IN the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. Praise be to God, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds.
In the performance of Umrah and Hajj is the observance of Sa’i (hastening) between the hills of Safa and Marwa beside Ka’bah. This is the re-enactment of the actions of Hajar, mother of Ismael while looking for water for the child to wash and to drink. This was a moment of hardship, pain, grief and anxiety for both mother and child in the desert where nothing was available to eat or drink, and where nobody was available to help. Abraham prayed, as revealed in the Holy Qur’an 14:37, “O our Lord! I have made some of my offspring to dwell in a valley without cultivation, by Thy Sacred House; in order, O our Lord, that they may establish regular prayer: So, fill the hearts of some among men with love towards them, and feed them with fruits: so that they may give thanks.”
In fulfilling the yearnings of Hajar in moment of need, and in relieving Ismael from the painful cries for food and drink, Allah came to their rescue as the blessed water of Zam-Zam was made to gush out from his footprint, which has continued to gush beside the Sacred Mosque till today. They drank. And people on caravan trade that came over to take from the water brought food items, clothing and others from which Hajar and Ismael enjoyed bountifully. Thus, they all established regular prayers in the mosque and gave praise to Allah as commanded.
Such freshness, such immediacy in answer to prayers still exists in that spot on the re-enactment of that episode. And the place i.e., Safa and Marwa (with three movement up the former and four up the latter with praises and supplication exist in no other place than Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
Also, the climbing of the Mountain Arafat (Jabal-Rahma) on the ninth day of the lunar month of Dhul-Hijjah is the high point of pilgrimage (Hajj) to Makkah. Any pilgrim that could not be within the precinct of the mountain from morning till sunset in praise and supplication has not performed Hajj. It is the spot where the Almighty showed mercy on the first human, Adam, after so many years of wandering on earth seeking the forgiveness of Allah after being driven away from paradise for eating the forbidden fruit (Qur’an 2:36-39; 7:19). It is the meeting point of Adam and Eve in answer to their prayers after many years of emigration from heaven. It is the crucial place when Allah showed kindness, mercy, and forgiveness to mankind, so that our father Adam may not be rejected, dejected and subjected to nothingness. Qur’an 7: 19 – 25, says: “O Adam! Dwell thou and thy wife in the garden and enjoy (its good things) as ye wish: but approach not this tree or ye run into harm and transgression. Then began Satan to whisper suggestions to them bringing openly before their minds all their shame that was hidden from them (before): He said, ‘Your Lord only forbade you this tree lest ye should become angels or such beings as live forever’. And he swore to them both that he was their sincere adviser. So, by deceit, he brought about their fall: when they tasted of the tree their shame became manifest to them and they began to sew together the leaves of the garden over their bodies. And their Lord called unto them: ‘Did I not forbid you that tree and tell you that Satan was an avowed enemy unto you?’ They said: ‘Our Lord! We have wronged our own souls: If Thou forgive us not and bestow not upon us Thy mercy, we shall certainly be lost’. (God) said: ‘Get ye down with enmity between yourselves. On earth will be your dwelling-place and your means of livelihood for a time’. He said: ‘therein shall ye live and therein shall ye die; but from it shall ye be taken out (at last)’.”
Hence, we are made to re-enact this episode annually at the appointed time to seek for Allah’s forgiveness so that He may show forgiveness and mercy on us. We are asked to converge from all parts of the world to give praise to Allah and glorify his Name so that He may prove the Angels wrong on the need for our creation, and when God is proud of humanity as submitting to His grace and superiority (Qur’an 2:125-127; 3:96-97). God Almighty declares in Qur’an 2:30: “Behold thy Lord said to the angels: ‘I will create a vicegerent on earth’. They said, ‘Wilt thou place therein one who will make mischief therein and shed blood? Whilst we do celebrate Thy praises and glorify Thy holy (name)?’ He said: ‘I know what ye know not’.” We are asked to gather on mount Arafat, (where God forgave Adam and Eve for taking to forbidden fruit) to serve as reminder for the Grand Assembly of the Day of Judgment when people will stand equal before Allah waiting for their final destiny, and where no superiority of race or stock can be claimed, and it is a deed and the nearest man can come to encounter with God on earth.
Moreover, the teeming millions of the pilgrims leave Arafat for Muzdalifah to say the Maghrib, Ishai and Fajr prayers, as Prophet Muhammad (SAW) slept overnight at this spot before leaving for Mina in the early morning after Fajr Salat (Qur’an 2:189). They also pick the pebbles for stoning the pillar of Aqabah in Mina also near Makkah. This is another symbolic site where Hajj rites are performed to re-enact the victory of Prophet Ibrahim, his son, Ismael and wife, Hajjar over Satan when they wanted to fulfill their promise to Allah in offering Ismael in sacrifice. It takes courage, fear of Allah (taqwa) and towards submission to the will of Allah (Iman) for Ibrahim who gave birth to Ismael at the ripe age of 86 to carry out his promise in moment of need that such a child will be offered in sacrifice if given at all (Qur’an 37:99-111).
On arrival in Mina on the day of Eid-l-Adha, i.e., the 10th of Dhul-Hijjah, the pilgrims are to successively throw the pebbles one by one at the stone pillar of Aqabah, the very spots where Satan wanted to confuse them in the fulfillment of the promise to Allah. This sacred duty can only be carried out in Saudi Arabia where the sacred events took place.
Though the visit of the pilgrims to Madinah, another holy city in Saudi Arabia where non-Muslims are restricted, is voluntary. It is always good to make the visit. It will be an act of dishonor for any pilgrim not to visit Madinah where Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) sleeps, and where he took refuge during the holy flight from Makkah (Hijra). Apart from the Prophet Muhammad’s mosque where his grave is situated; that of his first Caliph, Abu-Bakr and the second Caliph, Umar, lie beside one another, there are other historic places in the shinning and peaceful city of Madinah.
Such include the Quba Mosque, which is the first mosque of Islam in Madinah; the Qiblatayn Mosque (the Mosque of Two Qiblas) where revelation came to the Prophet for Muslims to face Ka’bah in prayers rather than Masjid-l-Aqsa in Jerusalem (Qur’an 2:144); and the Baqy cemetery where the third Caliph, Uthman, Hamzah and other Martyrs of the Battle of Uhud were buried. The Hadith of Prophet Muhammad (SAW): says, Abdullah ibn Umar narrated that the Messenger of Allah said: “Whoever visits my grave, my intercession becomes obligatory for him” (Muslim, Al-Bazzar, Sharh-al-Manasik, and Dar Qutni). Also, Abdullah ibn Umar again narrated that the Messenger of Allah said: “Whoever visits me and has no other motive, has a right over me that I intercede on his behalf” (Bukhari, Muslim and Al-Tabrani). Further, “whoever visits me after my death is like he who had visited me during my life. And whoever passes away in either of the two Harams will be resurrected from among the ones given safety on the Day of Resurrection” (Muslim, Dar Qutni, Adh-Dhahabi, and Al-Wafa).
Moreover, Abdullah ibn Umar reported that the Messenger of Allah said: “The person who performs Hajj then visits my grave after my death is like he who visited me during my lifetime” (Muslim and Al-Bayhaqi). It is related by a person from the family of Khattab that the Messenger of Allah said: “Whoever undertakes a journey specially to visit me, will be my neighbour on the Day of Judgment” (Bukhari, Muslim and Ad-Daylami).
Another Hadith says, Ibn Abbas reported the Messenger of Allah said: “Whoever performs his Hajj in Makkah, then he comes to Madinah with the sole aim of visiting me in my Masjid, for him shall be written (the rewards of) two accepted Hajj” (Bukhari, Muslim, and Ad-Daylami). Allah says in the Qur’an Al-Nisa, 4:64: “And if, when they wronged themselves, they had come to you, [O Muhammad], and asked forgiveness of Allah and the Messenger had asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah Accepting of repentance and Merciful”.
It is therefore not surprising to see Nigerians trooping in large numbers to the Holy Land to carry out this obligatory act of worship (Hajj). In fact, Nigeria ranks third after Turkey and Iran since 1954 in the greater number of Muslims that perform Hajj annually worldwide. And the number increases annually with only 12,299 pilgrims in 1964,51,264 in 1974 it reached over 300,000 in 1980.
And kudos must be given to the Saudi Arabian government for improving the condition in the holy shrines with not less than five million pilgrims performing Hajj in the least one decade. The condition is now far cry from the olden days when the trip was risky, hazardous, and full of difficulties and hardships.
Thanks to the innovative managerial skills of the outstanding Custodian of the Two Sacred Mosques in Makkah and Madinah from the founding monarch, King Ibn Saud, since September 23, 1932 to the incumbent, King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz since January 23, 2015. And thanks to Almighty God for the enormous petrol dollar for the 35.3 million population (Worldometer 2021) of the desert country, Saudi Arabia. The valuable treasures gushing out of the bowels of the earth has made it possible through proper management to provide necessary conveniences for the pilgrims by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.
May Almighty Allah accept the acts of worship of the Muslim pilgrims in Saudi Arabia for Hajj and Umrah. Ameen.
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