My sincere Muslim brother undertaking Hajj!
Know—may Allah guide you to obey Him—that Hajj is more than a seasonal journey, a social custom or a bodily visit to the sacred sites. It is a great act of worship and a comprehensive divine school through which Allah teaches His servants pure monotheism, detachment from worldly adornments, humility before Him and reverence for His sacred rites.
When the pilgrim says, “O Allah, I respond to Your call, I do respond. I respond to Your call, You have no partner, I do respond.” he declares with heart and tongue that he is Allah’s servant, answering His command, renouncing polytheism and its causes, and acknowledging that praise, blessings and sovereignty belong to Allah alone, without partner.
True Hajj is more than entering ihram, circumambulation, walking between Safa and Marwa, and standing at Arafat. It trains the heart in sincerity, the soul in patience, the tongue in remembrance, the limbs in obedience and the whole person in a sincere return to Allah.
Allah says: “And take provisions for the journey, but the best provision is righteousness.”
Whoever sets out for Hajj without leaving his sins behind, wears ihram without shedding the garments of arrogance, ostentation and heedlessness, or stands at Arafat without his heart humbling itself before his Lord has missed the spirit of Hajj in proportion to his lack of sincere servitude.
You who have set your sights on Allah’s Sacred House:
Purify your wealth, set your intention right, learn the rulings of your rites, and guard your tongue and limbs. Do not reduce your Hajj to pictures to post or memories to recount. Make it a renewed covenant with Allah, sincere repentance and the beginning of unwavering uprightness.
The effects of an accepted Hajj are not confined to the sacred sites. They become evident after returning home, in prayer, character, truthfulness, trustworthiness, kindness to parents, respect for others’ rights and abandonment of sins.
O Allah, accept the pilgrims’ Hajj, reward their efforts, forgive their sins and return them safely to their families with blessings. Make us and them among Your accepted servants. Amen!