The month of Hajj

In the name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful

Assalamualaikum

Title: The month of Hajj

O how I long to perform the Hajj, with my family. Just the thought of being able to see Kaabah live, is enough to send tears to my eyes and make me cry a river. If I ever get the chance to perform Hajj, I wonder what it feels like, to be able to see the Kaabah and do my tawaf around it. Will I cry?

Alhamdulilah though, because I've performed Umrah with my family, sometime back in 1998. That was like eons ago, and back then, I was only an innocent little 4 years old kid who knew nothing about the significance of Umrah or Hajj. From what I can remember, the heat there was really unbearable. I don't remember much, but my mum and dad took lots of photographs while we were there, and had kept them into an album. It's a really thick one and that album is really precious to me because I don't know if I'll ever get the chance to perform Hajj or Umrah ever again. 

The month of Zulhijjah; the month of Hajj, is here again. Zulhijjah is the last month in the Islamic Calendar. Be glad because we are still in the first week of Zulhijjah! Say alhamdulilah because, the best 10 days of the Islamic calendar has just begun! The significance of the first 10 days of Zulhijjah is similar to the last 10 days of Ramadhan. That is just how important the first 10 days of Zulhijjah is, to us practising Muslims. So then, shouldn't we take full advantage of this wonderful opportunity by offering as much ibadah as possible, to Allah s.w.t? & if I'm not mistaken, we're already into the 4th of Zulhijjah today, yes?

& as a matter of fact, I am pretty much looking forward to this Saturday because it'll be the 9th of Zulhijjah; Yaumal Arafah; the day of Arafah. This is the date, when Hajj pilgrims perform the most essential part of the prescribed duties of Hajj, namely, the Wukuf in Arafat; the stay in Arafat. How does this concern us in anyway? Read on because what I am about to explain next, will just prove how beautiful, just, and fair, Islam is.

The Prophet Muhammad s.a.w have emphasised that it is a desirable act; mustahabb for those who are not performing Hajj, to fast on the 9th of Zulhijjah. & insyaAllah, we will be forgiven of our 2 years worth of sins. Subhanallah.

How many blind people would pay anything, to be able to read the Quran? How many deaf people would pay anything to be able to hear the Azan? How many dumb people would pay anything to be able to say the shahadah? How many crippled people would pay anything to walk around the Kaabah? You see, we're just very fortunate, but we aren't grateful enough...

And Allah says in the Quran: And few of My servants are grateful. [34:14]

There are no days loved by Allah than for you to worship Him in the first 10 days of Zulhijjah. Fasting any day during it, is equivalent to fasting one year, and to offer sallatul tahajjud during one of its night is like performing the late night prayer during the night of power; Lailatul Qadr. [ - Tirmidzhi, Ibn Majah & Baihaqi ]