Hajj Blog - for any of my non-Muslim friends, colleagues and acquaintances vaguely interested in where I was during October 2013
BEFORE / AFTER - WHAT I ANTICIPATED BEFORE HAJJ AND WHAT HAJJ TAUGHT ME ABOUT MYSELF AND THE WORLD I LIVE IN
Two weeks away from one's spouse, kids, parents/siblings, friends, your work colleagues and regular daily 9-5 routine of life in London (TV, newspapers, internet were all available but not the point of the trip and hence generally avoided) is actually quite a long time.
A long time to think and reflect as well as perform a series of deeply symbolic acts which have been performed by many millions of people before me in the last nearly one and a half thousand years. This year - 2013 (or 1434 in the Islamic calendar) over three million people attended.
A couple of important acknowledgements are due here. The "before/after" idea was given to me by a friend over lunch a week before I left for Mecca. He suggested it might be interesting for my non-Muslim friends/ work colleagues if I could describe what I expected versus what I actually experienced. I am grateful for the suggestion because rather than a personal diary it made me think about a description of the trip which might prove at least moderately interesting to people who may have heard vaguely about the Hajj. Secondly I must thank my brother, Raza, for doing all the research on which group to go with and all his encouragement before and during our Hajj.
Before we left for Mecca I had tried to read some books and articles about the Hajj but many if not most were from the perspective of the order, timing and specific actions :
- wearing your "Ihram" (two pieces of white cloth - the most simple garments used to denote every pilgrim as equal in the eyes of God and fellow pilgrims)
- performing your "Tawaaf"(walking seven times around the Ka'aba - the iconic cubic structure which Muslims view as God's sanctuary or "house" on Earth)
- performing your "Sa'ay" (performing seven circuits between the two small mountains of Safa and Marwa next to the Ka'aba) - roughly 3.5k in total
- staying at "camp" in Mina (place outside Makkah which is full of tents to accommodate all pilgrims)
- praying for forgiveness in the plains of Arafaat (place near Mina)
- stoning of the 3 symbolic "Jamaraat" - stone pillars which represent Satan (the devil "shaytaan")
- offering of a sacrificial lamb at specially authorised slaughterhouses - the meat from which is distributed to the poor and needy
I must admit to not having fully appreciated the full significance, background and history of WHY Muslims are asked to perform all the individual acts / rituals. Hence I was very grateful to discover my own version of a "Lonely Planet Guide" for Hajj - the English translation of a book that is nearly 50 years old - simply entitled "Hajj" by an Iranian scholar/university lecturer called Dr Ali Shariati who died in 1977 aged 44 two years prior to the Iranian Revolution. Dr Shariati was the antithesis of an "Islamic mullah" - educated at the Sorbonne in Paris under some of the West's top 20th century thinkers - Louis Massignon, Jean-Paul Sartre. Clean-shaven, lecturing often in his pin-striped suits just his profile inspired my interest.
The book did not disappoint and its descriptions and analogies helped me so much in making sense not just of what and how I would do but most importantly for me the WHY of what we would do. More about this in a subsequent post - I hope.
We were constantly reminded by our "guide" (spiritual not tour) before and during our pilgrimage that in his words "Hajj is all about change". Those words stayed with me throughout since the hardest thing will be to carry through the desire for change in oneself after the plane lands back at London Gatwick. Since I am only intending this for family and friends or interested work colleagues I am hoping that what I perceive as a "universal" message in what I experienced during Hajj may still be of interest to people who hold different or indeed no particular beliefs.
Here are five topics and what I had thought before and what I now think based on my experiences.
1. BEFORE : Muslim Fundamentalism is a massive problem ; AFTER : Muslims need to get back in touch with the true "fundamentals" of the faith
If we played a game of "Word Association" concerning the "ist" issue - if I asked any randomly selected individuals or group of people in Western society to tell me which word they would associate with the following - fundamentalist, terrorist, polygamist, chauvinist, "jihadist" the answer would probably be all too familiar to all of my fellow pilgrims. In particular the negativity associated with the term "fundamentalist" is deeply disturbing. During Hajj we were actively REQUIRED to go back to fundamentals - a few examples
a. Equality of men and women (women not required to cover their faces - of course modest clothing and headscarves were evident but relatively few niqab / jilbab during the Hajj)
b. Equality of race and no outward signs of social status - every man wearing two pieces of white cloth (the "ihram" garments)
c. Respect for ALL of God's creations - whilst in the "state of Ihram" (meaning the period where you are performing the Hajj and wearing the simple garment) you are expressly forbidden from knowingly harming any living creature including insects and plants/vegetation - care for the environment is paramount.
d. Tolerance - huge emphasis on not reacting negatively to the undoubted "hardships" which those of us privileged to live in wealthy societies will come across - there is no "five star or VIP" version of the Hajj and that is one of the best lessons that you can learn i.e. you realise how the vast majority of humanity cope every day with over-crowding, basic food, sanitation and why tolerance is such an important virtue.
e. Love and respect for your fellow human beings - we met people from all over the planet who were all there for the same reason and using the term "brother / sister" really carried great weight and responsibility.
We could build a better world by being fundamentalists - promoting that which unites us over and respectfully / peacefully discussing and debating that which divides us. Focussing on "fundamental" basic and common human values - distinguish between natural prejudice on all sides, throw that off and make genuine attempts at promoting understanding of another human being's point of view and exposing bigotry on all sides as self serving.
2. BEFORE : Hajj is a pilgrimage, a journey ; AFTER : Hajj can be a Spiritual Evolution
For me personally it was actually TWO things : not just a visit, pilgrimage or journey - these were just the obvious things; having the time to think through this question at a deeper level I felt the Hajj was indeed a spiritual evolution (or movement per Dr Ali Shariati's masterful book) and also an amazing manifestation of God's promise of being "Oft-forgiving and Merciful". Why not a journey ? I feel Hajj is all about teaching us how important and possible it is to change - not just to arrive at a destination but to strive every day of our lives to become better people, better human beings. If you believe in a life after this one and that we are not just a random creation and that every person will be accountable for their actions then there are few if any opportunities to throw off your old "self" and attempt to become the best human being you can be / spiritually cleansed person and to try again / harder / as a fully grown adult - ultimate catalyst for change.
3. BEFORE : Simple logistics of three million people in the same place at the same time trying to do the same thing will bring out the worst in humanity ; AFTER : Yes and No
There is no doubt that you do observe selfish behaviour, tempers fraying, pushing, shoving, queue jumping (just think of any concert or sports event you have been to and multiply it by a factor of 100). There is also no doubt in my mind that if the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was to observe some of the pushing/shoving he would not be pleased. However there were also many instances of immense generosity and kindness. Everyone should be trying to demonstrate tolerance and patience ("sabr"). I was actually surprised to see some patience even among the Saudi authorities who cannot stop the march of technology - use of cameras in smartphones - but that may be as much to do with apathy because there are just too many people using them to take pictures to stop people any more.
4. BEFORE : Inter-Faith reconciliation between the three Abrahamic mono-theistic faiths is impossible ; AFTER : Perhaps but as Muslims we need to try harder
Perhaps it is but only because everyone's position is entrenched. Perhaps non-Muslims just don't want to hear that there may be more to unite both sides (e.g. Palestinians and Israelis) than extremists on either side want to admit or for the "silent majority" to understand and proclaim. Perhaps the idea that Abraham was not a Jew or a Christian but a hater of idol worship and a righteous person who believed in the one true God is threatening since this is the same God that Muslims claim to believe in. Could both be right and how would that serve the interests of those who seek to drive division and conflict between Jews and Muslims at every opportunity ?
5. BEFORE : Islam has a negative image in Western society ; AFTER - Muslims need a makeover, not Islam.
Islam has a very negative image in the West ; do we need our own Reformation ?
I firmly believe that Islam as a faith does not need a "makeover" but I also firmly believe that all Muslims need to recognise our own role as "ambassadors".
What impression are we creating in the non-Muslim countries and societies WE ARE CHOOSING to live in such as my own country - the UK? What does our own personal conduct say about the faith we claim to hold ? Are we doing enough individually to make ourselves "heard" through our actions to where necessary challenge the stereotypes which result from the likes of the Quillian Foundation, Muslim Council of Britain, "Muslim Parliament" or any of the various "Muslim commentators/spokespersons" who happen to be trotted out on TV/radio, who claim to speak for Muslims in general ? Forget the polar opposites of moderate versus extremist Muslim - why can't "ordinary Muslims" speak for themselves - through their actions, through their interactions with neighbours, friends, colleagues none of whom share the same faith but will have a very good sense of fair play and basic human decency. It is a fact that my non-Muslim friends, neighbours and work colleagues will form at least part of their impression of "what are Muslims really like" based on what they see me do, say, act like, react etc.
During Hajj our common faith transcended any national allegiances and yet we all choose for various reasons to live in the UK. Well, living in the UK should not just mean holding the passport - it should also mean supporting all those values which undoubtedly are common. I am not aware of any of the core values associated with UK citizenship being contrary to Islam. Drinking alcohol is not compulsory or enshrined in law in this country. However the freedom to practice one's faith IS enshrined in the law of the land.
Since we choose to live here then we need to respect the rights - especially to free speech - which are enshrined as a way of life here. Of course that will involve some people speaking out against "Islam" when commenting on suicide bombings in the Middle East etc. There is also some undoubted bigotry and Islamophobic / scare-mongering in the media. But surely our rights give us various opportunities to speak out respectfully, thoughtfully and intelligently but also robustly. Clearly we, as Muslims, need to take greater responsibility and accountability for defending our faith in a way that also looks at the conduct of the regimes or individuals who are associating their actions with the faith rather than being guided by it.
There is a way to engage in debate WITHIN Islam - between the different sects and it is with respect and academic discourse not violence, oppression and sectarianism. There is also a way to engage with non-Muslims and those of us who choose to live in the West have an especially heavy duty to recognise our role as ambassadors and strive to live up to those values. Not enough people we interact with understand that the "struggle" to live a better life and be the best human being one can be is the true meaning of that much mis-understood word - "jihad".
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