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New Muslims Pilgrimage

My Lifetime Journey

Ka`bah-Makkah

Not even the hardest of hearts could be left unmoved by the grace, simplicity, and majesty of the Ka`bah, which has been on this spot since the beginning of time itself.

 

When Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him), the intimate friend of Allah, was commanded all those years ago to proclaim the pilgrimage to Makkah, he did so in faith. Standing in what was little more than a barren, inhospitable desert, he called out for men and women to come on pilgrimage to the holy Ka`bah at Allah’s command.

He was astonished at the response. From the north, south, east, and west, he heard voices calling out, “I respond to Your call, O Allah! I respond to Your call,” and people began to come from all the corners of the earth in praise of Almighty Allah.

Thousands of years later, people are still coming from every corner of the globe to worship at Allah’s command. I have just returned from performing `Umrah, the lesser pilgrimage for the first time, and I share these thoughts with my Muslim brothers and sisters to encourage their faith and that Allah’s name be glorified even more.

But what can I say? How can I describe an experience so profound and so beautiful? Shall I say that it was the most blessed experience of my life? Shall I say that Almighty Allah touched my heart and gave me a feeling of peace I had not known before?

Shall I describe the tears that flowed freely from my eyes, affirming my Muslim faith, as I walked around the holy Ka`bah with thousands of others, begging Allah’s blessings for myself and for those I love? Perhaps the best way is just to start at the beginning, and to allow Almighty Allah to use my poor words as He wants.

Preparing for any journey is, in many ways, almost as important as the journey itself. As I prepared for my journey to Makkah, my heart already began to stir at the enormity of what I was about to do.

I had read all the books and consulted all the manuals so that my `Umrah, in sha’ Allah, would be accepted. I learned the prayers in Arabic that I would need to say at different parts of the pilgrimage.

Good Muslim brothers had told me not to worry too much about all this, because it would be my heart that would speak when I reached the holy Ka`bah. I know that Almighty Allah has placed within the heart of every Muslim a deep longing to visit Makkah, to return home to where we belong, to that first house built on Earth in worship of Allah.

Some say that it was Prophet Adam (peace and blessings be upon him) who first built the Ka`bah. Others suggest it was first built by angels beneath the throne of Allah in heaven. Others still attribute the first building of the Ka`bah to Prophet Idris (peace be upon him). Whatever its origins, we know that over time this first building fell into disrepair and ruin and that by the time of Prophet Ibrahim, there was nothing left of it except a small mound of earth. Allah commanded Prophet Ibrahim and his first-born son Ismail (peace be upon them both) to rebuild the Ka`bah.

I had written all these things before and had a good knowledge of the history of the Sacred House, but now it was real to me. This time I was leaving my home in Cairo, wearing the simple white garments of Ihram.

Upon leaving, I was showered with good wishes and prayers by family and friends who so happy for me as I prepared for the journey of a lifetime. Even during the drive to the airport and the arrival at the airport itself, many Muslims showed on their faces the delight they felt at seeing a brother setting off to perform `Umrah.

What a blessed religion is ours, that brothers and sisters we don’t even know should care for us so much! Throughout the journey, I was repeating in Arabic those sweet words which Prophet Ibrahim, first heard all those years ago as follows:

“I respond to Your call, O Allah!

I respond to Your call and I am obedient to Your orders.

You have no partner.

I respond to Your call.

All the praises and the blessings are for You.

All the sovereignty is for You.

And You have no partners with You.”

As the plane took off, I said these words. As we flew across the Red Sea and landed in Jeddah, I continued to say them. As I said them, my heart filled with excitement as I traveled by car through the Makkan hills and approached the city. More tears came as I arrived in Makkah and saw the sanctuary for the first time from a distance.

But nothing can describe the feeling of entering the sacred mosque and seeing the holy Ka`bah. I was choking with tears, the mosque left me breathless and filled me with an immense joy. Not even the hardest of hearts could be left unmoved by the grace, simplicity, and majesty of the Ka`bah, which has been on this spot since the beginning of time itself.

I kept telling myself that in this very place our beloved Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) walked and prayed, as well as countless millions of other good Muslims through the centuries.

And so I performed the rituals of `Umrah, my heart beating with joy and tears running down my cheeks. For something so profound, the rituals were really very simple. They basically involved walking around the Ka`bah seven times and then running or walking seven times between the hills of Safa and Marwah, in imitation of that desperate search for water made by Hagar, which culminated in the spring of Zamzam gushing from the ground. Our beloved Prophet taught us to say just one prayer as we encircle the Ka`bah as follows:

“May Our Lord grant us blessings in this life,

Blessings in the life to come,

And save us from the torment of the hell-fire.”

All of this seemed like a dream. While my lips were saying what I had learned to say, my mind was racing with thoughts and my heart was pouring out everything within it. I had come to the very center of the world in response to the call of Allah. What love He shows to us, and yet how ungrateful we are. What blessings He showers upon us each day, and yet how slow we are to respond to the call of the adhan and to utter His praises.

We can gladly spend hours sitting in front of a television set or talking idly on a mobile phone, and yet we hardly find the time to spend a few minutes in prayer, even though our life in the hereafter depends on it.

The experience of `Umrah or Hajj is like a piercing sword. It cuts through all the rubbish we surround ourselves with and it shows us our lives in their real perspective – we come from Allah and it is to Allah that we will return. The experience of `Umrah is also like being soaked in love. Our heartfelt response is one of thanks.

In Madinah

As if all this were not enough, most pilgrims usually finish their pilgrimage to Makkah by spending a few days in Madinah, the city of our beloved Prophet and the first Muslim state ever. In Madinah, the mosque was at the center of the city and Allah was at the center of every Muslim’s life.

I finished my own pilgrimage in the same way, walking the very paths trod by Allah’s Messenger and falling in prostration on the ground in the same places where he prayed. I met Muslims from almost every nation on earth and was welcomed to the city by Muslims for whom Islam is everything.

If Makkah, then, is the place of powerful emotions that shake a person to the core, Madinah is truly the city of peace. The Prophet’s Mosque is a place of calm and quiet. With its salmon-colored walls, grey and cream Moorish arches, and its floors and pillars of white, polished marble, the mosque is breathtakingly beautiful.

Although it is immense and holds thousands at a time for prayer, the Prophet’s Mosque is a place of peace. The gentle personality and the presence of our beloved Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is everywhere. Madinah is such a privileged place to end one’s journey of a lifetime.

Now that I am home, the real challenge of living out my `Umrah begins. It is not difficult to pray for long periods of time and to focus all your thoughts on Islam when you are looking at the Ka`bah or are near the final resting place of Allah’s final messenger to mankind. The routine of daily life, though, with all its distractions, is less easy.

I cherish the memories of those days in Saudi Arabia in my heart, and I say al-hamdu lillah (praise be to God). I pray that Almighty Allah will give me the strength to be a good Muslim. I pray that I will always be prompt and faithful to prayer. I pray that I will now learn and recite more of the Qur’an every day.

And, after the experience of a lifetime, I pray that I will always give good examples to my Muslim brothers and sisters, and that I can show to non-Muslims how sweet and beautiful the message of Islam is. Ameen.

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Source: idristawfiq.

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Hajj: Its Meaning and Position from the Qur’an

ka`bah_Makkah

The House, itself, is not to be taken as an object of worship: it is simply a place for worshipping the One.

Behold! We gave the site, to Abraham, of the (Sacred) House, (saying): “Associate not anything (in worship) with Me; and sanctify My House for those who compass it round, or stand up, or bow, or prostrate themselves (therein in prayer). And proclaim the Pilgrimage among men: they will come to thee on foot and (mounted) on every kind of camel, lean on account of journeys through deep and distant mountain highways; that they may witness the benefits (provided) for them, and celebrate the name of Allah, through the days appointed, over the cattle which He has provided for them (for sacrifice): then eat ye thereof and feed the distressed ones in want. Then let them complete the rites prescribed for them, perform their vows, and (again) circumambulate the Ancient House”. (Al-Hajj 22:26-29)

Perform the pilgrimage and the visit (to Makkah) for Allah. And if you are prevented, then send such gifts as can be obtained with ease, and shave not your heads until the gifts have reached their destination. And whoever among you is sick or has an ailment of the head must pay a ransom of fasting or almsgiving or offering. And if you are in safety, then whosoever contents himself with the visit for the pilgrimage (shall give) such gifts as can be had with ease. And whosoever cannot find (such gifts), then a fast of three days while on the pilgrimage, and of seven when you have returned; that is, ten in all. That is for him whoso folk are not present at the inviolable place of worship. Observe your duty to Allah, and know that Allah is severe in punishment.

The pilgrimage is (in) the well-known months, and whoever is minded to perform the pilgrimage therein (let him remember that) there is (to be) no lewdness nor abuse nor angry conversation on the pilgrimage. And whatsoever good you do Allah knows it. So make provision for yourselves (Hereafter); for the best provision is to ward off evil. Therefore keep your duty unto Me, O men of understanding.

It is no sin for you that you seek the bounty of your Lord (by trading). But, when you press on in the multitude from `Arafat, remember Allah by the sacred monument. Remember Him as He hath guided you, although before you were of those astray.

Then hasten onward from the place whence the multitude hastens onward, and ask forgiveness of Allah. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

And when you have completed your devotions, then remember Allah as you remember your fathers or with a more lively remembrance. But of mankind is he who says: “Our Lord! Give unto us in the world,” and he has no portion in the Hereafter.

Remember Allah through the appointed days. Then whoso hastens (his departure) by two days, it is no sin for him, and whoso delays, it is no sin for him; that is for him who wards off (evil). Be careful of your duty to Allah, and know that unto Him ye will be gathered. (Al-Baqarah 2:203)

Pilgrimage, an important religious duty in Islam, is described at length in the Qur’an, as is evident from the two passages quoted above. Some of the points addressed include: the House of Allah (the Ka`bah) and its credentials, how the Prophet Abraham (peace and blessings be upon him) proclaimed Pilgrimage and the response to it down the ages, the benefits of pilgrimage, and how it represents the essence of all other acts of devotional worship in Islam, especially the spirit of piety and surrender to Allah pervading every aspect of pilgrimage.

The Qur’anic passage opens with placing pilgrimage in its historical context. At Allah’s directive and at the site identified by Him, the Prophet Abraham constructed the Ka`bah, the House of Allah, and hence its special, hallowed status.

Nonetheless, this account is immediately followed by a condemnation of polytheism in any form. It appears that the above note is intended to clarify beyond any shadow of doubt that the Ka`bah owes its exalted position only in view of its close association with Allah.

The structure of the Ka‘bah itself has no sanctity of its own. It is Allah the One True God, not the Ka`bah, which is to be worshipped. As for keeping it clean and pure, the directive has both a literal and a figurative sense, clear of all material and spiritual filth – for all true worshippers of the One Universal God.

Furthermore, the House, itself, is not to be taken as an object of worship: it is simply a place for worshipping the One.

After the Prophet Abraham had constructed the Ka`bah and ensured that only the One True God would be worshipped there, Allah directed him to issue a general proclamation, asking people to visit the Ka`bah.

In his “The Glorious Qur’anDaryabadi, a famous Indian Muslim writer and exegete of the Qur’an, pertinently draws attention to the fact that this proclamation was made thousands of years ago, before the era of the press, the post, the telegraph, the wireless, the radio, television and other such paraphernalia of modern publicity and propaganda that mankind has been responding to during all these centuries, by performing the pilgrimage in their tens and hundreds of thousands every year!

Amid the various acts of worship prescribed in Islam, Hajj stands out above others in many respects. That the performance of Hajj provides an opportunity to pilgrims “to witness the benefits to them” is a special feature of Hajj. The above point is made in Allah’s directive, asking mankind to perform Hajj:

And proclaim unto mankind the pilgrimage. They will come unto you on foot and on every lean camel; they will come from every deep ravine, that they may witness things that are of benefit to them, and mention the name of Allah on appointed days over the beast of cattle that He has bestowed upon them. Then eat thereof and feed therewith the poor unfortunate. (Al-Hajj 22:27, 28)

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The article is an excerpt from Abdur Raheem Kidwai’s book “The Qur’an: Essential Teachings”, published by the Islamic Foundation, 2005/1426 H.

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Hajj: Seeing the Unseen

By Abdal Hakim Murad

Makkah at night

At once, memories long suppressed bubble up to the surface. The light of the Ka`bah makes us see our sins.

Everything in existence has a center; and if what matters to God is the worship of devoted Muslim souls, then the center of this terrestrial universe is surely the Ka`bah. No other place on earth is the magnetic center of so much piety, love, and yearning.

The Ka`bah represents, for the believing heart, the eternity of God, who we worship and serve and adore – utterly unlike any created being. He is the final mystery, around whose unimaginable throne the unimaginable angels turn. But as the pilgrim approaches the Ka`bah, the ‘Ancient House’, he knows through some mysterious symbolic logic in his heart that this is the truest representation of something – absolutely beyond representation or imagining.

Muslims are faithful to the second commandment: no graven images. Abraham, who broke his father’s idols and was expelled into the desert, came here to establish the purest sanctuary of the worship of the one true God. Later generations forgot this simplest of all commandments, and 300 statues were set up around the house that Abraham, together with his eldest son, built in this lonely valley.

When the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) entered the city after 30 years in exile, he rode his camel around the shrine, and pointed with his staff to each ugly, shameful image. As he did so, each one fell forward on its face. And the Prophet raised his voice, reminding the world: “Truth has come, and falsehood has vanished; truly falsehood must ever pass away.”

Muslims, privileged heirs of the purest monotheism, are honored to bow towards the Ancient House five times in every day. The House thus becomes a great vortex of prayer. If one were to view this earth from above, with a light visible in the heart of every Muslim at prayer, one would see an endless series of luminous ripples and waves moving around the globe.

As the people of the West are increasingly honored by the presence of Islam, formerly dark regions are now filling up with points of light, as the absolute call of ‘No god but God’ is heard triumphantly in the spiritual ruins of materialistic cities.

Five times a day and more, the qiblah (direction of the Ka`bah) draws our attention away from what matters so much less. “Allahu Akbar” (God is Greater), means: turn towards the symbol of His unknowable, unfathomable, majestic unity and beauty.

As the Muslim stands to pray, rising above and beyond those who are trapped in their own desires, he pushes behind him everything that has made him forget God’s power and scrutiny and mercy. Sleep facing the qiblah; never relieve yourself facing the qiblah, die facing the qiblah, lie in your grave on your right side, facing the qiblah, awaiting the final call, which will raise you to life, just as the adhan (call for prayer) raised you from spiritual death in the world.

Such a place is held in fear and awe. But in our Abrahamic religion, we move towards that place, through our fear and awe, to find love and stillness. Where the greatest crowds on earth come together, we find peace. The faces of those who have just returned from Hajj reawaken the desire for the House in all who see them. “And truly with hardship comes ease.” (Al-Inshirah 94:6)

Abraham is told this: “And call people to Hajj! They will come on foot, on every lean beast, from every narrow ravine.” (Al-Hajj 22:27)

God commanded, and promised; and the Hajj shows how He honors His promises. The ‘valley without crops’ is sterile and austere, ringed by jagged peaks: Uqhuwana, Khandama, Thawr, Hira’.

The culmination of Hajj, at `Arafat, is the simplest and most ancient of rituals: simply standing ‘where tears fall and prayers rise’, with two million broken hearts. The beauty is in the rigorous ancient austerity of the rites, but also in the faces of a thousand races, all filled, as the sun sets, with the light of knowledge, and the hope for forgiveness.

The city draws in these lovers of God each year, and then sends them home, like a heart pumping blood through the body. Most pilgrims have not come before, and as they approach, chanting the reply to God’s command to Abraham: ‘At Your service, here I am!’, their hearts begin to melt at the unfamiliar sights and rituals.

Stripping away all their pretentiousness, they wind on the ihram, as though ready for the grave and its questioning angels. At once, memories long suppressed bubble up to the surface. The light of the Ka`bah makes us see our sins, and as we look within we are horrified by what we see. Forgetfulness, stupidity, laziness, cruelty, and more, in sins repeated year after year. Wrongs never put right, hearts still unhealed, come to mind painfully.

The entry to the city is a time of fear, for there is no fear greater than that we might go to our graves unforgiven. The forms of Hajj must be obeyed; but acceptance is God’s alone and is not in our power.

‘Here I am’, and the pilgrim stands before the House of God. The mood of Madinah is jamal (beauty); but the mood of Makkah is jalal (rigour). The Ka`bah seems like an optical illusion, growing vast and majestic as one approaches, the eye disoriented by the velvet blackness of its coverings. Everyone seems to be talking – but the voices are of men and women engrossed in private prayer.

While walking around the House, there are no set formulas, one speaks what comes to the heart. Qur’anic verses, prayers and litanies of the Prophet, or words of contrition of one’s own devising: all may be heard. Some pilgrims are in tears. And at the most highly-charged place of all, the Multazam, beside the golden door, the atmosphere of hope, fear, love and yearning, cannot be described.

“The accepted Hajj has no reward other than Paradise” (Al-Albani), the hadith tells us. The Hajj is a purgation: uncomfortable and physically exhausting. Following the rules crushes the ego.

Once round the Ka`bah can take an hour, but the pilgrim must circle it seven times. The crowds are immense, the heat staggering, the accommodation basic. Many who find a scrap of cardboard on which to sleep consider themselves fortunate. But at the end: a new birth, as the successful pilgrim ‘leaves his sins behind like a newborn child.’

Part of the spiritual power of the Hajj lies in its inculcation of wisdom. We may return to many of our ugly habits. But the memory of a sudden encounter with the ‘clear signs of God’, and of the power of repentance, stays with the pilgrim, as a reminder of the urgency of our need to remain pure of heart, and close to our Lord. Often, decades later, a memory of the Hajj can pull a sinful man or woman out of apparently hopeless vice. In that sense, the Hajj never comes to an end.

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Source: Emel Magazine.

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New Muslims Pilgrimage

Former Anti-Islam Advocate, Arnoud van Doorn, in Hajj

Arnoud van Doorn

“I found myself among these faithful hearts”.

A new Muslim now, the once strident Islamophobe, who produced an offensive film about Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), was among the great Muslim gathering of Hajj this year.

Since his spectacle conversion to Islam a year ago, Arnoud van Doorn, former leader of the far-right Dutch Geert Wilders’ Freedom Party (PVV) and a former anti-Islam activist, has become a dedicated follower of the very religion and the Prophet he harshly antagonized before, even becoming an inspiring example of a devoted Muslim.

Van Doorn bitterly regrets having taken part in the production and creation of the derogatory film Fitna (Sedition), declaring that his visit to the holy sites is just a little atonement for his sins.

“I hope that my tears of regret will wash out all my sins after my repentance”, Van Doorn told Saudi Gazette.

About the peace and tranquility he found during the soul-searching journey he articulated: “I found myself among these faithful hearts”.

A Thing of the Past

Van Doorn was among party leaders who helped produce the offensive film that linked Islam and the Qur’an to terrorism and violence.

But after worldwide Muslim outrage the movie provoked, and with the intention of producing another anti-Islam film, Doorn took to read and learn more about the Islam and its Prophet (peace be upon him), before becoming spiritually inspired by divine religion and later embracing it.

As a token of atonement, Von said he will produce a new film that will unfold the truth about essence of Islam and the correct noble personality of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

Now he described Fitna as a blind hostility and totally wrong image which contained a lot of misleading and incorrect information that had nothing to do with the great divine and peaceful religion or its great Prophet.

“I felt ashamed standing in front of the Prophet’s grave. I thought of the grave mistake which I had made by producing that sacrilegious film”, he said.

“I hope that Allah will forgive me and accept my repentance.”

Unmatchable Joy in a Whole New Life

Doorn said that since his arrival in this holy land, he has been living the best days of his life, planning to spend more time in Madinah.

Doorn’s visit to the holy lands in Makkah and Madinah is not the first as, after his conversion, he had come to Saudi Arabia in February to perform `Umrah, where he met the two imams of the Prophet’s Mosque, Sheikh `Ali Al-Hudhaifi and Sheikh Salah Al-Badar, and where he acquainted himself more closely with the basics and rites of Islam.

“I find tranquillity inside my heart when I am near the Prophet Mohamed’s tomb,” he then said.

He was given sermons by the two imams on how to lead the life of a good Muslim and confront challenges facing Islam in the West.

“I will spare no efforts to protect the rights of Muslims in all European countries as well as to serve Islam and its followers throughout the world. I will try my best to repair the damage that I caused to Islam and its Prophet (peace be upon him) through the film ‘Fitna’,” he said then.

“I will use all my experience in producing an alternative film, which will speak about the true image of Islam and all aspects of the personality of the Prophet (peace be upon him) as well as his great qualities.”

About his Hajj experience the joy he felt for being in the holy city of Madinah, Doorn posted different tweets reflecting his feelings during Hajj.

“Prayer in the Sacred Rawda #Madinah,” Doorn said in a tweet.

“I’m not complaining about crowds at the Market on Saturday #Jamarat”

“Inspiring meeting with the Imam of The Prophets Masjid His Excellency Ali Al-Hudayfee,” he said in another tweet.

Expressing how Islam impacted his entire life Van said:

“Islam has filled the emotional void I have long desperately felt. I missed many things before embracing Islam,” Arnoud was quoted by Okaz.

“My previous life was futile and aimless.”

But, ”now with Islam, many things have changed” in his life, he added.

That’s why he decided to perform the Hajj; “to seek repentance and forgiveness from Allah.”

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Source: Saudi Gazette and Agencies

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Hajj 2013: In Pictures

Millions of Muslims converge yearly to Saudi Arabia to perform the annual Hajj, one of the world’s biggest displays of mass religious peaceful devotion. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims have started to leave the Kingdom after peacefully performing the journey rituals.

The number of pilgrims this year has been put at almost 1.5 million, according to Saudi authorities. Hajj officially began on Sunday, 13 October when pilgrims from all over the world began travelling from the holy city of Makkah to Mina, which is roughly 8 kilometres away.

On the second day, Monday, 14 October, pilgrims were staying in `Arafat until sunset before heading to Muzdalifah, where they spent the night before moving on in the morning to start the ritual of symbolically stoning the devil by hurling pebbles at the three walls of Jamarat.

Hajj, which officially ended on Friday, 18 October, must be performed by every Muslim with the physical and financial means to do so, at least once in their lifetime. Among the rites Muslims must perform during the soul-searching journey are circumambulating the Ka`bah, praying at nearby Mount `Arafat (the most essential ritual in the hajj journey) and stoning the devil.

 

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Muslim pilgrims circle the Kaaba as they pray inside the Grand Mosque during the hajj, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Oct. 15, 2013. The hajj, a central pillar of Islam and one that able-bodied Muslims must make once in their lives, is a four-day spiritual cleansing based on centuries of interpretation of the traditions of Prophet Muhammad.

 

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Muslim pilgrims head to the “Jamarat” ritual, the symbolic stoning of Satan, where they throw pebbles at pillars, in Mina near the holy city of Mecca, on Oct. 16, 2013. Pilgrims pelt pillars symbolising the devil with pebbles to show their defiance on the third day of the hajj as Muslims worldwide mark `Eid Al-Adha or the Feast of the Sacrifice, commemorating Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son Isma`il on God’s command.

A Muslim pilgrim prays atop Mount Mercy on the plains of Arafat

A Muslim pilgrim prays atop Mount Mercy on the plains of `Arafat during the peak of the annual Haj pilgrimage, near the holy city of Makkah early on Monday morning. An estimated 2m Muslims were in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, for the start of the annual Haj pilgrimage.

 

A Muslim pilgrim prays at Mount Al-Noor ahead of the annual haj

A Muslim pilgrim prays at Mount Al-Nur ahead of the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Makkah.

 

APTOPIX Mideast Saudi Arabia Hajj

The Friday before the Hajj, Muslim pilgrims attended Friday Prayers at the Grand Mosque in the Muslim holy city of Makkah. (AP)

 

Mideast Saudi Arabia Hajj

On the first day of Hajj, Muslim pilgrims circle counterclockwise with their hearts tilted toward the Ka’bah (the cube-shaped structure that Muslims around the world face in prayer five times a day) in the Grand Mosque. (AP)

 

Mideast Saudi Arabia Hajj

Male pilgrims are required to wear Ihram (two white cloths) while female pilgrims usually dress simply and leave only their faces and hands uncovered. The customary dress is a symbol of purity and unity, as socio-economic distinctions are no longer apparent. (AP)

 

Mideast Saudi Hajj Photo Essay

On the second day of Hajj, Muslim pilgrims pray on a rocky hill called `Arafat or the Mountain of Mercy, 12 miles from the holy city of Makkah. It is here that the Prophet Muhammad was believed to have given his last sermon. (AP)

 

Mideast Saudi Arabia Hajj Photo Essay

A Muslim pilgrim reads verses from the Qur’an on the Mountain of Mercy. (AP)

 

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Muslims believe that on this day of the Hajj, the gates of heaven are open, prayers are answered and past sins are forgiven. (AFP/Getty Images)

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Pilgrimage: The Journey of Different Religions

 

kabah_Makkah

The real significance of the destination of Hajj to Makkah is that Makkah is the site of the first house built for the worship of the One and Only God of the universe.

Pilgrimage is an allegory of human life on earth. It is the exteriorization of an inner journey towards truth, or an adventure of spiritual discovery. Pilgrims from distant lands converge at a center, pulled in by a spiritual magnetism.

Thus, pilgrimage is considered a way in which man tries to connect to the Ultimate Reality and live in full harmony with himself and his environment. Most religious traditions emphasize this aspect of pilgrimage and give it a central role in religion.

Pilgrimage in Judaism

The earliest notion of pilgrimage in Judaism comes from the Genesis story of Adam and Eve, in which the happy relationship with God is presented as broken, necessitating a struggle on the human part to move towards God for reconciliation.

The Jews believe they are in exile since God chose Abraham to be the father of God’s chosen people and promised him a land for his people. In the time of Moses, the Jews were exiled in Egypt, then in the desert, and finally they started to settle in Palestine.

The second book of Samuel tells how David captured Jerusalem and brought the Ark of the Covenant to the city. To the Jews, the ark was the symbol of God’s presence in their midst, and so the city of Jerusalem became central to the Jewish identity.

There are three festivals celebrated in Jerusalem every year, and the Jewish families were commanded to undertake a pilgrimage to the city to participate in them (Deuteronomy 16:16).

These three festivals came to be known as pilgrimage festivals. They are Pesach(Passover) or the Feast of the Unleavened Bread, Shavuot or the Feast of Weeks, and Sukkot or the Feast of Booths. These three festivals commemorate important events in Jewish history (Exodus 34:18-23).

Pesach celebrates the Exodus from Egypt and the Israelites’ liberation from slavery. Seven weeks are counted from the beginning of Pesach to the feast of Shavuot, which celebrates the giving of the Ten Commandments.

Sukkot (Tabernacles) is a nine-day festival that celebrates the booths the Israelites lived in during the 40 years in the wilderness. Another name for this festival is The Season of Our Rejoicing.

The Temple in Jerusalem was the center of the Jewish religion until its destruction in 70 CE, and all who were able were under obligation to visit it and offer sacrifices during the mentioned feasts.

The western wall of the original temple, known as the Wailing Wall, remains in the old city of Jerusalem and has been the most sacred sight for Zionist Jews. Jews from many countries all over the world make periodic pilgrimages to the holy sites in Jerusalem.

Pilgrimage in Christianity

Christianity teaches that man was originally in a state of happiness in the garden of Eden, but there he disobeyed God and was banished out of his “earthly paradise”. God did not abandon him and gave him hope by announcing the coming of the Son of God, who will conquer evil and return man to his lost home.

Christianity views man as standing between the recollection of life in paradise and his yearning for a return to that paradise. This means that a Christian has to consider his earthly life as a pilgrimage until he attains his eternal home of peace.

From this perspective, concrete aspects of pilgrimage – the specific destination and the rites and liturgies accomplished there – are of little importance.

The key to the origin of Christian pilgrimage is the devotion to the memory of Jesus. The faithful visited the places that were filled with the memories of their Lord in his earthly life.

For most people, pilgrimage seemed unequivocally a most holy thing to do; and for most Christians, Jerusalem was associated with the earthly life of Jesus. So from the beginning, pilgrims traveled to Palestine with the simple goal of experiencing firsthand the places in which different biblical events had occurred.

Many Christians associate a pilgrimage center with “sacral power” – the power to heal infirmity, solve problems, grant wishes, and have their sins forgiven. Pilgrimages were considered efficacious in this regard.

It was chiefly in the 19th and 20th centuries that a number of new pilgrimage sites were discovered and developed, often as a result of visions of the Virgin Mary in these places.

Pilgrimage in Hinduism

Pilgrimage is deeply embedded in the Indian culture. There are so many pilgrimage sites in India that the entire subcontinent may be regarded as one grand sacred space by Hindus.

In the Vedas, one of the most important Hindu scriptures, mountain valleys and the confluences of rivers are spoken of with reverence, as the gods are believed to have dwelled there. The merits of travel to such places are mentioned, but the act of pilgrimage itself in not specifically discussed.

There are many reasons why Hindus go on pilgrimage. First, it is considered an act of devotion to God. Many of the Hindus believe it will add to their good deeds and bring them nearer to salvation.

Other Hindus go on pilgrimage to fulfill a vow as a thank-you to God because they had a good harvest or passed an examination. Some go to make up for a bad deed, and others go to offer a devotional rite for a relative who has died. Many pilgrims take home small jars of river water and other objects they deem holy.

To the Hindus, as to devotees of other religions, pilgrimage is of special spiritual significance. Since Hinduism allows personal inclinations in matters of worship, the importance of pilgrimage places may vary with individuals.

Hindus honor the concept that Dharma is Karma, or religion is morally correct action, and pilgrimage is an essential part of it. Thus, a sinner seeking purification will be advised to go on arduous pilgrimages to acquit his or her soul from earthly errors and to gain salvation. From ancient times, pilgrims have always been held in high esteem because of the difficulties they undergo in their devotion.

One of the hundred pilgrimage destinations in India that attract millions of people every year, and probably the most famous, is Varanasi, which is a holy city and the home of 50,000 Hindu priests. Historically, the city has served as a center of Hindu worship and pilgrimage for nearly 3,000 years, making it perhaps the oldest continually functioning sacred city in the world.

Among the several hundred shrines in Varanasi, the most important is the Golden Temple, dedicated to Shiva. The city is also surrounded by a 35-mile sacred road, the Panch Koshi. Devout pilgrims take six days to walk its circuit, visiting numerous shrines, temples, and gardens along the way.

Another example of Hindu pilgrimage centers is the Four Dhams or the Four Abodes that represent the four points of the compass encapsulating the subcontinent of India.

Pilgrimage in Islam

In commemoration of the trials of Abraham and his family in Makkah, which included Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael in response to God’s command, Muslims make a pilgrimage to the sacred city of Makkah at least once in their lifetime. This pilgrimage to Makkah and its surroundings, known as Hajj, is the fifth pillar of Islam.

Hajj is an obligatory pilgrimage prescribed by God Almighty on all Muslims who are capable; whereas the pilgrimages of other religions are optional. The origin and history of such pilgrimages show that they were initiated by humans much later than the putative origin of those religions, and the purpose of those pilgrimages is set by the pilgrims themselves: for example, the expiation of sins or a special blessing for themselves.

The real significance of the destination of Hajj to Makkah is that Makkah is the site of the first house built for the worship of the One and Only God of the universe; whereas other pilgrimages derive their importance from their connection to the birth, death, or burial of a prophet or saint. The rites performed at Hajj are commemorative of Abraham, the patriarch revered by Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike.

Before performing the rituals of Hajj, pilgrims enter a state of consecration known as ihram. The specific rituals of Hajj include circumambulating  the Ka`bah seven times, which is known as Tawaf;  walking back and forth seven times between the hillocks named Safa and Marwah, which is known as Sa`i; standing on the Mount of Mercy (`Arafat); throwing pebbles at the stone pillars known as Al-Jamarat; and slaughtering a sheep or a goat, and distributing its meat to the poor, which is known as the sacrifice.

The way and timing of doing these rituals were taught by Prophet Muhammad as prescribed by Allah.

During Hajj, the pilgrims are asked to focus their attention and devotion on Allah alone, in order to gain His promised forgiveness.

Pilgrims come from different parts of the world; they differ in their culture, ethnicity, and color, but this is never an obstacle, as they are supplicating the One God Who unites them under His guidance and protection.

Prophet Muhammad clarified to all Muslims, in a sermon during the Hajj season, that being superior has nothing to do with a person’s ethnicity, language, or race. Whether a person is Arab, non-Arab, yellow, black, or white is of no significance. The only measure of superiority and goodness in Islam is one’s piety and God-consciousness.

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Source: onislam.net.

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New Muslims Pilgrimage

Hajj: Why and How?

Kabah_Makkah

Hajj is where Muslims from all over come together at one place and time, calling to the same Lord, wearing the same clothes, and performing the same rituals.

Upon becoming Muslim, one must perform Hajj once in his lifetime. Hajj is the pilgrimage one makes to the Sacred House of Allah (the Ka`bah) in order to perform certain rites at specific places at specific times.

This pillar of Islam is obligatory upon every Muslim, male or female, who is sane and has reached the age of puberty once in their lifetime, if they have the physical and monetary ability.

If a person has an incurable disease which prevents him from performing Hajj, but he does have enough money, he must assign someone to perform Hajj for him. But if a person does not have more money than what he needs to fulfill his daily requirements or those whom he supports, Hajj is not an obligation upon him. Allah says:

And the performing of Hajj to the House (Ka`bah) is a duty that mankind owes to Allah, those who can afford the expenses; and whoever disbelieves, then Allah stands not in need of any of His creatures (mankind and Jinns). (Aal `Imran 3:97)

There are many reasons and great wisdoms why Hajj has been prescribed. From them may be the following:

1- To increase ones good reward due to his act of obedience, for the reward for a Hajj which has been accepted by Allah is nothing but Jannah. The Messenger of Allah said:

“An ‘Umrah (lesser pilgrimage. It consists of Tawaaf and Sa`i whilst in a state of Ihram) followed by another is an expiation for the lesser sins one performed between them, and there is no reward for a Hajj which has been accepted by Allah except Paradise.” (Al-Bukhari)

2- To realize the unity of the Muslims, for Hajj is the largest Islamic gathering. Muslims from all over come together at one place and time, calling to the same Lord, wearing the same clothes, and performing the same rituals.

There is no difference between the rich and the poor, the noble and the ignoble, white and black, Arab and non-Arab. All are the same in front of Allah; there is no difference between them except in taqwah (piety). The Hajj is an event which emphasizes the brotherhood of all Muslims and the unity of their hopes and feelings.

3- It is a spiritual exercise which trains one to exert his efforts, physically and monetarily, in the way of Allah and seeking His pleasure.

4- It is a purification of one’s sins and wrongdoings. The Prophet said:

“Whoever performs Hajj to this House (the Ka`bah) and does not indulge in foul speech or commit any sin, he will return (sin-free) like the day his mother gave birth to him.” (Al-Bukhari)

The Ka’bah is the first place which was made for the worship of Allah on the face of the earth. It was built by Ibrahim and Isma`il (may the safety and mercy of Allah be upon them both) upon the command of Allah:

And the performing of Hajj to the House (Ka`bah) is a duty that mankind owes to Allah, those who can afford the expenses; and whoever disbelieves, then Allah stands not in need of any of His creatures (mankind and Jinns). (Aal `Imran 3:97)

A Description of Hajj

Hajj is of three types, each one has its specific rites. The best type is what is called Tamattu`, which is that one performs both a Hajj and an ‘Umrah separately, both in the sacred months of Hajj. It is done as follows:

1- One should enter a state of Ihram (a state in which certain things become forbidden for a pilgrim) from the Miqat (particular places which one cannot cross without entering a state of Ihram if he wishes to perform `Umrah or Hajj) before the 8th of Dhul-Hijjah. He should pronounce his entrance into a state of Ihram saying:

Labbayka, Allahumma, `Umratan wa Hajjan.” (Here I am at Your service, O Allah, performing ‘Umrah and then a Hajj (separately).

2- Once you have arrived Makkah, perform Tawaf  (the act of circling the Ka`bah counter-clockwise) around the Ka`bah and perform the Sa`i for `Umrah, and then shave or shorten the hair of your head. Women should shorten (and not shave) their hair about a third of a finger’s length.

3- On the eighth day of Dhul-Hijjah, which is called the day of Tarwiyah, one should enter the state of Ihram at the time of duha (forenoon; the time after the sun has risen a spear’s length until before it reaches its zenith) from the place you are.

He should then go to Mina (a valley within the sacred precincts of Makkah) and there he should perform the Dhuhr, `Asr, Maghrib, and `Ishaa’ Prayers. He should shorten the Dhuhr, `Asr and `Ishaa’ Prayers (as a traveler does), but he should not combine them together.

Allah has legislated that a traveler shorten the Dhuhr, `Asr and `Ishaa’ Prayers from four rak`ahs to two rak`ahs. A traveler may also combine the Dhuhr with the `Asr Prayer, by praying them together, one after the other, as well as the Maghrib with the `Ishaa’ Prayer.

There are three pillars in Mina, the small, the medium and the large. The largest is called Jamrat Al-`Aqabah.

4- After the sun has risen on the ninth day of Dhul-Hijjah, which is the Day of ‘Arafat, one should leave Mina and head towards `Arafat (a plain just outside the sacred precincts of Makkah) .

When the time of Dhuhr arrives, he should pray Dhuhr and `Asr, both two rak`ahs, combining them together. After completing them, he should put all his efforts and spend his time mentioning Allah, supplication with sincere humility. One should seek from Allah whatever he wishes raising his hands facing the qiblah (Ka`bah direction).

5- When the sun sets on the Day of `Arafat, one should set out for Muzdalifah. Once he has reached, he should pray the Maghrib and `Ishaa’ Prayers, combining both prayers together, making the `Ishaa’ Prayer two rak`ahs only.

He should spend the night in Muzdalifah (a hilly area between `Arafat and Mina), and once Fajr arrives, he should pray the Fajr Prayer in its earliest acceptable time, and then he should spend his time supplicating until the sky appear bright.

6- But before the sun has risen, he should leave Muzdalifah for Mina. Once he arrives, he should throw seven pebbles at Jamrat Al-`Aqabah, saying “Allahu Akbar” with each throw. The pebbles should be about the size of a chickpea.

7- After this, he should slaughter his sacrificial animal, and then shave or shorten the hair of his head. Shaving is better for men, but as for women, she should shorten her hair about a third of a finger’s length. She should not shave her head.

8- One may now exit his state of greater Ihram, but he still remains in a state of lesser Ihram. He may wear normal clothes and do everything which is allowed for a normal person except for having marital relations with his wife.

9- One should then proceed to Makkah and perform the Tawaf and Sa`i, both for Hajj. Upon completion, he should return to Mina and spend the nights of the eleventh and twelfth of Dhul-Hijjah there.

During the days, he should throw seven pebbles at all three of the Jamarat (the Satan-symbols), saying “Allahu Akbar” with each pebble. He should do so after the sun starts to decline from its zenith. He should start with the smaller Jamrah, and then proceed to the middle and then the largest.

10- Once a person has thrown pebbles at the Jamarat on the twelfth day, he may leave Mina or he may spend another night in Mina, throwing pebbles at the three Jamarat on the thirteenth day after the sun starts to decline from its zenith as explained earlier, and this is what is best.

11- Once one intends to return home, he should proceed to Makkah and perform Tawaf Al-Wada`. This Tawaf is not an obligation for a woman experiencing menses or postpartum bleeding. Once a person has done this, his Hajj is complete.

The Tawaf Al-Wada`, or the Farewell Tawaf, is the Tawaf which one performs when a pilgrim intends to return to his homeland. It is the last rite which is performed in Hajj, and should be the last thing one does at the House of Allah.

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The article is an excerpt from the author’s book “How to Become a Muslim”, Islamhouse.com

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Categories
New Muslims Pilgrimage

By Experiment: Hajj… A Journey towards Tolerance

Hajj_Makkah_tolerance

Standing at this site of holy veneration with so many fellow Muslims, walking counter-clockwise around the Ka`bah seven times and participating in other Hajj rituals is surely life-altering.

Imagine the power of standing at the geographical and spiritual center of your religious faith, together with millions of fellow believers. How would that experience change your life, your spirituality, your politics and your relationships?

In 2006, David Clingingsmith, PhD, of Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management, asked this question in the context of perhaps the most famous religious pilgrimage in the world-the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Makkah, called the Hajj.

Every Muslim, if he or she is physically and financially able, is urged to participate at least once in the Hajj, which consists of a series of rituals commemorating the life and struggles of the biblical Prophet Abraham. The pilgrimage is one of the “Five Pillars of Islam,” crucial religious duties that also include daily prayer, charity, fasting during the Month of Ramadan, and professing Allah as the One True God.

Given that the Hajj is a large-scale religious and community ritual, it is a powerful subject of study. Muslims pray five times each day facing Makkah and the Ka`bah (a black, cube-shaped building at the center of the city’s Masjid Al-Haram Mosque).

Standing at this site of holy veneration with so many fellow Muslims (nearly 3 million attended in 2006), walking counter-clockwise around the Ka`bah seven times and participating in other Hajj rituals is surely life-altering.

But what exactly is its impact? Does it change the way Muslims think about their religion, or even lead to a radicalized form of the faith? In forging unity among Muslims, might the Hajj inspire negative thoughts and opinions of non-Muslims?

These are the questions Clingingsmith asked in his study.

He and colleagues Asim Ijaz Khwaja and Michael Kremer, both professors at Harvard University, interviewed Pakistani Muslims who participated in a random lottery system to secure one of the 150,000 Hajj visas allotted to Pakistan by Saudi Arabia.

Half of those interviewed were granted visas and went on the hajj; the other half were denied and did not attend. Clingingsmith notes that this comparison lets researchers know that they are measuring a “real” effect of the Hajj and not an erroneous correlation.

What Clingingsmith found was that participation in the hajj actually increased both connection within the Muslim community and positive regard for those outside the faith. Among the study’s findings:

– Those returning from the pilgrimage (called hajjis) were 22 percent more likely to declare that people of different religions are equal, as compared with the non-hajji group.

Hajjis were twice as likely as non-hajjis to openly condemn the goals of Osama Bin Laden.

– Male hajjis were 8 percent more likely than non-hajjis to express hope that their daughters and granddaughters would adopt professional careers.

These findings would not surprise anyone who has read the famous hajj account in Malcolm X’s autobiography. “My pilgrimage broadened my scope,” Malcolm X said.

It was in the Holy World that my attitude was changed…by what I witnessed there, in terms of brotherhood…between all men, of all nationalities and complexions.

The results of the survey also could be understood in terms of social identity theory, which says that when you share a positive experience within a group, you are more likely to think positively of others, even members of other groups, Clingingsmith says.

Clingingsmith says his study should comfort the 45 percent of Americans that a 2007 Pew study showed believe that Islam encourages violence more than other religions.

“When you have extremist elements within a religious tradition, you should be careful not to let that color your view of the character of that belief system in a general sense,” he says.

“From the point of view of people who are non-Muslims, the experience that the pilgrims have of going on the Hajj is something we should feel positive about.”

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Source: case magazine

 

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New Muslims Pilgrimage

Hajj: The Transforming Journey

By Imam Abdullah Antepli

Every year millions of Muslims in Makkah are going through various stages of their life-changing pilgrimage experience. The billion and a half remaining Muslims who didn’t go to Hajj are busying themselves in preparation for `Eid Al-Adha (Festival of Sacrifice), which marks the end of Hajj.

Malcolm X

“Never have I witnessed such sincere hospitality and overwhelming spirit of true brotherhood as is practiced by people of all colors and races here.”

`Eid Al-Adha is one of the two most important days of celebration in the Islamic calendar. It is in many ways a Muslim Christmas, for like Christmas it features joyful celebrations in all Muslim-majority societies.

Hajj, the Muslim pilgrimage to Makkah that has been going on annually for the last 1,400 years, is one of the five pillars of Islam. It is a once-in-a-lifetime religious duty that all Muslim women and men of all ethnic and racial backgrounds yearn to complete, provided that they are able to do so.

So, as part of this great Islamic tradition, millions of believing women and men are traveling to the holiest sites of Islam, following in the footsteps of the Prophet  Abraham, his pious and God-fearing wife Hagar and their son Isma`il (Ishmael). Muslims of all possible backgrounds, including thousands of American Muslims, are performing Hajj as they connect with one another in the oneness of humanity. Hajj is very often a powerful and transformational, mountaintop kind of experience for people who take this daring journey. People often come back changed for the better and strive harder to live a more ethical and moral life.

Instead of what Hajj is or is not, I want to briefly reflect on what is to me one of the most powerful Hajj stories that speak to the heart and spirit of Hajj very eloquently. One American’s personal transformation through his Hajj experience changed the course of his personal history, and the history of his community, his country and beyond. I say ‘beyond’ because I have heard this American Muslim’s moving Hajj story over and over again, and it has made an impact on my life since my youth growing up in Turkey in the early 1980s.

The charismatic and passionate leader of the nation of Islam, Malcolm X, took his Hajj journey in 1964 when the United States – then racially segregated – was going through the extremely challenging chapters of national racial tension and conflict.

Malcolm left the then-segregated U.S. as one of the most controversial and influential African-American leaders of that time. Even today, Malcolm is accused of having preached black supremacy, racism, and violence. His advocacy for total separation of black and white Americans put him in an entirely separate category from the other iconic leaders of civil rights movements.

Pre-Hajj Malcolm passionately believed that blacks and whites could not live together harmoniously and that non-violence was not the way to achieve what he thought black Americans deserved as equal but oppressed citizens of the U.S. He never hid his intense anger and resentment toward the white race as he held them responsible for the unspeakable violations of human rights against black people that went on for centuries.

Amazingly, he came back from his Hajj journey as a new Malcolm. The transformational power of Hajj changed him, his convictions and his aspirations. He couldn’t wait until he got back to the U.S. to share this change with his followers. In his famous “Letter from Hajj”, he informed his followers about the unexpected but irreversible changes that took place in his heart and mind as he went through his spiritual journey at the holy sites of Islam. He expressed his immediate shock and surprise in the following words:

“Never have I witnessed such sincere hospitality and overwhelming spirit of true brotherhood as is practiced by people of all colors and races here in this ancient holy land, the home of Abraham, Muhammad and all the other prophets of the Holy Scriptures. For the past week, I have been utterly speechless and spellbound by the graciousness I see displayed all around me by people of all colors … from blue-eyed blondes to black-skinned Africans. But we were all participating in the same ritual, displaying a spirit of unity and brotherhood that my experiences in America had led me to believe never could exist between the white and non-white.”

In his powerful testimony, he told his fellow Americans what kind of Malcolm he would be upon returning to the United States. “You may be shocked by these words coming from me,” he wrote.

“But on this pilgrimage, what I have seen, and experienced has forced me to rearrange much of my thought-patterns previously held, and to toss aside some of my previous conclusions. … Each hour here in the holy land enables me to have greater spiritual insights into what is happening in America between black and white.

“The American negro never can be blamed for his racial animosities – he is only reacting to four hundred years of the conscious racism of the American whites. But as racism leads America up the suicide path, I do believe, from the experiences that I have had with them, that the whites of the younger generation, in the colleges and universities, will see the handwriting on the walls and many of them will turn to the spiritual path of truth – the only way left to America to ward off the disaster that racism inevitably must lead to.”

His entire letter is worth reading and reflecting upon in this season of Hajj. It still sparks inspiration and wisdom for us all. Post-Hajj Malcolm’s amazing impact on our recent history requires another column. For now, may we receive so many more transformed new Malcolms after thousands of American Muslims perform their Hajj journey.

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Source: dukechronicle.

Abdullah Antepli is the Muslim Chaplain, Duke University and an Adjunct Faculty of Islamic Studies.

 

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