Hajj
and Umrah are the pious journeys of a Muslim towards his God, the Allah to the
holy city of Mecca and Medina. Every pure Muslim is obligated to carry out hajj
at least once in his life span while Umrah may be performed as many times as
one wishes to. There is a meaning attached to Hajj and has been seldom
discussed in the world, particularly among the young Islam followers.
Hajj
is said to be a struggle and is a journey to the Ka’bah of soul and heart. Hajj
includes each and every part and process of our body, that is, Hajj of the
body, the mind and the heart. The actions of the body such as walking,
throwing, sitting and collecting is a part of Hajj of the body, while the Hajj
of the heart means to perform Hajj with total devotion to Allah, the Almighty.
Hajj
of the mind means that a Muslim performs Hajj with a total understanding of the
rites that are to be followed in the ritual. A Muslim, while and after
completing the Hajj pilgrimage, rededicates himself to the service of the Allah
or to distance him from evil deeds and start afresh towards gaining closeness
to Allah, the Almighty. When a Muslim prepares to leave for Hajj, he is moving
towards Arafat and away from Ka’bah. This signifies that he is moving away from
The House so that he may meet the Lord of the House.
Service
to Allah is the supreme act in Islam and Hajj and Umrah offer an auspicious opportunity to get closer to the Allah, the
Almighty.
