|
HAJJ: PILGRIMAGE TO
THE HOUSE OF GOD - PART 4
IMAM AL-SAJJAD (AS) &
SHIBLI
Imam Al-Sajjad, Ali
ibn al-Hussayn (as) was received by Shibli when he was back from Hajj
and the following dialogue occured between them:
The Imam (as):
Did you perform Hajj,
Shibli?
Shibli:
Yes, son of Allah's messenger.
The Imam (as):
You stopped at Miqat, put
off your sewn clothes, and washed yourself, did you not?
Shibli:
Yes, I did.
The Imam (as):
As you stopped in Miqat,
did you intend to put off the garment of disobedience (to God) and put
on a garment of obedience (to Him)?
Shibli:
No, I did not.
The Imam (as):
As you put off your sewn
clothes, did you intend to get rid of ostentation, hypocrisy and
intrusion in suspicious matters?
Shibli: No, I did not.
The Imam (as):
As you washed yourself,
did you intend to wash yourself from sins and offenses?
Shibli:
No, I did not.
The Imam (as):
In that case, you did not
really stop at Miqat, put off your sewn clothes, and wash yourself.
You
washed yourself thoroughly, entered the state of Ihram, and intended to
perform hajj, did you not?
Shibli:
Yes, I did.
The Imam (as):
As you washed yourself
thoroughly, entered the state of Ihram, and intended to perform hajj,
did you intend to wash yourself thoroughly with pure repentance to
Allah?
Shibli:
No I did not.
The Imam (as):
As you entered the state
of Ihram, did you intend to abstain from every matter that Allah deems
unlawful?
Shibli: No, I did not.
The Imam (as):
As you intended to
perform Hajj, did you intend to get rid of any pledge that you took with
anyone other than Allah?
Shibli:
No, I did not.
The Imam (as):
In that case, you did not
wash yourself thoroughly, enter the state of Ihram, or intend to perform
hajj.
Did you
enter Miqat, offer the two-rakat prayer of Ihram and say labbayk?
Shibli:
Yes, I did.
The Imam (as):
As you entered Miqat, did
you intend to meet all the qualifications of the visitation of the
Sacred House of Allah?
Shibli:
No, I did not.
The Imam (as):
As you offered the two-rakat
prayer, did you intend to seek nearness to Allah through the best deeds
such as prayers and the deeds by which servants of Allah can obtain His
rewards?
Shibli:
No, I did not.
The Imam (as):
As you said labbayk, did
you intend to utter any statement of obedience to Allah and shut your
mouth against any statement of disobedience to Him?
Shibli:
No, I did not.
The Imam (as):
In that case, you did not
enter Miqat, offer the two-rakat prayer of Ihram, or say Labbayk.
You
entered the sacred Precinct, saw the kaaba, and offered, did you not?
Shibli:
Yes, I did.
The Imam (as):
As you entered the Sacred
Precinct, did you intend to abstain from backbiting any individual of
Islam?
Shibli:
No, I did not.
The Imam (as):
As you arrived in Mecca,
did you intend to direct towards Allah and no one else?
Shibli;
No, I did not.
The Imam (as):
In that case, you did not
really enter the Sacred Precinct, see the kaaba, or offer prayers.
You
circumambulated the Holy House, touched the corners, and performed the
Sa'ee , did you not?
Shibli:
Yes, I did.
The Imam (as): As
you performed the Sa'ee, did you intend to seek refuge of Allah (from
the trickeries of Satan and evil temptations) and that He, the Knower of
the unseen, knew this from you?
Shibli:
No, I did not.
The Imam (as):
In that case you did not
really circumambulate the Holy House, touch its corners, or perform the
Sa'ee. You caressed the Black Stone, stopped at the standing-place of Ibrahim
(as), and offered a two-rakat prayer there, did you not?
Shibli:
Yes, I did.
The Imam (as) then cried so loudly and
said:
To caress the
black Stone is to shake hands with Allah. Look, poor man,do
not ever waste the reward for the thing that is greatly sacred and do
not breach your caressing by the act of violation (of God's
Instructions) and seizureof illegal things, just like the sinful.
As you
stopped at the standing place of Ibrahim (as), did you intend to stop at
every act of obedience (to God) and leave every act of disobedience (to
Him)?
Shibli:
No, I did not.
The Imam (as):
As you offered the two-rakat
prayer, did you intend to offer the same prayer that was offered by
Ibrahim (as) and to disappoint Satan?
Shibli:
No, I did not.
The Imam (as):
In that case, you did not
really caress the Black Stone, stop at the standing place of Ibrahim (as),
or offer the two-rakat prayer there.
You came
near the well of Zamzam and drank from its water did you not?
Shibli:
Yes, I did.
The Imam (as):
As you did, did you intend
to come near to acts of obedience (to God) and cast your sight down acts
of disobedience (to Him)?
Shibli:
No, I did not.
The Imam (as):
In that case, you neither
really came near that well nor did you drink from its water. You roamed,
walked and frequented to
Mount
Safa and Mount Marwa, did you not?
Shibli:
Yes, I did.
The Imam (as):
As you did, did you intend
to be between hope and fear (of God)?
Shibli:
No, I did not.
The Imam (as):
In that case, you did not
really roam, walk or frequent between Safa and Marwa.
You then
left for Mina, did you not?
Shibli: Yes, I did.
The Imam (as):
Did you intend to save
people from your tongue (words), heart (ill intention), and
hand (deeds)?
Shibli:
No, I did not.
The Imam (as):
In that case, you did not
really leave for
Mecca.
You
halted in Arafat, mounted Jabal-al-Rahma (Mount Mercy), recognised
Nemira Valley and supplicated to Allah at al-Mil and Jamarat, did you
not?
Shibli:
Yes, I did.
The Imam (as):
As you halted in Arafat,
did you intend to recognise Allah, Glorified is He, and His knowledge,
and recognise that He is holding on the the record of your deeds and
that He has full acquaintance with your hiddens and secrets?
Shibli:
No, I did not.
The Imam (as):
AS you mounted
jabal-al-Rahma, did you recognise that Allah would have mercy upon every
believing man and woman and see to every Muslim male and female?
Shibli:
No, I did not.
The Imam (as):
As you were on Nemira, did
you recognise that your
advices and warnings to people are fruitless unless they are originated
from Allah's intructions?
Shibli:
No, I did not.
The Imam (as):
As you stopped at al-Alam
and an-Nemirat, did you recognise that these signs would testify for
your acts of obedience (to God) and would keep you like the Keeping
Angel's whose mission is to keep you according to Allah' instructions?
Shibli:
No, I did not.
The Imam (as):
In that case, you did not
really stop on Arafat,
mount
Jabal-al-Rahma, recognise Nemira, supplicate to Allah, or stop at an-Nemira.
You passed by the two signs (Al-Alamain), offered a two-rakat prayer
before so, walked in Muzdalifa, picked up pebbles there, and passed by
al-Mash'ar al-haram, did you not?
Shibli;
Yes, I did
The Imam (as):
As you offered the prayer,
did you intend it to be thanksgiving...that saves from every hardship
and alleviates all difficulties?
Shibli:
No, I did not.
The Imam (as):
As you walked between the
two signs without turning to right or left, did you intend not to turn
away from the right religion with heart, tongue, or other organs?
Shibli:
No, I did not.
The Imam (as):
As you walked in Muzdalifa
and picked up pebbles, did you intend to get rid of every act of
disobedience and every item of ignorance and to fix in your behaviours
every item of knowledge and good deed?
Shibli:
No, I did not.
The Imam
(as): As you passed by al-Mash'ar al-haram, did you intend to carry in
heart the slogan of the pious people and the God-fearing ones?
Shibli:
No, I did not.
The Imam (as):
In that case, you did not
really pass by the Two signs, offer a two-rakat prayer, walk in al-Muzdelifa,
pick up pebbles there, or pass by Mash'ar -al-haram. You reached in
Mina, threw the pebbles (i.e performed the Ramy-al-jamarat),had your
hair cut, slaughtered your sacrificed animal, offered prayer in Kheif
Mosque, returned to Mecca, and performed Tawaf al-Ifadha, did you not?
Shibli: Yes, I did.
The Imam (as):
As you arrived in Mina and
threw these pebbles, did you feel that you achieved your aim and that
your Lord would settle all your needs?
Shibli: No, I did not.
The Imam (as):
As you threw these pebbles, did you intend to stone Eblis, your enemy
and challenge him through your precious Hajj?
Shibli: No,
I did not.
The Imam (as):
As you shaved your head, did you intend to purify yourself from all
filth and liabilities of people that lie on your shoulders, and to get
rid of sins as if your mother had just given birth to you?
Shibli:
No, I did not.
The Imam (as):
As you offered prayer in
Kheif Mosque, did you intend that you would never fear anything except
Allah and the responsibilities of your (past) sins and that you would
hope for nothing except Allah's mercy?
Shibli:
No, I did not.
The Imam (as):
As you slaughtered your
sacrificial animal, did you intend to cut off the throat of greed by
clinging to the reality of piety, and to follow the exemplery tradition
of Ibrahim (as) who intended to slaughter his dear son (so as to carry
out God's order)?
Shibli:
No, I did not
The Imam (as):
As you returned to
Mecca and
performed Tawaf-al-Ifadha, did you intend to supply yourself with
Allah's mercy, return to the obedience to Him, cling to His love,
perform all His precepts, and seek nearness to Him?
Shibli:
No, I did not.
The Imam (as):
In that case, you neither
reached Mina, nor did you throw these pebbles on Satan, nor did you
shave your head, nor did you perform the rituals of the Hajj, nor did
you offer prayer in Kheif Mosque, nor did you perform Tawaf-al-ifadha,
nor did you offer sacrifice for the Lord. Go back, you did not perform
Hajj.
______________________________________________________________________
Mulla Mujaheedali
Sheriff
mulla@almahdi.org.uk |