Spiritual Advice for Hajj

Allah سبحانه وتعالى says in the Holy Qur'an:
الْحَجُّ أَشْهُرٌ مَّعْلُومَاتٌ فَمَن فَرَضَ فِيهِنَّ الْحَجَّفَلاَ
رَفَثَ وَلاَ فُسُوقَ وَلاَ جِدَالَ فِي الْحَجِّ وَمَا تَفْعَلُواْ مِنْ
خَيْرٍ يَعْلَمْهُ اللّهُوَتَزَوَّدُواْ فَإِنَّ خَيْرَ الزَّادِ التَّقْوَى
وَاتَّقُونِ يَا أُوْلِي الأَلْبَابِ
The season of Pilgrimage is the months known; wherefore
whosoeverordaineth unto himself the pilgrimagetherein, there is no
lewdness nor wickedness nor wrangling during the pilgrimage, and
whatsoever of good ye do, Allah shall knowit. And take provision for
the journey, for verily the best provision is abstainment; and fear
Me, O men of understanding!
[al Baqarah 2/197]
In the verse related to Hajj , the need to perform tawaaf (ritual walk
around the Holy Ka'ba), sa'ee (ritualwalk between the hills of Safa
and Marwa), stoning of the shayaateen are not mentioned, rather Allah
سبحانه وتعالى mentions the need to abstain from 3 acts:
1. Lewd talk
This means any talk which is rude, indecent, offensive or vulgar. To
speak in such a manner violates the sanctity of Hajj. It does not
befit a Muslim to speak in a lewd manner – it only suggests a filthy
heart and mind. This prohibition during Hajj also includes speaking of
conjugal relations between husbandand wife which under normal
circumstances would be permissible.
2. Sinning
This includes any act of disobedience to Allah سبحانه وتعالى
especially not lowering one's gaze. During Hajj, being such a large
gathering of men andwomen, the need to lower one's gaze becomes all
the more important. Not lowering one's gaze not only destroys the
sanctity of Hajj, but one's attention is diverted from Allah سبحانه
وتعالى to the creation. Nothing is achieved by the stray gaze – it is
an arrow which only returns to pierce one's own heart.
3. Arguing
The Hajj journey makes themost patient and forbearing of people
irritable because one's sleeping and eating patterns are disrupted. In
such a state and in such a large gathering of people one may be easily
provoked and get into an argument. At such times one should exercise
patience and self-disciplineand remind himself by saying 'I am in
Hajj' i.e. I am in a sanctified state.
These 3 sins reflect the 3 categories of sins a Muslim should avoid
throughout his life i.e.
• Sins of the tongue
• Sins of the flesh
• Sins against fellow Muslims
During Hajj these 3 sins areespecially dangerous yet soeasy to commit.
If a personengages in any of these there is a great danger thatall of
the reward for Hajj will be destroyed. As well as fulfilling all the
rites andrituals of Hajj, it is necessary to refrain from the above
sins for an accepted Hajj.

--

::-::
Translate:
http://translate.google.com/m?hl=en&twu=1/
- - - - -
m-najimudeen-bsc-india-

Allah is the Provider

Shaykh Sa'eed ibn Musfir narrates the following account:
I was walking out of the Haram (the Ka'bah in Makkah ) when I saw a
man begging from everyone that passed by him.
Just then a man who had parked his tinted Mercedes excessively close
to the Haram in a designated VIP parking walked passed the beggar on
his way to his car. As he pulled the keys out and the alarm did the
'whup whup', the beggar raised his finger to the sky and said,
"Please, for the sake of Allah !"
Trying to end the moment and avoid a dip into the pocket, the Mercedes
man said back, "Allah will provide!"
The beggar replied: "What!Did you at any moment think that I thought
YOU were my provider! I'm not asking for your provision, I KNOW Allah
will provide for me."
Shaykh Misfir continues. The two stood there staring at one another
for amoment and then the Mercedes tinted windows came up and the man
drove away.
A needy African sister who was sitting nearby on the street selling
textiles was moved by the incident. Shedid not have much, but from
what she did have, she pulled out 1 riyal and placed it in the hands
of that beggar.
He smiled and went on his way.
Meanwhile the Mercedes man could not drive on with the choke of guilt.
He turned the car around and made his way through the crowd to the
place where the incident had happened.
Shaykh Misfir says…I saw with my own eyes as he pulled out a 10 riyal
bill from his briefcase to give to the beggar. But he looked left and
right and could not find him. What was he to do? He had already pulled
out the bill to give for the sake of Allahand was not going to put
itback. So he found the nearest person he thought was worthy of the
bill, placed it in her lap and went on his way.
The 10 riyals sat in the lap of the sister that had given the beggar!
Hazrat Abu Hurairah reported that Rasulullah has said that Allah's
injunction is:
"O my servants ! Spend andyou will be given." [Bukhari, Muslim]
Hazrat Abdullah bin Abbas reported that Rasulullah has said that "
Charity does not diminish wealth ." [Tibrani]

--

::-::
Translate:
http://translate.google.com/m?hl=en&twu=1/
- - - - -
m-najimudeen-bsc-india-

Can You Sleep when the Wind Blows?

Years ago, a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He
constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were reluctantto
work on farms along theAtlantic. They dreaded the awful storms that
raged across the Atlantic, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops.
As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received A steady
stream of refusals.
Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the farmer.
"Are you a good farm hand?" the farmer asked him.
"Well, I can sleep when thewind blows," answered thelittle man.
Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help, hired
him. The little man workedwell around the farm, busyfrom dawn to dusk,
and the farmer felt satisfied with the man's work.
Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore. Jumping out of
bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired
hand's sleeping quarters. He shook the little man and yelled, "Get up!
A storm is coming! Tie things down before they blow away!"
The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, "No sir. I told
you, I can sleep when the wind blows."
Enraged by the response, the farmer was tempted tofire him on the
spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his
amazement, he discovered that all of the haystacks had been covered
with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn,the chickens were in the
coops, and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured.
Everything was tied down.
Nothing could blow away. The farmer then understood what his hired
hand meant, so he returned to his bed to also sleep while the wind
blew.
When you're prepared, spiritually, mentally, and physically, you have
nothing to fear. Can you sleep when the wind blows through your life?
The hired hand in the storywas able to sleep because he had secured
the farm against the storm.
We secure ourselves against the storms of life by grounding ourselves
in the Word of Allah . We don't need to understand, we just need to
hold on to His commands in order to have peace in the middle of
storms.

--

::-::
Translate:
http://translate.google.com/m?hl=en&twu=1/
- - - - -
m-najimudeen-bsc-india-

Freedom for

O Allah, make Egypt a beacon of freedom for the Arab world and all of
Africa. Bring relief to the Ummah, and let them breathe. Guide them
and keep them on the light. Subhanaka wa bihamdik , Glory to You Allah
and praise to You.
Power to the people!!!
Mubarak the dictator is gone. But the January 25th revolution must
continue until all the corrupt old guard are gone. The killers and
torturers of Khaled Said and so many other innocents must be broughtto
justice. The voice of the people must be respected, and their freedom
assured.
What has happened is a huge first step, a historic moment. It is a
tremendous victory for the people and the youth. A new age has dawned
on Egypt. Now ahead lies the journey.
Alhamdulillah, wa Allahu Akbar.

--

::-::
Translate:
http://translate.google.com/m?hl=en&twu=1/
- - - - -
m-najimudeen-bsc-india-