The Hajj: Catalyst for Internal and External Change

The Hajj is unique, and the truth is that there is no event in the world that can compare to it.
I would like you to do an exercise with me now.
Let’s imagine for a few moments, that we can see, that for thousands of years we have had a screen on which we see the surface of the earth from space; On that screen we see the movements made by human beings.
On that screen we see the cities that fill up and empty every day, when people come and go from their jobs.
We see how in Europe, for example, in the summer the population moves from north to south and vice versa, for the holidays.
By analyzing it carefully, we could establish a pattern of all these movements.
But that pattern, at a certain time of each year, is broken, since we see hundreds of thousands of dots that begin to move, at first alone or in pairs, gradually increasing their number, the dots are joining each other, and they all go to the same place, one of the most arid places on the surface of the earth.
If we were to zoom in on that point, getting a little closer, we would see how that mass of people circles the same central point over and over again, and then we would see how they move from one place to another as if going back and forth.
And then, on a certain date, the great mass of people gathered together seems to move to a nearby valley from which, the next day, they leave again to enter the desert and remain in one place for several hours.
Then we would see them return again to the valley from which they departed, and after a couple of days, begin to disperse and return to the places, near and far, from which they originally came.
This is seen from a point in space the Hajj.
This is one of the wonderful aspects of Hajja, but there is another, which is perhaps even more important, and there are many occasions when we do not take it into account, that other incredible phenomenon is the antiquity of Hajj.
Almost four thousand years have passed since the Prophet Ibrahim established the rites of the Hajjaim based on the House he built in the Makka Valley; and since that time it has continued to be done year after year, practically uninterruptedly, until we reach the present day.
When Muslims do Hajj, they are taking part in a series of rituals that have been an integral part of human existence since long before written history.
Another of the most wonderful aspects of the Hajjah is that it demonstrates what we have talked about so many times, that what differentiates one person from another, or what elevates one person over another, is not the wealth, nor the origin, nor the color of his skin, but what differentiates one person from another. it is what the heart contains, it is fear, the Taqwa of Allah.
We are going to read a couple of paragraphs that show what we are talking about, they are taken from the book: “The Way of Muhammad”, written by Shaykh Abdal Qadir as-Sufi, in which he says: “The Hajj is the demonstration of that reality that states that in Islam all roads lead to the House of Allah and where nationality, race and differences of doctrine disappear completely. Hajjis come from everywhere, be it country, continent or social background. They come by plane, by sea or by land. But whoever they are, wherever they come from and in their own way, they are attracted to only one thing and one place: the desire to worship Allah in His House and to perform the rites of Hajj.” “From the moment he goes out with the intention of doing Hajj, the journey of Hajji is no longer his, in the sense that he is one of the millions of people who do exactly the same thing; but from another point of view it is unique, because in the midst of that crowd it will be alone before its Lord in the development of its own individual destiny. It is one more element of the many that enter the melting pot of Makka where the Muslim community is fused, where all parties are united under the most intense conditions, mixed, amalgamated and finally separated again to return to their homes in a different way from how they began the journey.”
And this is absolutely true, since I have not had the opportunity to experience it, but with everyone I have talked about their journey to Hajj, I always see in them that there is something different, there has been a change, sometimes very subtle, but something has changed because there is practically no one who comes back from Hajj without having changed.
In some of the hajŷis the change is only superficial; and that brightness they have acquired disappears quickly and in a short time they return to the way they were before.
Others, however, return totally transformed and their lives gain a new quality and greater meaning; they are those whom the Prophet, whom Allah bless and grant peace, describes as those who have become newborns; for them, the Hajj is a new beginning of their lives.

By: Shaikh Ahmed Bermejo from his blog: http://ahmedbermejo.com/