Hajj, the annual assembly of the Ummah

Crescent International

Dhu al-Hijjah 14, 1419 1999-04-01

Features

by Crescent International (Features, Crescent International Vol. 28, No. 3, Dhu al-Hijjah, 1419)

Hajj is often called the annual assembly of the Ummah. Unfortunately, the reality falls far short of the ideal ordained by Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala and exemplified by his Messenger, upon whom be peace. This year, as usual, an estimated two million Muslims gathered in Makkah, Mina and Arafat, and performed the rituals of Hajj while remaining largely oblivious of the plight of Muslims around the world. Even the Hajj rituals themselves, so rich in symbolism and a constant reminder of the struggles of life, are mechanically performed with little spiritual perception.

This is not accidental. Like other aspects of Islam, Hajj has been deliberately shorn of its true meaning. Most importantly, few Muslims realise that Allah demands of his guests that they openly declare their dissociation from the kuffar and mushrikeen (the Noble Qur’an, 9:1-3). Those who occupy the Haramain today - the House of Saud - insist that Muslims performing the Hajj disregard this Qur’anic command. The vast majority of people accept this Saudi bida’ without protest.

Perhaps, during the centuries when the Haramain were under the control of Muslims who were not subservient to the kuffar, Muslims at the Hajj could concentrate on the process of spiritual self-purification. This remains an important aspect, of course. But the present state of the Ummah demands that Muslims observe fully the Hajj in accordance with the Qur’anic command. There is too much suffering in the Ummah to remain silent. The enemies of Islam are inflicting terrible atrocities on Muslims everywhere: Palestine, Algeria, Iraq, Kashmir, Kosova, Chechenya, Mindanao, Aceh-Sumatra, and so many other places.

Why are Muslims not permitted to discuss these issues during Hajj, nor to examine the circumstances that have led to their sorry predicament? It is not enough for the Imam of Masjid al-Haram to read from a prepared text handed to him by the authorities, nor for him to simply pray that Allah will improve the condition of Muslims. The noble Qur’an says: ‘Allah will not change the condition of a people unless they change that which is in themselves’ (13:11). When the hujjaj leave Makkah for Mina, on their journey to the Plains of Arafat for Hajj, they are like an army on the march. Two million Muslims, all marching and reciting the Talbiyya (‘Here I am, O Lord, here I am....’) are an awe-inspiring sight. They camp in Mina like an army preparing for battle. They spend the following day - the day of Hajj - in Arafat seeking forgiveness for their past misdeeds and Allah’s help in the forthcoming battle. They leave Arafat in the evening to go to Muzdalifa. For what? To collect pebbles with which to stone the devils. Now they are arming themselves for battle. Even as Muslims stone the devils in Mina, they seem to miss the point. Why? Because they have been deliberately brainwashed to regard these important obligations as rituals. The ‘guardians of the Haramain’ today are agents of the satans that plague the world: the US, Russia, Britain, France and Israel. Small wonder that the Muslims are not permitted to speak against them even as guests of Allah.

It is to this aspect that Muslims must turn their attention. Hajj is crucial to solving the problems of the Ummah. If the two million Muslims who perform Hajj every year were to realise their true responsibilities, they would have an immense impact. It is no exaggeration to say that the road to Al-Quds passes through Makkah and Madinah. Al-Quds and Palestine are unlikely to be liberated from the zionists until the Haramain are liberated from the House of Saud.

The fact that the Saudi family was installed in their throne by the west is well known. For nearly 75 years, they have mismanaged the Haramain and misled the Ummah on behalf of masters whom they evidently fear more than they fear Allah. Even their imposition of monarchy in Hijaz is contrary to the word of the Qur’an (27:34). (And they have the nerve to rename this blessed land ‘Saudi’ Arabia!) Tribalism and monarchy have no place in Islam. By allowing these twin evils to exist in the Muslims’ most sacred territory, the Ummah is weakened at its core. The removal of the House of Saud from the control of the Haramain and the Hajj must be one of the Islamic movement’s highest priorities. The Ka’aba must be cleansed once again.

Muslimedia: April 1-15, 1999