The duty of a Muslim to be close to God and to help Muslims in need

"And pilgrimage to the House is incumbent upon men for the sake of Allah,

    (upon) every one who is able to undertake the journey to it. "(Qur'an, 3:97)

           Hajj is an act of worship which the Almighty God has made an obligation for all those who have the capability of performing it. In the course of a lifetime, Hajj is necessary for those who are capable of performing it.

           Since it is an act of worship, the intention of closeness to God is essential. If, in the performance of the Hajj, one acts hypocritically, the act is invalidated; it must then be repeated.

           Far from the family and detached from worldly things, during the Hajj each worshipper has the chance to attend only to God and the performance of divine duties. He must empty his heart of the love of anything but God and feel the presence of only  himself in the face of God.

           In the chaos of the masses, the worshipper must think of nothing but God; he must rid himself of all worldly belongings, of all worldly symbols -- be it dress, occupation, position, race, family, tribe, or any internal or external matter which gives him validity in this world. The worshipper must free himself from all that and be only with God.

           In short, the performer of the Hajj must set aside all things, all places, and all titles, and travel only toward God, and in the period of this divine emigration, in this limited period, attend to his duties and obligations. It is an opportunity  to practice divine emigration by the complete severance from all worldly things.

 In this period, the performer of the Hajj must not even see himself in the mirror. Every instant,he must be careful not to neglect God.

           In addition to the building of the self, during the Hajj an opportunity arises for the worshipper to set aside selfishness and attend to matters of Islam. By participating in the gathering of Muslims and an attempt to help all Muslims, in effect the worshipper is freeing himself from the problems of the self.

           Hajj, then, is a political and social worship. It is an opportunity for Muslims from all over the world to gather within the boundaries of the House of God and reflect on the problems of the  World of Islam and the Islamic Ummah.

           Hajj is a huge international Islamic society. It is a valuable opportunity for gaining information on the state of all Muslims, the unity of Muslims, and efforts exerted by Muslims to matters which concern them. It creates the possibility of a collective effort for solutions to Muslims' problems in every corner of the world.

           If Muslims are to perform the Hajj truly, if they are to perform their duties correctly, they must focus on the problems facing Muslims throughout the world. They must seek the unity of Muslims; they must prepare themselves for the struggle with  the enemies of Islam and Muslims; they must become a bright example of love and sympathy for other Muslims; they must be the source of indignation and power against the enemies of Islam and Muslims.

           By the muslims looked into the soul of the Hajj, if Muslims considered it their duty to perform the Hajj truly, we wouldn't have so many problems in the World of Islam today.

           At present, Muslims are suffering from an internal war in Afghanistan;

Muslims are suffering from the satanic and mischievous presence of world powers at various parts of the Islamic world. Israel, a malignant tumor, has inflicted pain on the face of the Islamic World. The homelessness of Palestinians pains the soul of every Muslim.

           As a result of this neglect of Muslims, today in Algeria Muslims are being slaughtered. In Iraq, 600,000 children have died in the past six years from malnutrition caused by sanctions. Men and women are selling their belongings in order to fill their stomachs. Unspeakable crimes have been committed in Bosnia. While fighting for independence, both the Kurds and the people of Kashmir are being persecuted and killed. Children in Afghanistan have experienced so much pain that they neither laugh nor cry anymore.

           All the pain, all the suffering on the faces of Muslims throughout the world, the wars and homelessness, the crime and the fear... do these not indicate that Muslims do not have unity? Does this not tell us that Muslims are not thinking of each  other? Do these not mean that Muslims are neglecting God and their divine duties?

           It is  command of Imam Khomeini (RA): "A Hajj which does not free oneself from guilt is not a Hajj."

           Unfortunately most often during the Hajj, Muslims attend only to the motions of the rites, while neglecting the `soul'of the Hajj. One essence of this soul is the preservation of unity among  Muslims and attending to the problems of others.

 If during the Hajj when Muslims must set aside the self and all worldly things; they must be in the presence of God; they must attempt to alleviate the pain and suffering of other Muslims.

 

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