Pilgrimage with your heart * 2

Pilgrimage with your heart * 2

Allah all Mighty said: {And if they had intended to march out, certainly, they would have made some preparations for it} [Al-Tawbah 9:46]. Whoever likes to win this great thawab, he should prepare.

How do we prepare?
Four or five days before departure try to increase asking of forgiveness and repentance from Allah all Mighty.

I advise you to purify your heart (charge your heart's battery with the remembrance). Purify your heart so nothing would pollute it or distort the beautiful relation you are going to build between you and Allah during this blessed journey.

Keep only one thing in your mind: you are seeking your Lord's satisfaction.

Remember to supplicate a lot and to repeat it all the time:Oh Allah I seek a pilgrimage without hypocrisy and without seeking reputation"..

Oh Lord, make this deed purely for your sake. Oh Lord, accept me among your righteous accepted slaves.

Remember the reward I told you about. Write these meanings in a piece of paper and remember them all the time during the pilgrimage.

Ask yourself:
Why am I doing pilgrimage? To please Allah.

Why do I like the pilgrimage? Because I seek to enter paradise, which is the chance to see the face of my Generous Lord.

Why am I seeking to do the pilgrimage? Because of my shortcomings and sins which I confess..

I confess Your blessings, I confess my sins, forgive me and give me repentance.

Oh Lord, I came to you and I have no one but You.

I am your humiliated slave submitting between Your hands.

And remember that you are a traveler so imagine the journey of the day of judgement because this journey exemplifies the meanings of the day of resurrection. And remember the words of Allah all Mighty: {And be afraid of the day when you shall be brought back to Allah, Then every person shall be paid what he earned, and they shall not be dealt with unjustly} [Al-Baqrah 2:281].

Be afraid of being deprived of this goodness due to a sin, anyone could be deprived of this thawab because of committing a sin.

Fear not reach there, fear being prevented or deprived.
This has, happened a lot: Some people prepare themselves to go and they do get the visa and suddenly get sick and find themselves prevented from going.
Or they do their best and try hard to get the visa, but they never do.

I want you to use your hearts to reflect on these meanings. Allah all Mighty said: {If you are prevented then sacrifice a Hady: this means sacrifising a sheep, a cow, a camel, whatever you can afford} [Al-Baqrah 2:196].

The prevention is to be prevented from doing the pilgrimage because of a disease or an enemy. Allah all Mighty said that whoever is prevented after he had the intention to go should sacrifice a Hady, i.e. to slaughter a sheep.

Now you are afraid to be prevented from the pilgrimage what are you going to do? Do charity.
Charity is the proof of the faith.
Charity extinguishes the Lord's anger.
If Allah is angry with you and not satisfied you should do charity to extinguish His anger.

From now on recharge your will. You should know that the pilgrimage is hard. The prophet peace be upon him said to Aisha: «You will have your reward according to your effort and spending» [The Hadith is narrated by Al Hakim and corrected by al Albani].

I want you to do the pilgrimage as if it is your last one, like the prophet guided his companions to pray as if it is their last prayer.

I guide you to do the pilgrimage as if it the last one. Sacrifice yourself for the sake of Allah.

Peace be upon him said in the Hadith narrated by Abu Ya'ala and corrected by Al Albani: «Whoever goes out as a pilgrim and dies he shall be rewarded pilgrimage until the day of judgment». From that I would like you to learn humbleness, humiliation and submission to Allah.

Who are you going to? To Allah, the King. And the King likes who? The King likes those with broken hearts.

The prophet peace be upon him when he went to pilgrimage he went with his old saddle wearing a ragged piece of cloth. The prophet led the pilgrimage on a weak camel which had a piece of cloth worth four dirhams and still said: "Oh Allah a pilgrimage without hypocrisy and without seeking reputation".
I want your heart to go there before your body. Think and imagine with me.

Al Ka'aba, Zamzam, Al Hijr, Arafat, Muzdalifa, Mina.
The prophets and the righteous ones walked on this blessed land and now comes your turn. So, think about the meaning of escaping to Allah and say Oh Lord I don't have anyone but You. Don't occupy your mind with anything from life, no relatives, money or even work. Your Master has invited you and you said Labbaik, I obey you..

Feel it with your heart, as our prophet Moses peace be upon him said and explain these verses to yourself. He said: {My Lord is with me and He is going to guide me} [Al-Sho'ara' 26:62]. Say it and feel the closeness to Allah and that he is watching you.

He said: {...and I hurried to You my Lord to be satisfied with me} [Taha 20:81]. You also hurried to your Lord to be satisfied with you and He said "My Lord let me look at You". Feel the love of Allah and hope to look at Him. You are eager for one look (a look at His Generous face).
My Lord let me look at You.

Our prophet Moses peace be upon him wished for a single look at His Lord's light.

Is there anyone you love like love Allah?

Oh Allah, bless us with Your love and the love of whoever loves you and the love of every deed which allows us to approachYour love.

Allah said: {And those who believe have stronger love for Allah} [Al-Baqarah 2:165]. Nothing will extinguish the heat of missing Allah except seeing Him.

The pilgrimage makes you feel that you are very close to Him . You are in the place He loves and He is showering you with His mercy.

Al Ka'aba
It is His house, His holy place. Oh my Lord. Don't deprive me from the pleasure of being near You. Oh Lord, I miss you so much and I am so eager to being close to You.

In some of the Hadiths it is narrated that the prophet peace be upon him slaughtered seventy camels during the day of Hudaybia . Among them was a camel of Abi Jahl. When it was removed away from near the Kaaba it mourned as if it mourns its missing kids. Oh Allah, when the camel was moved it was sad and mourned, now you, is your heart going to be like the camel's missing the Kaaba?

A few people were doing pilgrimage and among them was a woman who was shouting and wondering where the Lord's house is and they kept telling her that you are going to see it. This woman couldn't wait to see the Kaaba. When they reached there they said this is the house of Your Lord, don't you see it. She went running and saying: "The house of Allah, the house of Allah" and she put her face on its wall and died.

She died missing her Lord.

My Lord did say the truth when he mentioned in the Hadith which was narrated by Ibn Habban in his Sahih and corrected by al Albani: «The slave whom I gave a perfect body and a lot of money and still doesn't come to me for five years in a row is truly a deprived one».

He is deprived he who has enough money and doesn't do the pilgrimage. Our master Omar Ibn Al Khattab said: "I was going to send men to these people to see who hase money and doesnt do pilgrimage to make them pay the Jizya (fine). These can't be Muslims". Therefore so some of the scholars said that the pilgrimage is mandatory at once for those who have the means to do it and a great sin for those who don't.

Some of the scholars said it is one of the major sins.For this reason the prophet peace be upon him urged us to perform the Haj at once. So, you young people who are able to do it at this age, do it now.

The prophet peace be upon him said: «Rush to Haj, meaning the obligatory pillar, as no one knows what will happen to him» [Narrated by Imam Ahmad and classified as sahih by Al Albani].

So, come on young people {and I hastened to You, O my Lord, that You might be pleased} [Taha: 84]. Will your yearning help you reach your goal?

Now, imagine this scene:
When Prophet Abraham finished building the House (Al Kaba), Allah ordered him to call mankind to perform the Pilgrimage (Haj). Allah Al Mighty said: {And proclaim to mankind the Haj (Pilgrimage). They will come to you on foot and on every lean camel; they will come from every deep and distant (wide) mountain highways (to perform Haj)} [Al-Hajj 22:27].

This means that people will come walking or riding from every place on earth. So, the prophet Abraham calls to mankind: Oh people, your Lord has taken this as his house (Al K'aba) so make pilgrimage to it. Some scholars said that babies in wombs, rocks and trees all heard his call and responded by saying: Here I am O' Allah..
Here I am O' Allah
Whatever You say my Lord. I love You my Lord. Here I am O' Allah.

And as long as you are travelling, you should have provision and a camel. Allah Al Mighty says: {And Haj (pilgrimage to Makka) to the House is a duty that mankind owes to Allah, those who can afford the expenses (for one's conveyance, provision and residence)} [Aal-Emran 3:97]. And now what is your provision???

Your provision is your piety. Allah said: {And take a provision (with you) for the journey, but the best provision is At-Taqwa (piety, righteousness, etc.). So fear Me, O men of understanding!} [Al-Baqara: 197].

Your provision is your state with Allah, your faith, your certainty and remembrance of God.

That is why one should mention Allah's name a lot, ask for forgiveness, and pray for the prophet (PBUH). Keep saying "There is no God but Allah".

And travel with what?
A plane?? A boat?? A car??

The distances in life are crossed on feet and the distances between you and your Lord is crossed by the hearts. So, travel with your heart truthfully and sincerely.

A lot of people do good deeds, but little is it done for the sake of Allah.

Don't forget to always renew your intention, and on your way to Haj, intend every second you spend during your day in erasing your bad deeds and increasing your good rewards.

There is a Hadith, narrated by Al Bazzaz and modified by Al Albani, Ibn Omar, may Allah be pleased with them, he said: "I was sitting with the prophet peace be upon him at the Mina mosque, and a man from Al Ansar and from Thaqif came to him. They saluted and said: Oh prophet of Allah we came to ask you, He said: «if you like I am going to tell what you are here for or I can hold and let you ask». They said: tell us, messenger of Allah. The Thaqafi said to the Ansari: ask. He said: Oh, messenger of Allah tell me. The prophet said: «you came to me to ask about you're exiting from your house toward the Kaba (God's house in Makka) and what you gained from that. And you want to ask me about the two Raka after the circumbulatoin and what you get of it. And about your walk between the Safa and Marwa and what you get out of it. And about your standing on Arafat on the day of the night of Arafat and what you get from that. And about throwing the pebbles and what you get of it. And about slaughtering and what you get of it and Al Ifadha». The Ansari said: Oh by the One who sent you with the truth (i.e. by God), this is what I came to ask. The prophet said: «if you go out from your house toward the Kaba, each step of your camel will be written as a good deed and it will erase a sin. And your two Raka after the circumbulation like freeing a slave among the sons of Ismael peace be upon him. Your walking between the Safa and Marwa is like freeing seventy slaves. While you are standing on mount Arafat during the night, Allah will descend to the sky with the angels, and proud of you will say: My devotees came to me untidy, from every far place asking My paradise. If your sins are like the number of the sand or the drops of rain or the froth of the sea, I will forgive them. Go my devotees forgiven. You and whoever you wish. Your throwing of the pebbles for each one you throw will erase one of the big destructive sins. Your slaughtering is a light for you with your Lord. Your head shaving, you will have a good deed for each hair you shave and erase a bad deed for each. As for your circumblation, you will circumbulate after that without any sins and an angel will put his hand on your shoulder telling you concentrate on the future, for God has forgiven you for the past»

Every step we make, Allah will write it as a good deed and erase a bad deed.

I mean every step you make, from anywhere to Makka, millions of steps; so anticipate that.

And in you way remember this verse: "Verily! This is an admonition, so whosoever will, let him take a path to his Lord (Allah)".

So, remember the path to the hereafter and paradise, and remember the guide to the Straight Way.

Every step you will make is a symbol to your steps to the hereafter. I hope we all pass on the Straight Way, in straight, but unfortunately there will be other people passing hesitantly on it.

And the best thing you can do during pilgrimage is helping and serving your companions. This is better than spending your time by yourself remembering and asking for forgiveness. In Bukhari and Muslim and on behalf of Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "We were with the prophet peace be upon him traveling, some were fasting and some were not. We got to a place in a hot day with no shade. Some were avoiding the sun by hand. The people fasting couldn't make it and fell. The ones who were not fasting prepared the shades and gave them water. The prophet peace be upon him said: «the non fasting got the reward today»

Serve Your fellow pilgrims
And with their diligence in worshiping, many of the Salaf put a condition on their friends to accept their help during traveling to Haj.

Ibrahim Ibn Adham used to put a condition on his friends to serve them during the trip. One of the people used to travel with his brothers when they traveled for Jihad and others. If he sees one of them washing his cloth, he took it away and told them that was his condition for traveling with them. And if a man wanted to wash his head, he poured the water over his head and told him that was his condition. When he died, they say written in his hands that he is from the paradise people, the writing were carved in his hand between his skin and flesh.

Two of the Salaf, one is a worshipper and the other is a merchant, traveled together. The day they were leaving, the worshipper cried until his tears reached his chest. They asked why he was crying. He said: This trip reminded me of my trip to Allah (i.e. his pilgrimage). And he wept more. The merchant was uncomfortable with his crying. When they came back, the man who introduced them to each other came and asked them how their trip had gone. He first spoke to the merchant and asked how did you find your brother? He answered: By Allah, I didn't think there was a being like him. He spent money on us while his budget was tight, and he served while he was frail, he cooked for us while he was fasting and we were not. The man was confused from his praise to his friend and told him: you hated the trip because of your friend's weeping!!!, The merchant said: By Allah, I got used to his crying and it filled my heart that I started crying with him until the other companions were discomforted. Then some of them got used to us and when they heard us crying, they cried as well.

Some of them said: Who says they should be better worshippers than us? So, they started to cry for our grief. Then the man went to the worshipper and asked him about the merchant. And asked him: how did you find your friend?? He answered: he was a best friend, he mentioned Allah a lot, read Quran for a long time, cried easily, tolerant for his friend's silliness, so God reward you all the good deeds for introducing us.

Ibn Al Mubarak used to do some strange things when he travelled with his friends for pilgrimage. He used to ask them before the trip how much money they were giving away. Then he collected the money and put it in a box and told them that they were all spending from this box. During the pilgrimage he used the money and spent it on them and brought to them whatever they wanted. They were surprised of how blessed the money was because they thought the money was not going to be enough for the trip. Then after returning back from Haj, Ibn Al Mubarak gave them back their money as if it was never touched.

So, I advise you my friends to serve the pilgrims and during your trip, supplicate a lot and ask for forgiveness. As we said pilgrimage is hard and the reward is for such hardness. you should do your best and don't think of anything except your pilgrimage.

To be continued insha Allah...

Shaykh: Hany Helmy
manhag.net