In the name of Allah, the beneficent the merciful'When you return from Arafat, (stop at Muzdalifah and) praise Allah near Mash'ar-al-Har'am. Praise Him as He has guided you, for before this you were from the people who had lost the Right Way.'- (Quran 2: 198).'The best du'a you can make is the du'a on the day of Arafah.'-Prophet Muhammad'Such a genuine spiritual spectacle does not exist anywhere except in Makkah: a spectacle which is devoid of charlatanism and vacuous pretence to closeness to the Almighty; no other place on earth provides such an uncanny union of the human with the spiritual except the Arafah-a plain which is situated to the east of Makkah at a distance of about nine miles. Such a pilgrim would miss the hajj- he who misses the assemblage at the plain of Arafah. 'Al-Hajj Arafah' 'Hajj is Arafah,' so says the Prophet Muhammad (May Allah's peace and benedictions be on his soul). THE word Arafah is derived from the Arabic verb Arafah, which means, 'he knows'. It refers to the knowledge of the known by the subject whose existence derives from the known. It incarnates the necessity for humans to know the Almighty through the agency of the entities and subjects created by the Almighty.On the ninth day of the month of Hajj, which happens to be tomorrow, pilgrims in Makkah would evacuate their tents in Minnah at noon and proceed to the plain of Arafah in time to say the Zuhr and Asr prayers together. Thereafter, they will listen to the Imam as he delivers the Khutbah from the pulpit of Rahmah (Jabal al-Rahmah). The whole period, that is, between early afternoon and sunset, would be spent there. The pilgrims would immerse themselves in the eulogy of Allah; they would be chanting the Gloria: 'Labayka Allahuma labayka'- I have answered your call Oh! Allah, I have answered your call.'After sunset, pilgrims would proceed to Muzdalifah, another place of high spiritual importance, say the Maghrib and Isha prayers together and pass the night in the open camp. Early in the morning of the following day, which is the 10th day of the month of Hajj, the day of sacrifice, they would proceed to Mina again to perform series of hajj rites. These include the sacrifice of animals, the clipping of the hair, the throwing of the pebbles against the effigies of shaytan otherwise known as ramy al-jimar and the tawaf al-Ifadah.Now, dear brethren, each of these acts is a signifier. For example, standing in Arafah awakens the pilgrims to the historical and the eschatological. Here the historical references the standing, by Prophet Muhammad, on the same plain, 1,422 years ago to deliver the famous speech, the speech that changed the world. Thus when pilgrims stand on Mount Arafah tomorrow, they shall seek to listen afresh to the 'message.' On that day, our Prophet said: 'O People! Lend me an attentive ear, for I know not whether after this year, I shall ever be amongst you again. Therefore listen to what I am saying to you very carefully and take these words to those who could not be present here today.'O People! Just as you regard this month, this day, this city as sacred, so regard the life and property of every Muslim as a sacred trust. Return the goods entrusted to you to their rightful owners. Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you. Remember that you will, indeed, meet your Lord, and that He will indeed reckon your deeds. Allah has forbidden you to take usury (interest); therefore all interest obligations shall henceforth be waived. Your capital, however, is yours to keep. You will neither inflict nor suffer any inequity. Allah has judged that there shall be no interest and that all interest due to Abbas Ibn 'Abd al Muttalib (the Prophet's uncle) shall henceforth be waived. Beware of Satan for the safety of your religion. He has lost all hope that he will ever be able to lead you astray in big things, so beware of following him in small things.'O People! It is true that you have certain rights in regard to your women, but they also have rights over you. Remember that you have taken them as your wives, only under Allah's trust and with His permission. If they abide by your right then to them belongs the right to be fed and clothed in kindness. Do treat your women well and be kind to them, for they are your partners and committed helpers. And it is your right that they do not make friends with anyone of whom you do not approve, as well as never to be unchaste.'O People! Listen to me in earnest, worship Allah, say your five daily prayers (Salat), fast during the month of Ramadan, and give your wealth in Zakat. Perform Hajj if you can afford to. All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over a black, nor a black has any superiority over a white- except by piety and good action. Learn that every Muslim is a brother to every Muslim and that the Muslims constitute one brotherhood. Nothing shall be legitimate to a Muslim, which belongs to a fellow Muslim unless it was given freely and willingly. Do not therefore, do injustice to yourselves.'Remember one day you will appear before Allah and answer for your deeds. So beware, do not stray from the path of righteousness after I am gone. People, no prophet or apostle will come after me and no new faith will be born. Reason well, therefore, O people, and understand words, which I convey to you. I leave behind me two things, the Quran and the Sunnah (Hadith), and if you follow these you will never go astray. All those who listen to me shall pass on my words to others and those to others again; and may the last ones understand my words better than those who listened to me directly. Be my witness, O Allah, that I have conveyed your message to your people.'Brethren, standing on Arafah reminds the pilgrim of the eschatological, of the impending day of resurrection when humanity shall stand in front of Allah to give account. The ritual of throwing stones equally links the pilgrims to the spiritual patriarch in monotheism; namely, Prophet Ibrahim (upon him be peace).The pilgrims remember that they should disconnect from Shaytan the same way Prophet Ibrahim, his wife, Hajar and their son disconnected, and permanently too, from the latter in order that they may reconnect with Allah. When the pilgrim sacrifices a ram, he symbolically puts an end to the iniquitous propensities and proclivities in him, which often goad him to commit infractions against his creator; he is attentive to the necessity for him to submit to Allah who has made the sacrificial animal submissive to him.Dear brethren, observe tomorrow as a day of fasting, engage in fervent prayers and seek to 'recharge' your 'connections' with your creator. When those other gods you call aside from Allah go to sleep at night, Allah remains on 'call', ever attentive, ever giving. He never dies.(guardianfridayworship@gmail.com)
Click here to read full news..
