:76, 21:66 and other verses as referred to before. Editor's note: One of my aunts did around 14 Umrah’s along the years and at the end of every journey she used to return home from Mecca with a good supply of water from ‘Zamzam’ in the belief that it will cure her from various illness’. She used to fill little bottles with the water and distribute them among each member of the family! Till she died, all the water she brought back never cured her nor any one in the family of any illness!! 3- The Stoning ritual Another issue that is considered by Muslims to be an integral ritual of the Hajj is the stoning of Satan, yet not only is this ritual not mentioned in the Quran, but in actual fact there is ample evidence in the Quran to suggest that the stoning is an act of idolatry. All the correct rituals of Hajj are mentioned in the Quran, yet the stoning is not a Quranic ritual of Hajj. The origin of the stoning ritual comes from a corrupted interpretation of the word ‘Rajeem’ in the following verse: "He (God) said, ‘Therefore, you (Satan) must be exiled, you will be ‘rajeem’(banished)" 38:77. These words also appear in 15:34. The word ‘rajeem’ which means banished, has been corrupted to mean stoned, hence it is claimed that the stoning ritual during ‘Hajj’ is a Quranic command!! In support of such claim, the reference is made to some of the most ridiculous fabricated ‘hadith’, one of which claims that every time a stone is thrown at any of the three Satanic stations, that Satan in fact feels pain and groans in agony!! Believe that and you will believe anything! In actual fact the devil, and who is obviously not sitting at those silly alters waiting to be aimed at, is probably laughing his head off and rejoicing for succeeding in deviating the millions of idol worshippers from the sole aim of Hajj, which is to ‘Praise and commemorate God’. In reality Satan has taken up two or three days of their valuable Hajj days to utter his name!! The fact that they are stoning him and cursing his name and not singing his praises is totally insignificant, simply because of the following facts: 1- The devil is made of fire and thus cannot be touched by physical matter (stones). 2- The devil is not sitting in these silly holes waiting to be stoned! 3- No human has the power or ability to see the devil or to be able to inflict him with any harm. "O children of Adam, do not let the devil dupe you as he did when he caused the eviction of your parents from Paradise……………………He and his tribe see you, while you do not see them" 7:27 4- Every precious hour and day of the Hajj should be spent in commemorating the name of God Almighty alone, and not to utter the name of Satan. The Quran emphasises that the only duty of believers in the Hajj is to commemorate the name of God. The various versesthat speak of Hajj in the Quran constantly emphasises this sole purpose of Hajj: "And proclaim that the people shall observe Hajj pilgrimage …………… they shall commemorate God’s name during the specified days for providing them with the livestock" 22:27-28 "You shall commemorate God for a number of days" 2:203 "While you file from ‘Arafat’ you shall commemorate God………." 2:198 "As you complete your rites, you shall continue to commemorate God……" 2:200 Furthermore, the command in 6:162 is to dedicate all our rituals to the name of God alone. To dedicate two or three days for the name of Satan is in violation of this command. 5- God Almighty has prescribed to us in the Quran the only way to deal with the devil and that is to seek refuge in God and not to throw silly stones!!! "Say, ‘My Lord, I seek refuge in You from the whispers of the devils, and I seek refuge in You, my Lord, lest they come near me." 23:98 It is no surprise after this obvious act of idolatry, to find that most of the people who die every year during Hajj in fact die at the location of the stoning, could this be a hint from God to warn the masses of their act of idolatry? 4- The Hajj garments It has been a tradition that in Hajj men should wear two seamless white wrappings, one worn around the waist and the other thrown loosely over the shoulder. Also nothing made of metal may be worn to the extent that even a safety pin may not be used to tie the wrappings together! As mentioned before it is fine to follow the traditions that we have inherited, whether they came from as far back as Abraham or not, as long as they do not violate any Quranic commands . When we look closely at this deep rooted tradition we find that not only does it contradict the wisdom of the Quran, but it also violates a clear Quranic verse. When we contemplate the wisdom of the Quran, we clearly realise that on no occasion is a dress code a requirement of any ritual or form of worship. Instead God Almighty stresses the fact that He will judge people by what is in the heart and not by what they wear: "Only those who came to God with a pure heart (will be saved)." 26:89 The tradition goes that the Hajj garments are a part of the state of ‘Ehraam’. The word ‘Ehraam’ in Arabic means abstention, thus these garments are worn so as to abstain oneself from anything ostentatious. However all the requirements of ‘Ehraam’ are also included in the Quran, and they do not speak of any dress code. The only abstentions mentioned in the Quran during Hajj are abstentions from war, hunting, sex, cutting one’s hair, misconduct and arguments. More important, the Hajj garments, which have become an integral part of the Hajj violates the following Quranic verse: "O children of Adam, you shall take ‘Zinatakom’ to every masjid." 7:31 The word ‘Zinatakom’means (your Zina). The word ‘Zina’ literally means adornments or anything worn to make oneself beautiful. Since the verse said "every masjid" and no exception in the Quran has been made to this totality, then it must be understood that this includes the ‘Masjid Al-Haraam’ as well. God does not forget or make mistakes, if He wished to exclude the ‘Masjid Al-Haraam’ from this command He would have surely done so. What this really means is that God wants us to dress in nice clothes and adorn ourselves with beautiful things, as long as we are not too flashy, so as to treat the visit to the masjid as a happy and festive occasion. One cannot help but wonder, what could be more genuine than celebrating the trip to answer God's call in a happy and peaceful manner? I have often contemplated the happy mood and nice appearance of Christians when they go to Christmas Mass. In a way I have always seen good things in that. Commemorating and glorifying the Lord God should always be a happy occasion, not a terrifying experience!! I suppose our behaviour stems from our nature (Arabs in particular) of dramatizing everything, and in indulging in morbid states of self denial, thinking that the exaggerated gloom adds an air of sincerity to our actions!!! Again this is far from the truth. The credibility of any action or its sincerity lies only in the heart. The classic excuse given by the Muslims for wearing the Hajj garments is their claim that it equates the rich with the poor. They add that the poor will not feel uncomfortable or embarrassed by their dress since all look alike. The answer to that is very simple. The Friday congregational prayer has no dress code, everyone wears what they like, yet no one feels uncomfortable or embarrassed by what they wear. It is not a problem simply because the general mood of the people in the masjid is one of worship, no one is interested in what others are wearing! If the mood in the Hajj is even much more of an adoration to God Almighty, it does not make sense to think that it would be a problem to anyone. Furthermore, the poor person would be better off going to Hajj in whatever clothes he’s got. This will save him the expense of going out and buying the Hajj costume (towels, special sandals and leather belt). If 7:31 provides us with the Quranic evidence that the Hajj dress code is not Quranic, there is also a rational and logical confirmation to reject the dress code. To explain this logic it must first be stressed that God will never command the believers to perform a certain practice and then make it impossible for them to exercise it. God decreed for us to perform Hajj anytime during the four specified months. Now, if the present dress code was a genuine requirement for Hajj, and due to the corruption of today’s Muslim in restricting the Hajj to a ten day period, it would be impossible for a genuine believer to go to such places as Arafat to perform the rites of Hajj dressed in the Hajj garments anytime outside the ten day period. The corrupt authorities would not permit him to do so, further still he would probably be stoned by the idol worshippers! However, and if he is dressed in normal clothes, he would be allowed in and given access to do a ‘Umrah’ and also be permitted to visit Arafat in plain clothes. In actual fact he would be doing his Hajj. God the Most Merciful by allowing the believers to wear normal clothes during Hajj has in effect made it possible for them to follow His law anytime during the four months in spite of the idol worshippers. 5- Hajj by Deputisation ! God asserts the fact that no soul will be accountable to the sins of another, and also that no soul will be credited from the deeds of another ......... in other words each soul will be held accountable only to what it has done ....... "Every soul is rewarded only for his/her own work" 53:39 ".............no soul benefits except from its own work....." 6:164 In spite of these clear assurances in the Quran, we find Muslims today doing Hajj and Umrah for their dead relatives. They do that in accordance with various hadith that say that the prophet supposedly said that you can do Hajj, fast Ramadan, and also give Zakat on behalf of your dead relatives! The sad matter here is that they have believed unconfirmed hadith and ignored clear Quranic verses! Had they believed the Quran they would have known that these hadith are lies that the prophet of God is innocent off. Needless to say, the prophet would never preach what contradicts the Quran. 6- Ihram (abstentions) during Umrah! The word 'Ihram' is used in the Quran in close relation to the 'Shahr Al-Haram' (the sacred months). These are clearly defined as being four months, during which Hajj may be observed. However, when Muslims observe their Umrah anytime during the year, they still get into a state of Ihram and the men wear the Hajj garments! Needless to say this is contrary to the law of the Quran, which dictates that 'Ihram' (abstention) should only be observed during the four sacred months of Hajj. As per the Quran, the believers may visit the Sacred Masjid and observe their Umrah without having to be confined to the abstentions outlined by God for Hajj. 7- Women not allowed to perform Hajj without a Mihrim! Not only does this corrupt restriction have no Quranic basis, but it is also an insult to all women. By definition, a Mihrim is any male who in God's law is not entitled to marry the woman in question. Thus for any woman, her father, brother, son, grandfather ..... etc are all Mihrim. Thus this corrupt condition stipulates that if the woman is not accompanied by her husband, she is not allowed to do her Hajj unless she is accompanied by a 'Mihrim'. God never
set such
restrictions
in the Quran
on women.
Needless to
say, it is one
of a string of
many male
enforced
rules by
which the
Muslim men
subject their
women to
subordination. The
origin of this
corrupt
condition,
not
surprisingly
comes from
yet another
hadith that
says that no
man shall be
in the
company of
a woman
alone and in
seclusion.
Besides the
fact that this
rule is non-Quranic, a
crowd of
around two
million
visitors to
Mecca
during Hajj
can hardly
be described
as a
'seclusion'!
Moreover,
and to prove
that this
condition is
nothing but
a flagrant
male
dominant
restriction,
we may
rightly
inquire, that
if it is
prohibited
for a male to
be in the
company of
a woman
alone, then
why does
not the man
be required
to take a
Mihrim with
him? Why
does he not
take his
mother,
daughter,
sister ....etc? 8- Women (during menstruation) deprived of their Prayers, (and thus not completing Hajj rituals) ! A good believing woman once said to me: "God commanded married couples to abstain from sexual intercourse during the woman's menstruation (2:222). Yet our Merciful God, who gave us the gift of worshipping Him to nourish our souls, has never deprived man nor woman of worshipping Him at all times (except for those who are intoxicated, or drunk)." She added : "What authority does man give himself to deprive the woman from observing her Salat, Fasting or indeed coming anywhere near a Masjid during menstruation? What authority does the man have to call us dirty during these days, when in fact, it is God's system that allows the female body through menstruation to cleanse itself so that our bodies can start afresh? Ironically, by the power of God, the very first growth of every man inside his mother's womb stems from that very same blood that supposedly makes us dirty and undeserving of God's love and intimacy when we are shedding it. Please show me ANY justice or intelligence in this idolatry." In actual fact, I could not give her an answer ! The only answer I had was that I am a man who is indeed totally ashamed of other ignorant men who call themselves Muslim yet twist, distort and corrupt God's words to dominate and keep their women under subjection. Their claim that these restrictions come from the teachings of the prophet is yet another great insult to the integrity of the prophet of God. The prophet of God would never teach what is in contradiction to the Quran. These corrupted restrictions rob women from their rightful duty to worship God for seven days in every month. In the unlucky event of the woman menstruating during the Hajj days, and by depriving her of her duty to observe her Prayers, they prevent the woman from completing her Hajj rituals. Just as the ignorant ones have found some justification in upholding some fabricated hadith that claims that there are certain hours during the day when it is not advisable to worship God (hadith says that it is not advisable to pray during the hour before the sunset 'Maghrib' prayer !), they have also upheld fabricated hadith that deprives women of worshipping God for seven days every month ! Those with any degree of intelligence would surely know that God would never deprive any human being of the benefit of Prayer due to a fault that is not their own ! If we get drunk it is our fault. God warned us from intoxicants, thus it is understandable that we would be deprived of the gift of Prayer then, for we would not know what we are saying. But what fault has a woman during menstruation to be deprived of the gift of worshipping God Almighty??? 9- Corrupt Misconceptions: Many corrupt misconceptions have crept into theideology of Hajj. These misconceptions have no Quranic basis whatsoever. The following are some examples: 1- Although we are told in the Quran that the Sacred Masjid (Ka'bah) was built by Abraham and Ismail, and that God commanded them to proclaim Hajj as a fundamental ritual of submission, still the corrupt Muslim scholars claim that Hajj did not become compulsory till the 9th year after Hijrah !!! "We appointed Abraham to establish the Shrine: "You shall not idolize any other god beside Me, and purify My shrine for those who visit it, those who live near it, and those who bow and prostrate. "And proclaim that the people shall observe Hajj pilgrimage. They will come to you walking or riding on various exhausted (means of transportation). They will come from the farthest locations." 22:26-27 The words "And proclaim that the people shall observe Hajj pilgrimage" are self evident. To say after that that Hajj was not made compulsory till after the 9th year of Hijra is a flagrant lie against the Quran. 2- Another misconception that has no origin in the Quran, is the claim that Hajj wipes out all previous sins. There are numerous hadith that say that whoever observes the Hajj returns without sins! Not only does this false concept has no origin in the Quran, but it is also a grave intrusion on God's Will. We are told in the Quran that God being the Most Merciful may wipe out some of our sins or He may wipe out all of them for whom He pleases. However, to claim any knowledge of the application of God's Mercy is undoubtedly a grave sin. Had we been told in the Quran that there is one single deed (as Hajj) that would wipe all our sins in a package deal, then we would have had reason to believe in such a concept. Needless to say, we are not told anything of the sort in the Quran. Had the corrupt scholars read the Quran carefully and believed it, they would have been assured that no one is entitled to claim any knowledge of God's Mercy ...... in the following verse God commands the prophet to say that even he does not know what will happen to him .............. "Say (O Muhammad), "I am not different from other messengers. I have no idea what will happen to me or to you. I only follow what is revealed to me. I am no more than a profound warner." 46:9 We know that the prophet performed his Hajj just before his death yet, contrary to that false concept, he is still to say that he does not know what will happen to him. 10- Visiting the Prophet's tomb in Medina and declaring it a second 'sacred masjid': Unfortunately, most of today's Muslims make it a custom to visit the Prophet Muhammed's tomb, in the masjid that carries his name in Medina. By doing that they are committing the most flagrant acts of idolatry and thus nullify their Hajj. According to the command in 6:162 we are told that we should dedicate all our rituals to the name of GOD ALONE. Hajj is older than the prophet Muhammed himself. Abraham and his descendants performed Hajj, they did not have a prophet's tomb to visit. The prophet Muhammed himself did his Hajj the correct way without dedicating his Hajj to anyone else besides God. The Quran
consistently
talks about
"The Sacred
Mosque,"
while
today's
Muslims talk
about "The
Two Sacred
Mosques" !
In a glaring
act of
idolatry,
these
Muslims
have set up
Muhammed's tomb as
another
"Sacred
Mosque" !
This is a
blasphemous violation
of the Quran
and
ironically,
even violates
Hadith. It is
interesting to
know that
traditional
Muslims
claim to
believe in
what they
call a sahih
(confirmed)
hadith in
which the
prophet
Muhammed
declared that
God cursed
the Jews and
the
Christians
because they
built places
of worship
over their
prophet's
tombs. THIRD The price of abandoning God’s Law . As a result of the Muslim's rejection of God's Law in the Quran for Hajj, the following evils have resulted: FIRST The average number of Muslims who converge on Mecca annually to observe the Hajj is about two million. However, a conservative estimate of at least ten times this number (20 million) or more world-wide are refused visas due to the limited capacity of the land and facilities. The majority of these applicants may never get another chance to fulfil what is an integral part of their religion. The Quran says that it is the duty of every Muslim to observe Hajj, provided he can afford it, not if he is lucky to get a visa! (see 3:97) The question here is how can it be possible that God may decree a ritual for the believers and then make it very difficult for the majority of them to observe? In reality this question is not applicable unless God has in fact decreed only ten days for the Hajj, but because God has granted the believers four months every year to observe the Hajj, it becomes obvious that it is those who have changed God’s law who are really responsible for putting all the obstacles before those wishing to observe Hajj, and for making Hajj an overcrowded, hazardous and tense experience that can only be accomplished by the minority of people. If Hajj was spread over the four months appointed by God all those extra millions of Muslims would be able to observe Hajj. The tense atmosphere would also be eliminated. SECOND Due to the extreme overcrowding, many accidents, fires and deaths occur every year. The majority of the fatalities occur at the sight of the stoning, which is not really a coincidence but a sign from God to the those who perform the idolatrous act of stoning. For a CNN report on the tragedies at the stoning sites, please go to: . . THIRD As a result of the limited number of applications allocated for every country for Hajj, an evil situation has arisen where a number of travel agents who organise the Hajj trips have reduced Hajj to becoming an extremely profitable commodity! Some of these parasitic traders only work during the few weeks preceding Hajj extorting huge sums of money from travellers and living off those gains for the rest of the year! What they are doing is making extorted profits from selling what is in fact a religious duty! They advertise by saying ‘If you would like to do the Hajj, it will cost you such amount!’ The immorality of making extorted profits from Hajj is not any different from someone saying ‘If you would like to do your Prayers it will cost you so much!’ FOURTH Due to the huge number of people (two million) who visit Mecca in a period of a few days, the number of livestock being slaughtered far exceeds the necessary amount required to feed everybody. The result of which is that a great amount of meat is wasted, thrown away or rots under the hot sun. Once again, if God’s law was enforced and the Hajj spread over four months, there would be better control on the distribution of the surplus meat. FIFTH Due to the extremely large crowds that are present at one time in a limited space, instead of having ample time for meditation and spirituality, the main concerns of the visitors are reduced to avoiding being robbed by petty thieves, avoiding being detached from their accompanying groups, avoiding being trampled on and avoiding being struck by flying stones at the stoning site! This is not to mention the problems related to washing facilities, cleanliness and hygiene. All these negative factors turn the journey of Hajj into a very hectic and strenuous experience instead of being a relaxing spiritual one. Needless to say the Law of God was enforced, and Hajj was restored to the four sacred months, all these problems would largely be eliminated. SIXTH Due to the corrupt restriction on women, that they are not allowed to observe their Hajj unless they are accompanied by a Mihrim, the result is that thousands of women are deprived of their rightful right to observe the Hajj. Often the case is that on the particular year when a woman is ready to do her Hajj it is not always possible to find a 'mihrim' who is willing to travel and who is also able financially to afford the high cost of the Hajj journey. ------------------------ From my personal experience at the ‘Masjid Al-Haraam’ I have felt that in visiting the Ka’bah, God has indeed set a great test for the believers; are they going to go to the Ka’bah to worship God alone, or are they going to worship the walls, the stone and the water? In my heart I am saddened by the fact that millions upon millions are failing the test of the Ka'bah! . PRAISE ALMIGHTY GOD . back to 'PILLARS' main page . |
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