THE HAJJ EXPERIENCE TODAY AND OF THE PAST!

The 14th of October 2013 will be the 9th of Dhul Hijjah 1434 in the Muslim calendar, the day upon which the Messenger Muhammad (saw) informed us that more people are saved from the hellfire than on any other day. This is known as Yawm ul Arafat, the day of Arafat when all those who have made the journey to Hajj will be standing on the plains of Arafat in Saudi Arabia asking forgiveness for all of their sins and hoping that they will attain that ultimate reward of an accepted Hajj for which there is but one reward, Jannah (paradise). We make dua that Allah (SWT) accepts all our efforts to please him during these first ten days of Dhul Hijjah and that Allah (SWT) accepts the Hajj of our fellow Muslims who have made the effort to fulfil this obligation this year, ameen ya rabbil aalameen. When one looks at the history of the Hajj however one cannot help but be struck by the contrast of previous pilgrimages and the Hajj experience today. The huge expense nowadays makes it almost impossible for the average Muslim to make the journey, this is also compounded by the difficulties faced when actually engaging in the rituals of the Hajj when one reaches Saudi Arabia due to the immense overcrowding, bribery, lack of facilities for Hajjis etc etc many will put this down to merely being a test from Allah (SWT) and will try to muddle through, however the fact is that at the current time there are real problems which need to be tackled in this part of the world. For a start the Saudi regime, who are supposedly the custodians of the holy sites of Mecca and Madina, are an oppressive Monarchy regime allied with the American regime in the so called War against Terror (read war on Islam). This has meant that over 17,000 scholars and activists currently reside in Saudi prisons, many of whom are ritually tortured and even killed for speaking up against the regime and calling for Shariah or Jihad to liberate Muslim lands. In addition the huge resources available to the Saudi Regime (from the oil and hajj etc) have been squandered on the royal family itself and their own expensive lifestyle involving alcohol, drugs, prostitution, gambling etc and building palaces which remain empty, as can be seen in the precincts of Mecca itself. Moreover the regime has in place an extremely racist system where a Saudi is classed as a first class citizen whilst others such as Pakistanis, Bengalis, Somalis etc are second class citizens (if given the status of citizen at all) who are treated like slaves and upon whom alone any penal codes, such as cutting the hand of the thief, are applied. This oppression arises from leaving the commands of Allah (SWT), not only does the Saudi Regime implement a monarchic system which is alien to Islam but they also have companies such as Aramco which provide night clubs and alcohol for Americans and their own military who launch bombing campaigns on Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan, whilst all the while having to foot the huge bill for this death and destruction on Muslims, themselves. Shanty towns where the divine right to food, clothing and shelter is neglected by those in power are also prominent in Saudi Arabia, where the poor are forced to beg, this can be vividly seen in the areas of Mecca and Madina itself due to the callous nature of the brutal Saudi Regime which only looks after its own. In the time of Imam Ali (ra) he complained of much noise but few Hajjis due to the tests we will face while engaging in the Hajj. However in our time this is made far worse by a negligent regime that treats Hajjis like cattle, who fail to provide basic facilities and who almost annually deal with mass casualties who have died due to their own incompetence. While American soldiers are plied with alcohol, Muslim Hajjis are left to die often in horrible conditions due to money being used on the Royal Family itself as opposed to aiding the Hajj experience. Muslim students of knowledge will have heard about the Hajj of old where women made Tawaaf either at different times to the men or when women made their Tawaaf closer to the Kaabah to avoid free mixing. They will also have heard how the Khateeb on the day of Arafat in Masjid Namira would be the Mufti of the Khilafah (general and highest authority for the Muslims worldwide) telling us about the affairs of the Muslims, as opposed to the Mufti of Taghout (i.e. of king Abdullah of Saudi Regime) telling us about the threat from terrorism (i.e. Islam). They will also hear about the Hajj being an opportunity for the Ummah to meet together and shed all ideas of nationalism and separateness as opposed to being confined to the European or African camp etc in Mina, as happens today. In truth we have become so used to the injustices and oppression meted out to us that we cannot imagine life any different. The stories of the Hajj of old and how this land should be governed have become mere dreams for us of great era long ago. However we should remember that, as the Hajj season ends and we must face the rest of our lives, we will be held accountable by Allah (SWT) if we do not work to establish the Khilafah and engage in the Jihad to liberate Muslim land. Let us therefore not spoil our Hajj by going back to our old routines and forgetting that the sign of an accepted Hajj is that someone will change his life and make it one of obedience to Allah by fulfilling all his commands and leaving all his prohibitions. For more info: 07956 600 569