Maulana Wahiduddin Khan | Soulveda | January 13, 2017
Muslims from all over the world gather at a particular point in time, in Makkah, where the history of the prophets is imprinted. Here the believers meet in an atmosphere of worship. They are introduced to one another in a special spiritual ambience.
These believers come from different countries. They speak different languages. They belong to different cultural traditions. Despite these differences, they perform the rites of Hajj worship in a united manner. They circumambulate the Kabah at the same time, all together.
Hajj affords the greatest opportunity for the creation of universal unity among the Muslim ummah. This annual worship of Hajj plays the greatest role in inculcating the feeling of oneness among Muslims. Believers scattered all over the world act in unison, and this boosts their conviction that they are a part of a universal religion.
Hajj has a number of benefits, one of these being a sense of equality (equality being one of them). We find no greater example of the human equality displayed on the occasion of Hajj. Similarly, Hajj is a great training course which, despite differences and disagreements, teaches us to live together as one community. In this way Hajj arouses the will to make sacrifices for the sake of religion.
The extraordinary appeal of Hajj sites is a great means of awakening spirituality among the pilgrims. The experiences they have and the observations they make during the performance of Hajj have a great effect on their hearts and minds. Their hearts become filled with the thoughts of God. The eyes experience God’s proximity by their shedding of tears. Hajj is not only a superior form of worship, but is rather, a complete course of life’s training. Without Hajj, one’s life has not been totally fulfilled.