By Arsalaan Siddiqi
Hajj-e-Mabroor to all those who got the opportunity of a lifetime this year. May the Almighty accept and enable a true transformation of character and outlook.
Interesting that I bring the topic post-Hajj. Most of us have gone through educational articles, books, reading material related to Hajj/Umrah/visit to the holy mosques. Such reading materials efficiently cover the ritualistic aspects of the journey and how its mechanics will work - it is more about reading this 'dua' in the first 'tawaf' and that one in the 'sayee', much more about how the 'ramee' is to be done and what it will entail to stay in 'Minaa' and 'Muzdalifa'.
The journey is a revelation in itself - it reinvigorates the spirit of Islam, increases awareness of the requirements of faith, and thus should invariably, metamorphosize our personality into a God-fearing/humane one.
However, besides the mechanics of Hajj ostensibly perfected by our recitation of certain dua's and ensuring that the 'Hajr-e-Aswad' is kissed, our journeys' lack the actual transformation in our post-Hajj lives. More and more people weather all odds to make this holy journey (nearly 3 million visited Makkah this year), and yet we see no change in the state of affairs of our brothers and sisters. The larger aspect of this automatically is that no matter how many Umrah bound people/Hajis travel to Makkah-Madinah each year, our countries remain the same - a mire of misery, hopelessness, indiscipline, and eons away from the Islamic orientation towards fellow beings, Muslims and non-Muslims alike (huqooq-ul-ibaad).
In my humble visit to the two holy mosques Alhamdulillah this year, I noticed a few stark aspects, that I had previously noticed (but ignored in the spirit of the visit). In my view, it is these aspects which provide an insight into why the more religious visits we and our brothers/sisters undertake, the less our worldly lives change.
Whilst most of us in the larger GCC (and perhaps elsewhere) are aficionados of capitalism, those of us with limited wherewithal to make the journey realize the paradoxes of our existence almost immediately during the journey.
It is an Islamic characteristic to alleviate the misery of believers and provide them succor in distress. How is that reflected in Hajj/Umrah? Hotels charge in the range of USD 1000-5000 per night. In most cases, the booking has to be made for ten complete days and payment made in advance. Which makes it USD10,000-50,000 for the entire journey. Now, how many Muslims traveling from across the globe (Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, others) have that kind of money? I will not buy the supply-demand argument for the precise reason that the Islamic orientation in such cases is towards a regulated market, where access to accommodation is everyones' right and each traveler should be able to access decent accommodation at affordable prices. With the scaling down of lower cost accommodation near the Harams and the rise of elitist hotels, the future is bleak for middle-class travelers from the entire world who desire to travel to Makkah and Madinah at least once in a lifetime. In this backdrop, most people who will travel to Makkah will be the upper class from GCC and other countries and most of this travel will (barring exceptions of course) will be like a tourist journey to Makkah. Spirit of Hajj, please, anyone?
I noticed with disgust, manifestations of "tourist" behavior by the visiting Hajis. I saw a few brothers (and forgive me for pointing out and noticing since I couldn't help it) literally dressed in magnificent "thobes" circumambulating the Kaaba and quite deliberating pushing females around, with an intent to engage in flirtatious audacity. Islamic tourism, or the spirit of Hajj?
Some others had the best of gadgetry to take pictures and one guy actually was filming each and every step with two cameras as if this was trip to the Eiffel towers or a visit to the Niagara Falls. Our Saudi friends ban a lot of things, but why are cameras and mobiles allowed inside the Haram? To cause distress to the traveling Haji who is praying for mercy from this constant intrusion in his Ibadah. Spirit of Hajj or Islamic travel?
I couldn't help notice our friends from Turkey, Arab world, Iran chant like they were chanting a litany at a political rally. Hajj is supposed to be an affair between you and Allah, so why this display of seeming religiosity? Besides, fellow Muslims are distressed and troubled by these inexorable chanting. Is this in the spirit of Hajj?
I was alarmed by the extent of pushing done by most but the Turks, Iranians and Pakistanis were a cut above the rest in ensuring they harm their brothers and sisters. The sight around Hajr-e-Aswad was a microcosm of the Muslim world: indiscipline, apathy, lack of sympathy for others. Even though most would have gone through classes, and education urging not to push and shove around the Aswad, it looks like a 'free for fall' and one of the most 'uncivilized' sights I have seen in life. All in the spirit of Hajj!
With such manifestations of 'Islamic' behavior during the course of our visits to Makkah-Madinah, it is hardly a surprise to note that we keep going down the abyss of destruction each passing year. Unless, we focus on the "real spirit' behind Hajj-Umrah and rely less on using it as a positioning statement for our 'religiosity', we will continue to have the melancholy and mayhem that is a sad element of our very existence in this world.
On an important sidenote, Hajj-e-Mabroor to all!
Arsalaan Siddiqi
Zawya Select 2008
