It would be unfortunate if we do not realize the incredible beauty of the faith we belong to. Allah (swt) has studded our lives with nothing but opportunities upon opportunities to walk our way straight into Paradise.
This; what appears to be a black cube studded with velvet ebony and strings of gold, is the epicenter of our very belief in the Oneness of our Lord. Some people are fond of having its majestic photos framed and hung up on the walls of their houses, others like to invest heavily on pendants and charms which are imitations of the House of Allah and feel that they are expressing devotion if they wear it around. Our faith is not about symbols and material objects. The reason this House i.e. the Ka'abahtullah was built by the prophets Abraham and Ishmael (peace and blessings be upon them) by command of our Lord. It is not worshiped! No material object is worshiped. But it is the center towards which every praying person in the world has to face towards - 5 times a day OBLIGATORY - to prove that he or she is part of the faith which believes in One Allah (swt) the Lord of the Heavens and the Earth.
Today was a remarkable day. It is Dhul Hijjah (pronounced zill-Hajj); the last month of the Islamic calendar. And today was the 9th of Dhul Hijjah - the day when the final rite of the annual Muslim pilgrimage to the house of Allah (the Hajj) was performed. Billions of Muslim pilgrims from around the world; having invested a large chunk of their fortune, had set out about a month ago for the love of their Creator towards this great day. Today, with the final ritual of circumambulating 7 times around the House of Allah (swt) they concluded the most rewarding of all journeys of their life! It is said that a person becomes as clean and pure as a newborn child after performing the Hajj. Wow!
And Arafah - the grand finale event of the pilgrimage - is a day of great merits even for non-pilgrims around the world. It has its significance deep rooted in the very history of this earth's creation. Arafah is also the name of the great ground where the entire world's populace would gather on the Final Day! And this is the very ground where Adam and Eve (peace and blessings be upon them) reunited after being separated for hundreds of years in punishment for being expelled from Paradise.
The non-pilgrims can seek their way into Paradise by fasting the 9 days of Dhul Hijjah and in particular the day of Arafah. It is today when your fast would evict you (according to a hadith narrated from Sahih Muslim) from your sins of the past year and the year ahead. Can you believe this? You're being forgiven in advance for the mess you'd be creating (may Allah forbid you) next year! What more is it going to take you to acknowledge the GREATNESS of your Lord and the BEAUTY of your faith?
“There is no day on which Allaah ransoms more of His slaves from the Fire than the day of ‘Arafah. He draws close then He boasts about them before the angels and says, ‘What do these people want?’” (Sahih Muslim)
Arafah comes once an year to cleanse our spirits of all evil. This is a day when Allah (swt) descends to the nearest Heaven to hear our pleas for repentance and to answer our prayers. Millions of people; on this day, are evicted from a terrible fate of burning in Hell fire and each one of us should strive to be on that list!
It is not difficult. It takes prayers, dhikr and fasting or even one of the supererogatory acts of devotion for your Lord who had blessed you with the best. As the pilgrims chant "Labbaik Allahumma Labaik" "I am present O! Allah! I am present!" it is up to the rest of us to hold that belief of being accountable to our Lord and to indulge in deep prayers on this day.
Arafah shall take you through ... all the way to Paradise. Make sure you have your ticket.
Sisterly yours,
@num @.
Arafah comes once an year to cleanse our spirits of all evil. This is a day when Allah (swt) descends to the nearest Heaven to hear our pleas for repentance and to answer our prayers. Millions of people; on this day, are evicted from a terrible fate of burning in Hell fire and each one of us should strive to be on that list!
It is not difficult. It takes prayers, dhikr and fasting or even one of the supererogatory acts of devotion for your Lord who had blessed you with the best. As the pilgrims chant "Labbaik Allahumma Labaik" "I am present O! Allah! I am present!" it is up to the rest of us to hold that belief of being accountable to our Lord and to indulge in deep prayers on this day.
Arafah shall take you through ... all the way to Paradise. Make sure you have your ticket.
Sisterly yours,
@num @.
No comments:
Post a Comment