HAJJ, A DISPLAY OF MAN’S SPIRITUAL JOURNEY

The external acts of Hajj symbolize the spiritual stages of the prophets and the Imams. Hajj is a display of the spiritual journey of the devotees and the stages of servitude. The essence of worship is the journey towards God and the external acts of Hajj, devoid of presence of the heart, are not considered as worship. The Holy Prophet (saw) says:

إِنمَا فُرِضَتِ الصّلاةُ وأُمِر بِالحَجِّ والطّوافِ وأُشْعِرتِ المَناسِكُ لإقَامَةِ ذِكْرِ اللهِ، فإِذا لم يكُنْ في قَلبِكَ لِلمذكُورِ الّذي هو المَقصُودُ والمُبتَغى عَظَمَةٌ ولا هَيبَةٌ فَما قيمَةُ ذِكْرِك؟

“The daily prayer, Hajj, circumambulation, and the other rites are aimed at remembering Allah. But when there is no remembrance of Him in your heart, what value will your oral remembrance have?”^[51]

The Holy Quran has blamed the heedless worshippers -“So, woe to the praying ones who are unmindful of their prayers. (107:4, 5)”-, and forbidden offering prayers while being drunk –“O you who believe! Do not go near prayer when you are intoxicated until you know what you say. (4:43)-.

Genuflection and prostration are worthy if they indicate humbleness of soul and broken heart. The spiritual path too is real only when it is manifested in the form of bodily acts. As long as man continues to live in this world, his soul and body are not separate. Man’s body is a manifestation of his soul and the acts of the body are manifestations of his inner feelings. In the same way that physical acts represent spiritual acts, the physical acts push the soul towards spiritual journey.

إِليهِ يَصْعَدُ الكَلِمُ الطّيِّبُ والعَمَلُ الصّالِحُ يَرْفَعُهُ.

“To Him do ascend the good words; and the good deeds life them up. (The Holy Quran 35:10)”

Physical prostration that symbolizes humbleness and a broken heart is true only when it illuminates man’s inner being, making the soul ascend to the heavens to sit with the angels, otherwise prostration based on hypocrisy, pretense, and habit will have no spiritual effect on the soul.

مَنْ عَمِلَ صَالِحاً مِنْ ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنثَى وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَلَنُحْيِيَنَّهُ حَيَاةً طَيِّبَةً.

“Whoever does good whether male or female and he is believer, We will most certainly make him a happy life. (The Holy Quran; 16:97)”

Reflect on the following Hadith in which God spoke to the Holy Prophet (saw) on his Midnight Ascension –israa and Mi’raj:

فَمَن عَمِلَ بِرضَائِي أُلزِمْهُ ثلاثَ خِصالٍ: أُعَرِّفُهُ شُكْراً لا يُخَالِطُهُ الجَهلُ وَذِكْراً لا يُخَالِطُهُ النّسْيانُ ومَحَبّةً لا يُؤثِرُ على مَحَبّتي المَخلُوقِين. فَإِذا أَحَبّني أَحْبَبْتُهُ وأَفتَحُ عَينَ قَلبِهِ إلى جَلالِي فلا أُخْفِي عَلَيهِ خَاصَّةَ خَلقِي فَأُناجِيهِ في ظُلَمِ اللّيلِ ونُورِ النّهارِ حتّى يَنقَطِعَ حَديثُهُ مع المَخلُوقِينَ ومُجالَسَتُهُ مَعَهُم وأُسْمِعُهُ كَلامِي وكَلامَ مَلائِكَتي وأُعَرِّفُهُ السّرَّ الّذِي سَترْتُهُ عَن خَلْقِي وأُلبِسُهُ الحَياءَ حتّى يَستَحيِي مِنهُ الخَلقُ كُلُّهُم ويمْشِي في الأرضِ مَغفوراً لهُ وأَجعَلُ قَلبَهُ واعِياً وبَصِيراً ولا يَخفَى عَلَيهِ شَيٌء مِن جَنَّةٍ ولا نارٍ وأُعَرّفُهُ ما يمُرّ عَلى النّاسِ في يَومِ القِيامَةِ منَ الهَولِ والشّدَّةِ وما أُحاسِبُ بهِ الأغنِياءَ والفُقَراءَ والجُهّالَ والعُلَماءَ وأُنوِّرُ في قَبرِهِ وأُنزِلُ عَليهِ مُنكَراً ونَكيراً حتّى يَسأَلاهُ ولا يَرى غَمَّ المَوتِ وظُلْمَةَ القَبرِ واللَّحْدِ حتّى أَنصُبَ لهُ ميزانَهُ وأَنشُرَ لهُ دِيوانَهُ ثُمَّ أَضَعُ كِتابَهُ في يَمِينِهِ فَيَقرَأَهُ مَنشُوراً ثُمّ لا أَجعَلُ بَيني وبَينَهُ تَرجُماناً. فهذِهِ صِفاتُ المُحِبّين.

Whoever tries to win My pleasure, I will commit him to three characteristics; I will acquaint him with an approach of gratitude that is free from ignorance, a form of (continuous) remembrance of Me that is free from oblivion, and a kind of love with which he will never prefer the love for any creature to Mine. When he loves Me, I will love him and will then open the eyes of his heart to My Glory making him so intimate to Me and will confide him with supplication to Me in the heart of nights and daylight to the degree that he will stop speaking and associating with people. I, too, will make him hear My own words and those of the angels and reveal to him the invisible facts that I hide from My creatures. I will garb him with the uniform of pudency that all My creatures will act modestly towards him. He will walk on the earth guiltlessly, I will cause his heart to be cognizant and discerning, and he will be acquainted with all the affairs of Paradise and Hell. I will reveal to him the hardships of the Day of Judgment, including the way how I will settle account with the rich, poor, ignorant, and scholars. I will light up his grave, ask Munkar and Nakeer –the two angels in charge of the interrogation in graves- to interrogate him, he will neither experience the agony of death nor the darkness of the grave until the Balance –of his deeds- will be deposited for him and the registry –of his deeds- will be opened and the book of his deeds will be finally put into his right hand and he will read it peacefully and there will be no interpreter between Me and him. These are the characteristics of the lovers of Allah.”^[52]

From Quranic Verses and Hadiths it is inferred that it is in the inner part of man that spiritual journey takes place and it is in the light of the physical acts that man’s soul becomes so illuminated that it will see no other being as real but God. In this connection, the Holy Quran says:

سَنُرِيهِمْ آياتِنا في الآفَاقِ وفي أَنفُسِهِمْ حَتّى يَتَبَيَّنَ لهُمْ أَنَّهُ الحَقُّ.

“We will soon show them Our sings in the universe and in their own souls until it will become quite clear to them that it is the truth. (41:53)”

It is in the state that a godly man is so plunged in the sea of knowledge and God’s love that he will hear, see, and recognize everything with the light of God and he will become manifestation of God’s Attributes and recipient of God’s Mercy. In this relation, the Holy Quran says:

أَوَمَنْ كَانَ مَيْتاً فَأَحْيَيْنَاهُ وَجَعَلْنَا لَهُ نُوراً يَمْشِي بِهِ في النَّاسِ كَمَنْ مَثَلُهُ في الظُّلُمَاتِ لَيْسَ بِخَارِجٍ مِنْهَا.

“Is he who was dead then We raised him to life and made for him a light by which he walks among the people like him whose likeness is that of one in utter darkness whence he cannot come forth? (6:122)”

Worship is the journey of the soul and a continued spiritual life in divine light. Since there is unity and interaction between man’s body and soul, the journey of the spirit will be naturally manifested in body, and physical acts in prayer too will influence the soul’s spiritual life. Since spiritual journey is found in the prophets and the Imams in its highest degree, their spiritual lives are said to be presented to man in the form of prayer, fasting, Hajj, almsgiving, and other religious duties. The Holy Quran says:

لقَدَ كَانَ لَكُمْ في رَسُولِ اللهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ.

“Certainly, you have in the Apostle of Allah an excellent exemplar. (33:21)”

In this Quranic Verse, the Messenger of God has been introduced as excellent exemplar, and people are duty-bound to adapt their deed and ethical lives to those of the Holy Prophet (saw). Addressing the Holy Prophet (saw), the Holy Quran says:

قُلْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ

“Say: if you love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you and forgive your faults. (3:31)”

In this Quranic Verse, adherence to the Holy Prophet (saw) through journey towards God, affinity, and being loved by Him has been mentioned.

THE IMAMS; THE TRUTH OF THE RELIGION AND RELIGIOUS DUTIES

Many Hadiths testify that the purpose of prayer, fasting, Hajj, almsgiving, and the other acts of worship mentioned in the Holy Quran is the Imams (a.s) as interpreted by the exegetes of the Holy Quran:

Dawud ibn Kathir quotes Imam Sadiq (a.s) as saying:

يا داوُدُ، نحنُ الصّلاةُ في كِتابِ اللهِ ونحنُ الزّكاةُ ونحنُ الصّيامُ ونحنُ الحَجُّ ونحنُ الشّهرُ الحَرامُ ونحنُ البَلدُ الحَرامُ ونحنُ كَعبَةُ اللهِ ونحنُ قِبلَةُ اللهِ ونحنُ وَجهُ اللهِ - قَالَ تعَالى: فَأَيْنَمَا تُوَلُّوا فَثَمَّ وَجْهُ اللهِ – ونحنُ الآياتُ ونحنُ البَيّناتُ.

O Dawud, we are (the purpose of) the prayer in the Book of Allah, we are the (meaning of) almsgiving, fasting, Hajj, Sacred Month, the Sacred City, the Kaaba, Kiblah, and the Face of Allah Who says: “Whither you turn, thither is Allah’s Face. (The Holy Quran; 2:115)” We are the clear signs of Allah.^[53]

Al-Mufazzal ibn Umar quotes Imam Sadiq (a.s) as saying:

ثُمّ إِني أُخبِرُكَ أنَّ الدّينَ وأَصلَ الدّينِ هُو رَجُلٌ؛ وذلِك الرّجُلُ هو اليَقينُ والإيمانُ وهو إِمامُ أُمَّتِهِ أو أهْلُ زَمانِهِ فَمن عَرِفَهُ عَرِفَ اللهَ ودِينَهُ ومَنْ أَنكَرَهُ أَنكَرَ اللهَ ودينَهُ ومَن جَهِلهُ جهِلَ اللهَ ودينَهُ ولا يُعرَفُ اللهُ ودينُهُ وحُدودُهُ وشَرائعُهُ بغَيرِ ذلِك الإمامِ فَذلِك معنى أَنّ معرِفَةَ الرّجالِ دينُ اللهِ... - الى أن قال عليه السلام -  وأُخبرُكَ أَنّي لو قُلتُ أنّ الصّلاةَ والزكَاةَ وصومَ شهرِ رَمَضانَ والحَجَّ والعُمرةَ والمسجِدَ الحَرامَ والبيتَ الحرامَ والطّهورَ والإغتِسالَ مِن الجَنابةِ وكُلَّ فريضَةٍ كان ذلِك هو النبيَّ الذي جَاء به مِن عندِ ربِّهِ لَصَدقْتُ لأنّ ذلك كُلّهُ إنمَا يُعرَفُ بالنّبيِّ ولولا معرِفةُ ذلِك النبيِّ والإيمانُ بهِ والتّسليمُ له ما عُرفَ ذلِك. فهذا كلّهُ ذلِك النبيُّ.

“Let me inform you that the religion and the root of the religion is a man; a man of faith and certainty. He is the same Imam of the ummah and the Imam of his time. Whoever knows him has known Allah and the religion of Allah, whoever denies him has denied Allah and His religion, and whoever keeps ignorant of him has kept ignorant of Allah and His religion. Except through that Imam, no one can understand Allah, His religion, and the religious laws. This is the meaning of ‘the religion of Allah is the cognition of men.’ …I inform you that I have told the truth if I say that the prayer, almsgiving, fasting, Hajj, the Sacred Mosque, the House of Allah, ablution, ritual washing, and all the religious duties are the same prophet who has brought all these precepts from Allah. Getting to know these religious duties is the only way for getting to know the Prophet. If you cannot get to know, believe in, and submit to the Prophet, you cannot get to know the truths. Therefore, the purpose of all these truths is the prophet.”^[54]

THE IMAM IS THE CRITERION OF THE BELIEF, ETHICS, AND DEEDS

The criterion of the truth of man’s belief, ethics, and deeds in the world and the Hereafter is the Imam. Sheikh as-Saduq quotes Husham ibn Salim as saying:

سَأَلتُ أبا عبدِاللهِ عليهِ السلامُ عَن قولِ اللهِ تعَالى: "وَنَضَعُ المَوازِينَ القِسْطَ لِيَومِ القِيامَةِ فَلا تُظلَمُ نَفسٌ شَيئاً." قال: هُمُ الأنبياءُ والأوصِياءُ. –وفي رواية أخرى عنهم عليهم السلام: - نحْنُ المَوازينُ القِسطُ.

I asked Imam Sadiq (a.s) about the meaning of the Quranic Verse, ‘And We will set up a balance on the Day of Resurrection; so, no soul shall be dealt with unjustly in the least. (21:47).’ He (a.s) answered: “They are the prophets and their successors. -According to another narration related to the Imams (a.s):- “We are the balance of justice.”^[55]