What One Seldom Knows About Haj

Hajjand Umrah

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.