Towards the Ka’abah, and the One

From the Star Online

IKIM VIEWS: By Dr Mohd Sani Badron

Performing the haj does not imply a journey to a completely alien domain; rather, Mecca has an affinity to each and every discerning Muslim as a 'spiritual metropolis

WE ARE now in the last month of the Muslim calendar, the month of Dhu al-Hajjah, loosely translated as the month of the pilgrimage.  

According to the 12th century metaphysician al-Ghazzali, unlike other actions the haj comprises the salient feature, "exclusive worship (al-tajarrud li-'ibadatillah)" which reflects "perfect servitude and obedience to Allah (kamal al-riqq wa al-inqiyad)".

Semantically speaking, if one were to translate the term haj as "pilgrimage", it would only capture its superficial aspect, because the term is derived from the Latin lexical root peregrinus, referring to "a journey in a foreign land".  

To define the haj as ajourney to a "foreign" land is not quite correct.

Performing the haj does not imply a journey to a completely alien domain; rather, Mecca has an affinity to each and every discerning Muslim as a "spiritual metropolis", an aura of Umm al-Qura, a fact twice mentioned in the Quran, al-An'am, 6: 92 and al-Shura, 42: 7.

It is towards this numinous metropolis that millions of hujjaj (pilgrims) from various countries and continents are headed.  

There, pilgrims from various nations, of different physicality, are required by God to circumambulate the Ka'abah and perform the other rituals as taught by the Prophet Mohamed (may peace be upon him).

In terms of structure, the "house" of Allah or Ka'abah is nothing but a mere cube of stone and mortar.  

The Ihya' 'Ulumiddin of al-Ghazzali reminds pilgrims: "Do not suppose the purpose to be merely your circumambulation of the 'house' of Allah.  

"No, the true purpose is the circling by your heart (tawaf al-qalb) in remembrance of the Lord until remembrance begins with Him alone and ends with Him alone, just as the circumambulation begins and ends at the "house" of Allah."  

While in their countries pilgrims don different garments, live in different cultures, and speak different languages, in Mecca they don matching ihram clothes, and chant the same praises to the One and only God (labbaykallahumma labbayk).

Muslims, regardless of their nationalities, have one language of worship defined by the Speech of God – the Quran – and interpreted in the Traditions of the Prophet Mohamed.  

Muslims even have "one language" as far as their worldview is concerned, as reflected in the identical linguistic key terms and fundamental concepts in basic vocabulary deployed in all Muslim languages throughout the world.  

The annual pilgrimage season serves as a template of universal religious brotherhood of various Muslim nations of the globe.  

To quote the Prophet Mohamed's celebrated address during his farewell pilgrimage: "People! Your Creator is One, and your progenitor was also one. All of you are from Adam, and Adam was created of dust!  

"The noblest of you with God is the one who is most cautious in guarding himself from the commission of sins and the omission of duties (taqwa). And there is no excellence for the Arabs over the non-Arabs, for the Reds over the Blacks, or the Blacks over the Reds, if not by such piety."

The haj ought to remind present-day Muslims to regard as secondary the variations in gender, birthplace, skin colour, nationality, political rank, social status, and local culture.  

They must be prepared to shun the confusion of narrow communal and national boundaries. Rather, primary unity among Muslims requires one and only one spiritual locus and intellectual concentration.  

Indeed, the secret of the pilgrimage and its ultimate purpose is – as aptly described by al-Ghazzali – "the concurrence of lofty purpose and intention, and the strength derived from proximity with the truly good people convened from all quarters of the globe (ijtima' al-himam wa istizhar bi-mujawarat al-abdal wa al-awtad al-mujtami'în min aqtâr al-bilâd)."  

Such a unity is translated into the socio-political domain through the emphatic prohibition of murder, oppression, tyranny and injustice, as emphasised by the Prophet Mohamed in the aforementioned address: "People! Your life, your property and your honour are sacred till the Day of Resurrection.  

"People! Verily the Believers are all brethrens, and the property of a brother is not lawful to a man if not with his willing consent ? And see that you do not go astray after me, cutting one another's throat."

Alas, if only present-day Muslim nations could manifest an approximate reflection of such a sanctum as that of Mecca, one which is secure (minan), where upon entering one finds true peace, ease of mind, and freedom from inner fear (Ibrahim,14:35; Ali 'Imran,3:97).

The present-day socio-political upheavals and discord among Muslims reflect disunity and corruption of basic religious ideas.  

Muslims should be active in advancing the unity of Islamic ideas and thoughts, which refer to a coherent spiritual consciousness.  

The unity of Muslim thought is dependent upon how profound they understand the worldview of Islam, which comprises multiple key-concepts which have established meanings and concrete conceptions.

Such key-concepts should be definitively explained and disseminated through the aforementioned treasury of identical key-terms contained in various Muslim languages.