Hajj – commitment towards Tawheed

The hajj season is upon us again and as usual has engendered great excitement in all Muslims. This excitement applies equally to those who are pilgrims in Makkah or those who are just celebrating their festival of Sacrifice, Eid al-Ad`ha, at home. This Eid is the celebration of the memory of a great Prophet, Ibrahim, from whom God demanded the ultimate sacrifice – the life of his son.

The Prophet Ibrahim was chosen to lead and establish the core purpose behind the missions of all prophets and Messengers sent down by Allah throughout the whole of human history. This core purpose was to induce people to a commitment to their Creator, without associating with Him any other deity or partnership with any other kind of imagined divine being. Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala says in the Qur`an: “And remember when We appointed for Ibrahim the site of the sacred House (saying) associate not anything with Me, and sanctify My House for those who encompass it round or stand up or bow or prostrate themselves therein in prayer”. S22 V26

The Hajj is regarded as one method whereby the core purpose of the message of the Quran and the Mission of the Prophet Mohammad is reinforced, by firmly establishing the notion of tawheed in the life of all people, who are the creation of God the Almighty and the Creator of all.

What is tawheed and why is it the core purpose behind all the divine messages from Allah?

Tawheed is the Islamic doctrine of Faith designed to draw people to the fact that they are all the creation of the one God, to whom He has given guidance and freedom of choice in their beliefs and who they should worship. Tawheed presents a difficult test of people’s choices, but persuades them to turn to the one God who is worthy of all praise and worship, for He is the Lord and He is the Sustainer.

Tawheed negates any notion of belief in the creation of any associate with God in worship, divinity or power. Tawheed does not oppose the notion of negating God’s existence, as that is an act of disbelief and atheism. Those who do not believe in God, and in His existence, are invited to reflect on the  most powerful of signs – the existence of the universe, the heavens and the earth and on the harmonious accomplishment of all that has and continues to happen therein, and to think about the Most Wise Creator and Sustainer. They should then turn to Him alone, without associating anything with Him, in their devotion and commitment to Him.

Hajj is the great manifestation and display of the first pillar of Islam on which all other pillars are based. The first pillar of Islam is to testify that there is no deity worthy of worship and devotion other than Allah, the Almighty alone.

When a pilgrim enters his Ihraam, or the state of sanctity, his commitment starts with declaring the talbiya: “Labbaik allahumma labbaik, labbaik laa shareeka laka laibbaik, innal hamda wan ne`mata laka wal mulk laa shareeka laka”, meaning: “Here I am O Allah here I am, here I am  there is no partner with you, here I am, indeed all praise and favours and dominion belong to you and you have no partner”.

Pilgrims continue to utter this declaration throughout their performance of the hajj or whilst they are in the hajj period.

Islam champions the cause of Tawheed and it acts as a beacon that brings light everywhere with its message. This message provides a moral compulsion for people to submit to the will of God in complete subordination and surrender. It enables a person to envisage a purpose to their life from a divine perspective and not from a personal or someone else’s perspective.

Anyone who commits evil in the name of Islamic teachings is a wrongdoer and fails to surrender to the will of God. Those who surrender to the will of God are humble, reflective in their actions, fearful of the consequence of their wrongdoings and recognise their accountability.

To embrace Tawheed is to acknowledge the Majesty of God in every aspect of His creation and pronounce His praise and to recognise that it is only God who is praiseworthy. He is the beautiful originator (badee3) of the heavens and the earth.

Tawheed is the core message of the Quranic teachings. That is its main argument which endeavours to bring people to God who is Almighty, the Creator of all and each existence in this universe. All Islamic practices revolve around it. If there are any defects in this belief then they lead to defects in all other practices and so nothing remains in its pure or original form or as they should be. 

The Ka`bah, the sacred House in Makkah, is pivotal to the notion of Tawheed, as it is a focal point in the pilgrimage and for the daily offering of the salaah. It is an obligation on all Muslims to protect its sanctity, by not surrendering to shirk or polytheism, and to turn to the one God in it either in hajj or in Salaah.

Sacrifice on this occasion is an act that is meant only for God, not the meat and not the blood, but as a demonstration that He is the core purpose behind that sacrifice. Any display of arrogance, competition, might, wealth or rank, would nullify the original purpose. We need to be very careful about the possibility of 'showing off' in the manner in which we offer our sacrifice.

When people talk about the heritage of Makkah, they talk about the places where people were born or buildings were built. There is no sanctity in any of them. The only heritage in Makkah is the Ka`bah and the only building to be protected is this sacred House, so that people can turn to God through their focus on this House.

The Prophet Ibrahim was chosen to be the source of this great pillar of Islam- Hajj. By purifying people’s belief in God and rejecting all notion of associating any other with Him, it remains a great and blessed occasion and when we celebrate it we all need to understand its purpose. By celebrating this festival, and performing this great pillar of Islam, Muslims are demonstrating the strength of their belief in Tawheed. This occasion can be life changing   and could forever be a source of guidance that will keep us on the true path and be the main factor that prevents us from any wrongdoing in the future.