Allah, the Almighty says in the Holy Qur'an, “And whoever respects the signs of Allah, this surely is (the outcome) of the piety of hearts.” (22:32) Respecting the signs of Allah means inculcating Tawheed in each and every act of worship in its full magnitude, so that one may gain Taqwa. It is now the blessed season of Haj, when people travel long distances to perform this noble task. Therefore it is up to the person that this act becomes an act of worship and not just a tiring journey, with no spiritual benefits. This act must coincide with the divine saying of our God “The pilgrimage is (performed in) the well-known months; so whoever determines the performance of the pilgrimage therein, there shall be no intercourse nor fornication nor quarrelling amongst one another; and whatever good you do, Allah knows it; and make provision, for surely the provision is the guarding of oneself, and be careful (of your duty) to Me, O men of understanding.” (2:197) One must undertake this journey to gain the tremendous reward mentioned in the following Hadith.. “He who came to this House (the Ka'bah) (with the intention in performing Haj) without speaking or committing indecencies, would return (free from sin) as on the day his mother bore him.” (Muslim, 2/3129) This is the one chance for a person to display before Allah, his humility in the utmost sense in words, action and appearance. This is the main purpose of his creation. Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful says in the Qu'ran : “And I have not created the jinn and the men except that they should worship Me.” (51:56) Here worship means showing humility or being humble. Before commencing the journey one must do some brain-storming. Like one must ask themselves, what are the internal pre-requisites one must instill before saying, “ Here I come O! Allah”? Is our Haj in accordance to the Sunnah of our beloved Prophet (peace be upon him)? Does it fulfill the demands of Tawheed? What is the connection of ‘Laailaha Illallah' and the Talbiya which one repeats over and over again in Haj? Following are the proclamations of Oneness of Allah during Haj: Ihraam It is at this point that a slave clears his intention and purifies it for Allah. He dresses up in simple white garments to express his humility removing all traces of worldly grandeur and polytheism, reminding himself of death. Allah says: “O men! you are they who stand in need of Allah, and Allah is He Who is the Self-sufficient, the Praised One.” (35:15) Saying the Talbiya I respond to Your call O Allah, I respond to Your call, and I am obedient to Your orders, You have no partner, I respond to Your call All the praises and blessings are for You, All the sovereignty is for You, And You have no partners with you. From the beginning to the end this is a beautiful declaration of Oneness of Allah and nullification of polytheism. In fact, this is the soul of Haj and all worships. Intention of going to the house of Allah Allah, the Almighty says: “And when We assigned to Ibrahim the place of the House, saying: Do not associate with Me aught, and purify My House for those who make the circuit and stand to pray and bow and prostrate themselves” (22:26) Ibrahim (May Allah be pleased with him) was ordered to build this house on the foundations of Tawheed, so only the house of Allah has the full right to be circumbulated . Supplication on the day of Arafah Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has said “The best supplication is on the day of Arafa, and the best remembrance that I and the Prophets before me (made) is: “There is no god but Allah, the only true God, who has no partner. To Him belongs the kingdom (of the universe) and to Him all praises are due. And He has the power to do every thing.” (Tirmidhi). The significance of this dua'a is that one must testify to the oneness of Allah as was done by all the Prophets that Allah sent. “And certainly We raised in every nation a messenger saying: Serve Allah and shun the Shaitan.” (16:36) Sacrificing an animal Sacrifice in itself is a proclamation of the Oneness of Allah and an act of worship. Allah, the Almighty says: “And to every nation We appointed acts of devotion that they may mention the name of Allah on what He has given them of the cattle quadrupeds; so your Diety is One Diety, therefore to Him should you submit, and give good news to the humble.” (22:34) The main purpose of sacrificing an animal is paying due respect to Allah's commands and to attain His pleasure. We ask for Allah pleasure and the acceptance of our deeds. __
