The Soul Of Hajj

After Tawaf, perform two rakah of prayer behind Maqam-e Ibrahim in which you pray Surah al-Kafirun in the first rakat and Surah al-Ikhlas in the second

Maqam is a very blessed place for praying (Quran 2:125) It is the nearest point to Allah As a matter of fact, there is no place in this entire earth where you get more reward than this place for praying The stone has the footprint of Ibrahim , the rebel against the established despot of his time, Nimrod He stood over this stone to lay the corner stone - Hajr al-Aswad and to re-construct the Ka'ba and to pray (Quran 2:125) Do you now understand where you are standing? By standing on the same stone, you vow to become like Ibrahim Hanifah wa Khalil-Allah, the upright friend of Allah, who was uncompromising in his conviction of Tawhid In Maqam, symbolically, you shake hands with Ibrahim by pledging the same dedication to Allah - ie, to be like Ibrahim and Isma'il , his son

Run between the mountains - Safa and Marwa - seven times, starting with the Safa and ending with the Marwa

This is called Sa'iy Literally it means search, a movement with an aim It is depicted by running and hurrying Here you act like Hajera, the mother of infant Isma'il She had no food, no water, no shelter, neither for herself nor for her child, but only uncompromising, relentless faith that the God of Ibrahim will not leave her and her only son without sustenance Remember, when Ibrahim left her and their only son, Isma'il near the valley of Makkah, Hajera asked him: "O Ibrahim, where are you leaving us, while there is no habitation of men nor any provision for food and drink? Who is going to look after us?" Ibrahim replied, "Ilal-lah (to Allah's protection only)" She said, "Raditu billah (I am fully satisfied with Allah?" She also asked, "Have you done this to fulfill Allah's command?" When Ibrahim confirmed that by saying, "Yes," she simply said, "Well in that case, we have no fear, for Allah will not let us die without providing any provision [ie, He will definitely provide for us in the middle of this desolate, barren desert]" [Bukhari] Do you see the strength of her trust in Allah? Away from the view of his wife and son, Ibrahim prayed, "Our Lord: Lo! I have settled some of my posterity in an uncultivable valley near unto Thy Holy House (Ka'ba), Our Lord! that they may establish proper worship So, incline some hearts of men that they may yearn toward them, and You provide them with fruits in order that they may be thankful" (Quran 14: 37) Soon, however, Hajera's water and food were all gone, there was no milk or water or any food either for herself or for her child She started looking out for water, running to the top of the mountain, Safa No, there is no water anywhere Then she comes down and looks at her infant to check if he is fine She then goes to the top of the other mountain, Marwa, and takes a deep long look to fetch water She was searching water, why? Because it is needed for physical salvation, for life to continue So, should man work for livelihood, trusting in Allah She searches again and again After running seven times between these two mountains, she comes down from Marwa to see the condition of her infant son She hears the sound of gushing water coming from near her son and is surprised to see an angel (Jibril) dig a well near the heel of her infant son The gushing water from the well was making all that sound She quickly puts a barrier around it so that water could be stored and that it did not overflow And this well came to be known as the Jamjam Muhammad said, "May Allah bless the mother of Isma'il If she had not put that barrier around the Jamjam, instead of a well, the gushing water would have continued to flow like a spring [and flooded the entire valley]" It was a gift from Allah to the mother and son, and all those who came later It is a mineral water rich with nutritional and medicinal power to cure man of many diseases The Safa and the Marwa, thus, became among the signs, indications of Allah (Quran 2:158)

On the seventh day of Dhul-Hijjah, after the Zuhr prayer, Imam explains the meaning of hajj and exhorts people to go to the valley of Mina (nearly six miles north of Makkah) next morning after Fajr prayer

Visit and stay at Mina on the eighth day (after arriving there in the morning) till the next Fajr (dawn prayer)

Go to 'Arafat after sun has risen on the ninth, stopping on the way at Namirah and listening to khutbah before Zuhr (mid-day prayer)

Proceed to 'Arafat (five miles further north) and seek Allah's forgiveness there till Maghrib (prayer after sunset)

'Arafat literally means knowledge and science 'Arafat represents the beginning of man's creation, that of our forefather Adam It was shaytan who misled our forefather by whispering to him saying: "O Adam! Shall I show you the tree of immortality and power that wastes not away?" (Quran 20:120) He caused the downfall of Adam and Haw'a (Eve) For years, they were separated from each other having descended at different places It was in 'Arafat that they met again It was in a small rocky hill of Jabal al-Rahma in the center of 'Arafat that their sins were forgiven by Allah So, here in 'Arafat, you act like Adam or Haw'a and seek forgiveness for you and your loved ones

After sunset proceed slowly to Muzdalifah (halfway between 'Arafat and Mina) without praying (Quran 2:198) However, the Imams Abu Hanifah and Sufyan al-Thawri (R) said it is permissible to pray Maghrib before reaching Muzdalifah

Spend the night before Eid in Muzdalifah Pray Fajr early Collect pebbles there (70 per person)

Muzdalifah is part of Mash'ar-ul-Haram Our Prophet Muhammad prayed for long duration here You must be in Mash'ar by the nightfall (while you were at 'Arafat during the day) Darkness engulfs you in Mash'ar 'Arafat is knowledge, it requires daylight for clear vision Mash'ar literally means consciousness and understanding Such blossom at night through deep reflection or meditation So, Mash'ar is the stage of insight while 'Arafat was the stage of experience Intuition needs no light It can see in the darkness It is the stage between knowledge and love, or 'Arafat and Mina Here you reflect upon yourself and strengthen your spirit Are you not in the right way? Are you ready to fight against Satan or his insinuations? In Makkah, during tawaf you joined the crowd and became part of them Here you are alone, despite being within a crowd Here you are for yourself only Therefore, confess your sins to Allah And this night is a good cover for your tears Take preparation for tomorrow by getting ready tonight There is a great battle in which you have to participate tomorrow So, collect your weaponry - the pebbles - before the day breaks The pebbles will be used against your enemy You have to act like Ibrahim here just as he fought against the insinuations of Satan on his way to sacrifice his beloved son, Isma'il

Go back to Mina and throw seven stones at Jamrat-ul Aqabah, reciting Takbir each time The remainder 63 stones should be thrown over the next three days of Ayyam al-Tashriq (11th, 12th and 13th of Dhul Hijjah) at a rate of 21 stones per day Every day, throw the first 7 stones at Jamarah near Mina, and the last seven at Jamarat al-Aqabah, located closer to Makkah

The tenth day has arrived This is the day for sacrifice of animal You are armed with weapons to fight Satan, the enemy of your forefather, the devil who tried to confuse Ibrahim Mina literally means love Ibrahim felt too much love for his only son, Isma'il And Allah wanted to test how great or how real his love was for Him Ibrahim saw a vision of sacrificing his most beloved son That was the command from Allah to test Ibrahim of his love and devotion Can Ibrahim pass this test? He ponders on this unusual, rather cruel, test He has grown old and he has no other offspring In his very old age, Allah has listened to his prayer and has blessed him with this son through his second wife, Hajera As a thanksgiving for answering to his prayer, he has named his son, Isma'il (meaning: God listened [to my prayer])