What is Hajj?

 Hajj:

      The importance of Hajj among the members of Islam is well understood from this verse of the Holy Quran.

Surah Al-Imran verse 97:

Translation: 

And it is Allah's right for people to perform Hajj to this house. Whoever has the power to reach it and whoever refuses, then Allah is free from the people of this world.

The purpose and goal of Hajj is not only visiting a few special places, but behind it there is a brilliant history of  sacrifice, love and sincerity. There is an unparalleled story of the sincerity and zeal of great people like Hazrat Ibrahim, Hazrat Ismail and Hazrat Hajra.

Allah gave a son to Abraham at the age of 86. His name was Ismail . After some time, Hazrat Ibrahim was ordered to leave his  son Hazrat Ismail with his mother in an uninhabited and deserted valley. This  was followed by Hazrat Ibrahim with great patience and courage, and Hazrat Hajra too in this regard showed great zeal. When this child grew up and was able to walk, Hazrat Ibrahim was ordered to sacrifice Hazrat Ismail. This great servant of Allah, lbrahim, also followed this with great perseverance. Where Allah accepted this sacrifice with honor, He also saved Hazrat Ismail . Who had set a great example of submission and satisfaction. Various rituals of Hajj invite us to follow in the footsteps of these great and noble personalities.

 Hajj is a comprehensive act of worship and its greatest benefit is the forgiveness of sins.

 The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

Translation: 

         Whoever performs Hajj purely in obedience to the command of Allah Almighty and refrains from immorality during Hajj, he returns as if he had just been born from his mother's womb.

This provision of purifying His sinful servants in this world is proof of Allah's grace and grace, so not taking advantage of it is extremely ungrateful and unfortunate. 

Comprehensiveness:

A comprehensive worship like Hajj includes the spirit of all worships. From the departure for Hajj to the return, the closeness to God is possible through prayer. Spending money for Hajj is similar to Zakat. Refraining from sensual desires and moral evils has a state of fasting. The distance from home and the difficulty of travel has the color of jihad. 

Umm al-Mu'minin Hazrat Aeysha Siddiqa narrated that the Holy Prophet said:

The Hajj Mabarur(acceptable) is the best Jihad. 

 Hazrat Umar used to say:

Prepare things for Hajj because it is also Jihad.

Benefits of Hajj:

 (1) The real benefit of Hajj is remembrance God and closer is God. But like other members of religion, it has many social and moral benefits. On this occasion, people from different parts of the world are cleansed of sin due to the payment of Hajj. The wealth that these people return with the purity of faith and piety also leads to the improvement of their environment.

(2) The grand gathering of Hajj is a reflection of the glory of the Nation of Islam. When Muslims from all corners of the world, rising above the distinctions of color and race, nation and homeland, repeat the same word in the same language.In this situation, the devotees cling to the call of their God. So they seem to be an army of God's faithful soldiers.

(3) One of the important commercial and economic benefits of Hajj is that people from different countries get economic benefits through buying and selling.

Hajj Maqbool:

              We only then can benefit from  the collective and individual  benefits of Hajj. When our goal is the pleasure of God , the center and axis of our activities should be the exaltation of religion and the spiritual goals of Hajj. Then our Hajj, Hajj can be Maqbool and successful.