‘Love to all, malice to none’ – a cathartic Hajj experience

HAJJ 2016 drew to a close this week – it’s the annual pilgrimage by Muslims to Makkah in Saudi Arabia and the largest single religious gathering in the world with 1 862 909 pilgrims taking part.

More than two-thirds were foreigners, with almost 2 000 South Africans. I was one of them. It was my first Hajj. I had some trepidation to begin with as I had heard horror stories from other South African pilgrims.

Thankfully, my experience was nothing of the sort.

The Saudi attention to detail was incredible, providing a seamless experience. Saudi police and soldiers were out in full force and safety was a top priority following disasters in previous years.

The South African Hajj and Umrah Council (SAHUC), South Africa’s acting ambassador to the Kingdom, Mohammed Abbas Khan and Consul-General Shoayb Casoo ensured the hujjaj (pilgrims) were well taken care of, including receiving free medical care.

I met pilgrims from across the globe: Fiji, Barbados, Australia, America, Indonesia, India, Pakistan, the UK, Egypt, Nigeria, Ghana, Mozambique and Zambia among others, a living embodiment of the words in the Qur’an: “We have created for you different tribes, races and nations so that you can get to know each other better with compassion.”

It was wholly contrary to the popular western Islamophobic narrative of Muslims being terrorists, a lived cross-national fellowship of faith, care and compassion that flies in the face of such bigotry and prejudice.

South Africans appear to be particularly popular hujjaj. When shopkeepers and taxi drivers recognised our accents, they would say: “Janubi Africa!” (Hail, South African!) The response when we added that we were from “Mandela’s country” was even more heart-warming.

It was his legacy that inspired the South African hujjaj to rally together this year to raise funds from home to buy food and water for almost 12 000 needy pilgrims over a week during the Hajj in Arafat.

It was a small gesture that breathed life into the spirit of unconditional charity that underpins our Abrahamic tradition.

Terror, arrogance, pride, class are not at the heart of Islamic tradition.

On pilgrimage, I was acutely aware of my own mortality and that my worldly achievements meant nothing.

My spiritual voices reminded me of what Prophet Muhammed (Peace be upon Him) said: “Do you know what is better than charity and fasting? It is keeping peace and good relations between people, as quarrels and bad feelings destroy mankind.” (Bukhari)

In Madinah, the feeling you get when you stand before the grave of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to offer your greetings is just deeply restorative, spiritually enveloping and majestic. The final resting place is very clean, serene and tranquil as we hymn our praises to the Prophet, his companions and his family and plead that he intercedes on our behalf on the Day of Judgement.

From there we headed for Islam’s holiest city, Makkah, understanding the truth espoused by George Bernard Shaw, who said of the Prophet: “The wonderful man in my opinion, far from being an anti-Christ, he must be called the Saviour of Humanity.”

The endless sea of pilgrims who come to honour the Prophet around the clock is mute testimony to this legacy.

The Grand Mosque there is currently being expanded. When the renovations are finished, it will house 1.8 million pilgrims.

From there, the pilgrimage moves to the tent city of Mina, sleeping under the stars in Muzdalifa as part of the five-day Hajj ritual.

The sheer volume of people, the engulfing, hypnotic buzz of recita- tions, is pleasantly overwhelming. A deeply spiritual place.

All pilgrims are stripped of their worldly status, to don the Ihram, two brand free pieces of material, to make all equal before God.

The taw’waf (circling) around the Ka’aba seven times – the first house of worship dedicated to God, built by Prophet Adam – is another humbling experience, reminding every pilgrim that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) did not bring any new religion into the world but perfected the same monotheistic faith – Islam – preached by the earlier Prophets Abraham, Moses and Jesus (peace be upon all of them).

The Hajj is all the more poignant and emotional an experience when you realise that this is a religious tradition that goes back several centuries in time, including the Prophets Adam and Abraham.

Another miracle for me is the sacred Well of Zam Zam, which still exists within the precinct of the Mosque. Millions have drunk its blessed water for generations.

There seems no end of it. It is an act required of all pilgrims to drink from the Well. As they do, they remember God and thank Him for his generous bounties and mercies, remembering when Prophet Abraham’s wife Hagar begged God Almighty to grant her water in the desert at this very spot.

Another highlight, and perhaps the most cathartic for me, was the symbolic pelting of the devil – a rejection of all evil and a submission to God Almighty’s will.

Hajj forces pilgrims to become deeply reflective.

Yes, we live in a world of turmoil. So, here we pray for global peace. Islam is under attack and misconceptions about our religion are rife. But the love we saw on Hajj, cutting across colour, race, class, culture and gender lines clearly negates the bigoted media narrative.

Islam says no to terrorism. The “voices of my spiritual education” say in the Noble Qur’an: “If anyone killed a person… to spread mischief in the land – it would be as if he killed all humankind, and if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of all humankind” (5:32).

That’s just one of the reasons I decided to share my #Hajj2016 #AbramjeeOnHajj jour ney on social media platforms and on the mainstream media.

I’ve decided to spend the remainder of my life to “spiritualise my politics and politicise my spirituality” for all humankind, as Muslims are supposed to do, for the pleasure alone of God Almighty Allah.

My Hajj was the journey of a lifetime. It has changed me. The pilgrimage provides Muslims with a massive spiritual boost. You leave as a newborn – free from all sins.

The challenge is to keep the flag of God Almighty flying high and be ongoing ambassadors for Islam, to submit to His will, to show “love to all – malice to none”, of justice, peace, care and service to humanity. Yusuf Abramjee is a social activist. Twitter: @abramjee