Dhul Hajj- Reminder of Ibrahim AS

The 10 sacred days are upon us again, and it feels like Ramadan just ended? Here is an amazing reminder from Imam Zaid Shakir, whose book "Scattered Picutre: Reflections of An American Muslim" I am currently rereading:

The story of Pilgrimage (Hajj) and the feast ('Id) that accompanies it focuses our attention on the story of Abraham AS. God mentions the origins of the Pilgrimage when He orders Abraham AS, "Proclaim the Pilgrimage to all of humanity; they will respond, coming (to the sacred House) on foot, riding every possible conveyance, coming from every distant path. (22:27) It is related that Abraham AS responded by saying, "My Lord! How can I call all of humanity when my voice will not carry that far?" God said, "Issue the call, and We will make your voice reach them." Abraham AS then stood at his station (Maqam) and proclaimed, "O People! Your Lord has established a house of worship, make pilgrimage onto it!" It is then related that God caused the mountains to bow low in humility, and Abraham's AS voice traveled to the far corners of the Earth. Every animate and inanimate creation, along with those who had been decreed to make the Pilgrimage until the Day of Resurrection, then proclaimed, "We are responding in your dutiful service, o God! We are responding (labbaykallahmumma Labbayk)!"

Now that you know the immensity of these 10 days, go and find out what you can do since you might be like me, watching from afar as the Brothers and Sisters answer Abraham AS call this year!

Umrah moments

AlhamdulilAllah, just got back my first visit to Makkah and Madinah. Armed with prayers and sincere advise from friends and family, I went expecting a spiritually uplifting and relaxing vacation. I didn't get exactly what I expected, but alhamdulilAllah, I think I got something even better.

The plan was to spend the first 2 days of our 5 -day trip in Madinah and the next 3 in Makkah, and alhamdulilAllah all went as planned. We got to our hotel in Madinah just before the time for a'sr (afternoon) prayers and I rushed to make wudu` and head to the Masjid of the Beloved (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Suddenly seeing the masjid in front of me and realizing that, alhamdulilAllah, I was finally there was overwhelming.

The masjid itself is a work of art, even more so on the inside than on the outside. Pictures definitely do not do it justice. Even with the crowds of people (and sound of screaming children), it is hard not to focus in prayer and in remembrance at the Masjid of the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him). As much as I tried mentally preparing myself, it still took me a good day to internalize the fact that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was buried a few meters away.

One of my dear sisters gave me some very good advise before I left: while in Madinah, remember your adab (manners) as you are in the presence of the Prophet (peace be upon him). I tried my best to follow her advise.

My favourite Madinah moment came after fajr as the dawn was "breathing" [Holy Quran, 81:18] during our last day. One of the wonderful features of the masjid are the sky roofs that open as soon as the sun begins to rise. I was directly under one of them, enjoying my favourite time of the day (staying up that extra hour really pays off - I try reminding myself) and I happened to be reading the following passages of the Holy Quran:

Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The example of His light is like a niche within which is a lamp, the lamp is within glass, the glass as if it were a pearly [white] star lit from [the oil of] a blessed olive tree, neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil would almost glow even if untouched by fire. Light upon light. Allah guides to His light whom He wills. And Allah presents examples for the people, and Allah is Knowing of all things.

[Such niches are] in mosques which Allah has ordered to be raised and that His name be mentioned therein; exalting Him within them in the morning and the evenings [Are] men whom neither commerce nor sale distracts from the remembrance of Allah and performance of prayer and giving of zakah.

[An-Noor, 34-36]

Those verses meant so much more to me at that time and place.

A few hours after leaving Madinah we were entering Makkah, also just before a'sr prayer. The whole trip I was trying to anticipate my feelings upon seeing the ka'bah for the first time. As I was making my way through the mosque I got my first close look at the ka'bah. Unlike what I expected, I didn't cry right away. A feeling of awe and humility was what first struck me.

AlhamdulilAllah, we did our umrah right after asr prayer when the crowds were less (due to the heat) and were able to get close to the kabah. It was not easy to comprehend that I was so close to the ka'bah, and from my very first visit. It was an honor I felt I didn't deserve.

Frankly, I was somewhat uneasy during the first tawaf. I tried to follow my parents' lead, focus on the prayers and avoid getting trampled by the wheelchairs. The heat and travel fatigue didn't help either. I wasn't sure what I should be feeling. I was expecting the peace and serenity of taraweeh prayers in Ramadan but it wasn't exactly that. I kept on trying.

It wasn't until the third time I did tawaf (after maghrib prayer the second day) that I began to understand the purpose of it all: submission.

I had heard hajj lectures previously which explained hajj rituals as being about remembering the struggle of Prophet Ibrahim and his family, and submission to Allah (swt) without necessarily understanding the exact purpose of the physical rituals, but somehow I hadn't thought about umrah the same way.

My favourite Makkah moment was also after fajr, as the sun was coming out. I had just finished tawaf and had sat down not too far from the ka'bah to say my morning thikr (prayer):

"I am pleased with Allah as a Lord, and Islam as a religion and Muhammad peace be upon to him as a Prophet."

I had never meant this statement the way I meant it that day.

Poetic Pilgrimage- Voices of Dissent

Islam was a vehicle of dissent. The Prophet SAW came and destroyed a system and in its placed provided a society that was just, long lasting and ever so connected. From across the Atlantic pond I want to introduce to you a duo, MUNEERA RASHIDA and SUKINA ABDUL NOOR, who make up Poetic Pilgrimage. You can read more about them here, here and here.

I was working on an op-ed piece to mark the fifth anniversary of the Iraq war. During that process I was stumbling over some ideas- disssent, music, the comparisons between the Iraq and Vietnam war, as well as this grand oppurtunity to be invited to the "House of Allah" in Mecca and to visit the city of the Prophet, Medina- so it was quite fitting that I ran across the song "Definition of a Pilgrim" by Poetic Pilgrimage, on a website touting dissent music for the Iraq war.

In the song, Poetic Pilgrimage begins by reciting "In the name of your Lord, Most Benificial and Most Merciful". They go on to say a verse from the Quran- "And proclaim the pilgrimage among people: they will come to you on foot and mounted on every kind of camel, lean on account of journeys through deep and distant mountain highways. That they may witness the benefits provided for them, and celebrate the name of Allah through the days appointed..." (22: 27-8).

Listen for yourselves, personally the video does not do justice to the song:

This song encompassed the things that I have been working on this past few weeks and it suited as a way to hopefully share with you all my intention to make Hajj this year. The struggle of maintaining the relevency of Islam in my life, and most of all applying its teachings in my dailly life has been a demanding task, yet filled with blessings and insight. To be invited for a once in a life time trip, is an answer to a silent prayer in the making for some time now.

I want to share with any other fellow believers, contemplating the Hajj this year, to make their intentions and begin to make your provisions. Here is an excellent post from muslimmatters.org on Hajj- Part 1, and Part 2. Please keep me in your duah's, so that I am able to accomplish the provision making and complete the journey, but most of all have my Hajj accepted, allowing me to begin a new chapter in my life.