Since Hajj plays an important role in safeguarding the religion and being a main pillar of Islam and a factor for reviving the ummah, it must not be abandoned or weakened under any conditions. According to traditions, no charity can replace it.
... قال: قلتُ لأبي عبدِاللهِ عليه السلامُ أنَّ أُناساً مِن هَؤلاءِ القُصّاصِ يقُولونَ إِذا حَجَّ رَجُلٌ ثُم تصَدّقَ ووصَلَ كانَ خَيراً لهُ، فقَال: كَذِبوا، لو فَعَل هذا النّاسُ لَعُطِّلَ هذا البيتُ. إنّ اللهَ عزَّ وجَلَّ جعَلَ هذا البيتَ قِياماً للنّاسِ.
… I said to Imam Sadiq (a.s) that some jurisprudents remark that if a man performs the Hajj rites once, he would better give charity instead of going on Hajj again. The Imam (a.s) commented:
“They are lying, for if they do so, the Kaaba will be forsaken whereas Allah has made this House maintenance for people.”[41]
SPENDING A MOUNTAIN OF RED GOLD IN THE SAKE OF GOD DOES NOT EQUAL GOING ON HAJJ
لمّا أفاضَ رسُولُ اللهِ صلّى اللهُ عليهِ وآلِهِ تَلَقّاهُ أَعرابيٌّ بالأبطحِ فقال: يا رسولَ اللهِ، إنّي خَرجْتُ أُريدُ الحَجَّ فعَاقَني وأَنا رَجُلٌ مَيِّلٌ (يعني كَثيرَ المَالِ) فَمُرْني أَصنَعْ في مَالي ما أَبلُغُ بهِ ما يبلُغُ به الحَاجُّ. (قال) فَالتَفَتَ رسُولُ اللهِ الى أبي قُبَيسٍ فقال:لو أَنّ أبا قُبَيسٍ لكَ زِنَتُهُ ذَهَبَةٌ حَمراءُ أَنفَقتَهُ في سبيلِ اللهِ ما بَلَغتَ ما بَلَغَ الحَاجُّ.
The Holy Prophet has just completed the Hajj rites when a Bedouin came to him saying, ‘O Messenger of Allah, I left home for Hajj but because of an obstacle I failed to perform its rites. I am a wealth man. Kindly give me an instruction by which I get the reward of Hajj.’ The Holy Prophet (saw) turned his look at Mount Abu-Qubais and said: ‘If you have red gold as much as this mountain and spend it for Allah’s sake, the reward of such deed will not be as much as that of the Hajj pilgrimage.”[42]
ONE DIRHAM IS BETTER THAN THOUSANDS
Abu Bassir quoted Imam Sadiq (a.s) as saying:
دِرهَمٌ في الحَجِّ أَفضَلُ مِن أَلفَيْ أَلفٍ في ما سِوى ذلِكَ من سَبيلِ اللهِ.
“One dirham spent on Hajj is better than two million dirhams to be given for Allah’s sake.”[43]
NEITHER FORSAKE HAJJ NOR DISSUADE OTHERS
Imam Baqir (a.s) says:
مَا مِن عَبدٍ يُؤثِرُ عَلى الحَجِّ حاجَةً مِن حَوائِجِ الدّنيا إِلا نَظَرَ الى المحَلَّقِينَ قدِ انصَرَفوا قَبلَ أنْ تُقضَى له تِلكَ الحاجَةُ.
“One who prefers a worldly affair to going on Hajj will realize that all the Hajj pilgrims have returned home with their heads shaven but his needs have not been fulfilled yet.[44]
Imam Sadiq (a.s) says:
لِيَحذَرْ أَحَدُكُم أَنْ يُعَوِّقَ أَخاهُ عَن الحَجِّ فَتُصيبَهُ فِتنَةٌ في دُنياهُ مَعَ ما يُدَّخَرُ لهُ في الآخِرةِ.
“Beware of delaying the Hajj of your brother, for not only will you be punished in the Hereafter but also you will be afflicted with tribulation in this world.”[45]
Is’haq ibn Ammar reported:
قُلتُ لأبي عَبدِاللهِ عليهِ السلامُ أنَّ رجُلاً استَشارَ في الحَجِّ وكَانَ ضَعيفَ الحالِ فَأَشَرتُ عَليهِ أَنْ لا يحِجَّ.
فقال (الإمام): ما أَخلَقَكَ أنْ تمْرِضَ سَنَةً.
قال (الراوي): فَمرِضتُ سَنَةً.
I said to Imam Sadiq (a.s) that a man consulted me on going on Hajj but since he was needy, I dissuaded him. The Imam (a.s) said: “You will become ill for one year for what you have said.”
Ammar said: “For one year, I became ill.”[46]
THE BLESSINGS OF HAJJ ON ALL PEOPLE OF THE WORLD
While elaborating on the philosophy of Hajj, Imam Reza (a.s) said:
ومَا في ذلِكَ لجَمِيعِ الخَلقِ مِن المَنافِعِ... ومَنفَعةِ مَن في المَشرِقِ والمَغرِبِ ومَن في البَرِّ والبَحرِ ممَّن يحِجُّ وممِّن لا يحِجُّ من تاجِرٍ وجالبٍ وبائعٍ ومُشتَرٍ وكاسِبٍ ومِسكينٍ وقَضاءِ حوائِجِ أهلِ الأطرافِ...
“The benefits of Hajj cover both east and west; those who perform the Hajj rites and those who do not whether they are businessmen, shopkeepers, or poor. People from all classes of societies are blessed with the benefits of Hajj.”[47]
During the season of Hajj, the leaders of the Islamic countries converge a forum based on the unity of ideology, compassion, love, purity, and sincerity. So their resolution for implementing laws, dispensing social justice, and safeguarding the human rights, with no aim other than obeying God’s instructions and pleasing Him will benefit all. By gaining power and supremacy as a result of unity, the Islamic countries can establish good commercial and cultural ties with other nations and gradually make them familiar with the heavenly teachings of Islam. Because of the universal benefits of Hajj, the Holy Quran and the traditions so emphatically call people to Hajj.
WHERE ARE THE POSITIVE EFFECTS OF HAJJ ON THE UMMAH?
All the afore-mentioned benefits are some of the life-giving effects of Hajj on the society. Yet this great assembly is held every year but Muslim nations face one another with suspicion, fear one another, and depart without having created any kind of understanding, getting to know one another, and without becoming aware of the treacherous conspiracies hatched for them from outside. It is really surprising that the power of the religion can hold such great assembly in a single time and place of the ummah but the foreigners’ negative propaganda and destructive colonialist plots cause such dispersion among the ummah that they are dispersed while being together. Such an outlook saddened the Holy Prophet (saw) fourteen centuries ago so much that he expressed his worries about the future of the ummah in the Sacred House and warned Muslims against it among other bitter events.
THE HOLY PROPHET WORRIES ABOUT HAJJ AT THE END OF THE WORLD
Abdullah ibn Abbas is quoted as saying:
I was with the Holy Prophet (saw) in the Farewell Hajj. He took the gate of the Kaaba with the hand and while addressing to people, he spoke of the future events. On Hajj, the Holy Prophet said:
يحِجُّ أغنِياءُ أُمّتي لِلنَّزهَةِ ويحِجُّ أَوسَاطُها لِلتّجارَةِ ويحِجُّ فُقَراؤُهُم لِلرّياءِ والسُّمعَةِ، فعِندَها يكُونُ أَقوامٌ يَتَعلّمُونَ القُرآنَ لِغيرِ اللهِ ويَتّخِذُونهُ مَزامِيرَ، ويكونُ أَقوامٌ يَتفقَّهونَ لِغيرِ اللهِ.
“The rich will go to Mecca for amusement, the middle-class for business, and the poor for showing off and fame. At that time, people will learn the Holy Quran for purposes other than Allah, recite it as song, and engage in learning (Islamic) jurisprudence for worldly benefits.”[48]
WE HAVE TO CONFESS THIS BITTER FACT
We have to confess this bitter fact and admit that the reason of this weakness and decadence among Muslims despite having such sublime program is our failure to understand the spirit and essence of the heavenly teachings of Islam.
