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Hajj: Actualization of Tawheed
Shaykh Saalih bin Muhammad Al
Talib [(Dhul-Hijjah 13, 1424 (February 14, 2003)]
All praise is due to Allaah,
Lord of all the worlds. May peace and blessings of Allaah be upon the
Messenger, his household and companions.
Fellow Muslims! Visitors to
the Sacred House of Allaah! You are today in the last days of Tashreeq.
You have entered into ihraam, made talbiyah, stayed in Arafaat, passed a
night at Muzdalifah, passed nights in Mina, thrown the pebbles,stood in
front of the Ancient House, run between Safaa and Marwah and pereformed
all other rites of hajj seeking blessings from Allaah.
Allaahu akbar, many sins
have been forgiven, many requests have been granted and many invocations
have been accepted. May Allaah accept acts of worship from you and us.
Indeed, performing rites of
hajj is a great blessing upon which we must thank Him Who bestowed it. All
praise is due to Allaah for His hidden and clear favour.
You must however know dear
brethren, that real gratitude to Allaah for His favours lies in following
His commandments, abstaining from His prohibitions and being afraid from
His tribulations. Gratitude should be shown orally by praising Allaah,
from the heart by loving Him and submitting to Him and on the limbs by
surrendering to His wills. The Muslim must be grateful to Allaah at all
times though that gratefulness is more emphasized in these days.
Brethren in Faith! The
greatest commandment of Allaah is Tawheed (Islaamic Monotheism) and the
greatest thing that He forbids is ascribing partners to Him. He has
showered His blessings on us by bringing us to existence and providing for
us. How can we then thank others besides Him? He says in His Glorious
Book:
“O men! Call to mind the grace of Allah unto you! is there
a Creator, other than Allah, to give you sustenance from heaven or earth?
There is no god but He: how then are ye deluded a way from the Truth?”
(Faatir 35:3)
Hajj is a school and the best lesson lessons learnt thereof
is Islaamic Monotheism. It is rather its very purpose. Jaabir who narrated
the Prophet’s hajj said: “The Messenger of Allaah then proclaimed the Word
of Monotheism for his hajj.” (Muslim)
Talbiyah means belief in the Oneness of Allaah and putting
off one’s clothes for Ihraam means freeing oneself from everything but
Allaah alone. All rites of hajj are therefore Tawheed. Allaah says,
“That they may witness things that are of benefit to them
(i.e. reward of Hajj in the Hereafter, and also some worldly gain from
trade), and mention the Name of Allaah on appointed days (i.e. 10th, 11th,
12th, and 13th day of Dhul-Hijjah).”
(Al-Hajj 22:28)
The Messenger of Allaah also said, “The best invocation is
that of the day of Arafah and the best thing that I and the Prophets
before me said is the word: ‘Laa ilaaha illallaah wahdahoo laa shareeka
lah, lahul-mulk walahul-hamd wahuwa alaa kulli shay’in qadeer.” Meaning:
‘No deity has the right to be worshipped but Allaah alone. He has no
partner. His is the sovereignty and His is the praise and He has power
over all things.”
Aaishah also
said, “Indeed, throwing the pebbles at Jamaraat and running between Safaa
and Marwah are only ordained for the remembrance of Allaah.” (At-Tirmidhee)
Even the Ka‘abah itself is established upon Tawheed. Allaah
says,
“And (remember) when We showed Ibraaheem (Abraham) the site
of the (Sacred) House (the Ka'bah at Makkah) (saying): "Associate not
anything (in worship) with Me.”
(Al-Hajj 22:28)
In hajj,
people of all tongues, races and
colours
gather in the same situation and performing the same rites. They all
proclaim the statement of Monotheism and affirm that all acts of worship
are sincerely for Allaah alone. They also affirm their renunciation of
shirk in line with the clear statement of the Glorious Qur’aan that says,
“And a declaration from Allaah and His Messenger to
mankind on the greatest day (the 10th of Dhul-Hijjah) that Allaah is free
from (all) obligations to the polytheists and so is His Messenger. So if
you (polytheists) repent, it is better for you, but if you turn away, then
know that you cannot escape (from the Punishment of) Allaah. And give
tidings (O Muhammad (peace be upon him)) of a painful torment to those who
disbelieve.”
(At-Tawbah 9:3)
Brethren in faith! The Muslims are in dire need of
examining themselves, the way they practice their religion and their
relationship with their Lord. It is high time they knew their weaknesses
especially in the light of their present conditions.
Allaah has indeed created the creation purposely for His
worship and He showered them with blessings so that they direct all acts
of worship to Him alone. He says,
“And I (Allaah) created not the jinn and mankind except
that they should worship Me (Alone).”
(Adh-Dhariyaat 51:56)
This is the greatest message with which Allaah sent
Muhammad –peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him. This message, though
few in words, is full of meanings.
However, Satan has made true his vow on some men and misled
them. He had not only made the Christians adopt Jesus as god but also made
them worship his mother and their saints and made them have wrong
perception about Allaah by comparing Him to worldly kings who cannot
approached for help but through intermediaries.
But Allaah bestowed His blessings on the Ummah of Muhammad
by sending the Qur’aan to them, which makes it clear that Allaah is close
to His slaves and that He hears their supplications and knows their
conditions. He says,
“And when
My slaves ask you (O Muhammad (peace be upon him)) concerning Me, then
(answer them), I am indeed near (to them by My Knowledge). I respond to
the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me (without any
mediator or intercessor). So let them obey Me and believe in Me, so that
they may be led aright."
(Al-Baqarah 2:186)
The glorious Qur’aan also emphasized that invoking Allaah
sincerely is an act of Islaamic Monotheism and that calling upon others
besides Him is an act of shirk. Allaah says addressing His Messenger,
“Say (O Muhammad (peace be upon him)) "I invoke only my
Lord (Allâh Alone), and I associate none as partners along with Him. Say:
"It is not in my power to cause you harm, or to bring you to the Right
Path."
(Al-Jinn 72:20-21)
In spite of the clarity of this and similar verses, it is
unfortunate that many Muslims do commit acts that negate their purports
and indulge in superstitious and erroneous deeds like hallowing stones and
buildings, facing the graves for their needs and seeking relief from them.
O you Muslim that testifies that there is one worthy of
being worshipped but Allaah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah!
O you who believe in Allaah and the Last Day! The first thing that should
command your attention is that all your imaginations and deeds should be
based on the Qur’aan and in the light of Islaamic Monotheism. O you
scholars and the heirs of the Prophets! When the ignorant people are
excused for their ignorance, you will not be excused before your Lord for
your failure to show them guidance and truth on the basis of Islaamic
Monotheism. There is no doubt that the disease that weakened the ummah and
turned her to an easy target for her enemy is her disunity in the very
foundation of her faith. ‘Umar said: “We are a nation elevated to glory
through Islaam, and if we seek glory from through other means, Allaah will
humiliate us.” So when the ummah become negligent about the source of her
power and directs her attention to others beside her Lord and the criteria
of power become human, the most powerful contender wins the war as it is
the case today.
When we however cast a deeper look at the Muslim history,
we will see that the Muslims’ sources of power had never been great
numbers or sophisticated weapons. None of the historical accounts had even
mentioned it that the Muslims were ever greater in numbers and weapons in
any war they won except in the battle of Hunayn. Even with their majority
in that battle, they were defeated before they were proud of their
multitude, so that Allaah might teach them the real criterion for power,
which they should reckon with which is the sincere eemaan and truthful
adherence to Islaam.
Brethren in faith! Indeed, Allaah will not change the
condition of a nation until they themselves change their ways. The
children of Israel had remained in wilderness for forty years and they did
not attain victory and entered the holy land until they did what made them
deserved it. Is it not time that Muslims should come out of their
wilderness while they are the blessed and supported nation? Is it not
time to put a stop to calamities and tribulation that afflict them and go
back to their religion?
Fellow Muslims! Certainly, blessing and victory will not
come without prerequisites. So make a sincere return to your Lord and
reform your faith. Let everyone of us examine himself so that we could
move together on the path of Allaah, for a community cannot be reformed if
individuals are not reformed.
Let us correct the weakness of trust in Allaah, weakness of
certainty, reliance on others besides Allaah, holding onto the slogans of
the times of ignorance and affinity to other things at the expense of
Islaam that is widespread among us. Let everyone of us bear it in mind
that Allaah promises,
“Allaah has promised those among you who believe, and do
righteous good deeds, that He will certainly grant them succession to (the
present rulers) in the earth, as He granted it to those before them, and
that He will grant them the authority to practice their religion, that
which He has chosen for them (i.e. Islaam). And He will surely give them
in exchange a safe security after their fear (provided) they (believers)
worship Me and do not associate anything (in worship) with Me. But whoever
disbelieved after this, they are the Fâsiqûn (rebellious, disobedient to
Allaah).”
(An-Noor 24:55)
Brethren in faith! Allaah says,
“And with Him are the keys of the Ghaib (all that is
hidden), none knows them but He. And He knows whatever there is in the
land and in the sea; not a leaf falls, but he knows it. There is not a
grain in the darkness of the earth nor anything fresh or dry, but is
written in a Clear Record.”
(Al-An‘aam 6:59)
This and similar verses indicate that nothing happens in
this universe except through Divine decree from Allaah the Omniscient,
All-Wise from Whom nothing escapes in the heavens and the earth.
Fellow Muslims! Verily, Allaah hears whoever calls on Him.
He is near to whoever invokes Him and He guarantees answer for those who
supplicate to Him. He commands that He alone should be relied on and
promises to suffice those who rely on Him. May Messengers have been
afflicted with calamities but Allaah eventually removed their hardships.
And His mercy comes when it is least expected but most people know not.
Dear
brethren! This nation is not like other nations. It is a selected,
divinely supported and blessed nation however immense its tribulation may
be and however weak it may be. The Messenger of Allaah said, “My Lord
says: ‘O Muhammad! I have made an irrevocable decision. I have given it to
you for your nation that I will never destroy them with a general calamity
and that I will not give their enemy an authority over them even if they
gather from all nations until they will be destroying one another and
taking one another as captives.” (Muslim)
This means that a nation whose qualities are these should
not despair whatever their condition may be and should not think that it
is dead. We should rather make a lot of supplications for that is the
sword of a believer. Allaah says,
“Invoke your Lord with humility and in secret. He likes not
the aggressors.”
(Al-A‘raaf 7:55)
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