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In the first stage, above all other
things, that which is the most important is repentance (tawbah).jpg)
and to be vigilant. The meaning of repentance is to shun all
devils and all forms of despotism, and turn back towards Allah . It
means to disregard one's wishes, low desires and the lower soul
(al‑Nafs al‑Ammarah) and proceed towards spirituality and the
(higher) qualities (of a human being).
Completing all that was performed in the
past such that there is no responsibility or obligation between
Allah and His creations on the person's shoulders, the person leaves
his city in such a state that not a single person is upset with him
‑ except of course the Devil (Shaitan).
The meaning of being vigilant is that one
focuses his attention on the grandeur and majesty of the House of
Allah .
He focuses on the fact that it is the
Creator and Maintainer of the Universe that has given him this
opportunity (to perform the Hajj). He focuses on the fact that on
this journey, he must not allow anyone or anything to aggravate him.
He focuses on the fact that if he performs a Hajj that is accepted,
then without doubt, he has reached to that level which mankind was
created to reach to (the level of meeting Allah and the level of
true worship). He focuses on the importance of performing all those
things, which are obligatory to perform, such as the Salat, etc...
A woman performing the Hajj safeguards her
modesty and her Islamic attire (hijab). She focuses on the
importance of refraining from all sins, and she knows and
understands that Allah does not accept the deeds of those who commit
sins. The acceptance of all actions is connected to one's piety
(taqwa). Thus, Allah does not accept the HaJJ from those people
who commit sins:
The person must keep in mind the
importance of performing the recommended (mustahab) acts,
most importantly of which is serving the creations of Allah , which
is one of the ways that the obligatory (wajib) acts are
accepted.
The person must keep in mind that
especially during this journey, wherever he may be and in whatever
state he is, he is constantly in the presence of Allah , the Noble
Prophet (s) and the Pure A'immah (as)
(such as we are told in the Qur'an):
The person must keep in mind that using
any forbidden (haram) wealth or property on this trip ‑
rather in any act of worship, will not lead to anything except the
accumulation of sins, transgression and misfortune in this world and
in the next life.
After repentance and being vigilant, the
person must also reach to a stage of emptiness and annihilation,
such that if he can not reach to the level where he is able to
remove all the detestable characteristics such as jealousy,
miserliness, pride, greatness, worship of the world, etc... then
he should at least try to acquire the praiseworthy characteristics
such as mercy, generosity, humility, asceticism, and freeing the
soul from all that it is attached to within himself.
A person should try to at least control
those detestable attributes that he possesses and not allow them to
take power over him.
Similarly, one must try to allow justice,
equity and the fear of Allah to rule over himself such that
unknowingly and on its own, the soul gains control in a way that all
the obligatory (wajib) actions are performed and all sins are
refrained from. This should be accomplished at least to the extent
that these (positive traits) take control over one's al‑Nafs
al‑Ammarah and over one's own wishes and desires, and do not
drag the person towards sin.
Once this has been accomplished, then one,
through the pleasures of the religion (Salat, fasting, recitation of
Qur'an, supplication, humility and humbleness while in the presence
of Allah , pleasing the creations of Allah , etc ...) and through
seeking help by way of Tawassul to the Ahl al‑Bait (as) (it
is better to go to Madinah after performing the Hajj, if one is able
to), especially seeking help from Imam Wali al‑ Asr (may
Allah hasten his noble return and may my soul and the souls of all
of those of the universe be sacrificed for the dirt under his feet)
and by the continuous recitation of Ziyarat Jami`ah al‑Kabirah
which is one of the best forms of Tawassul to the 12th
Imam, one will reach to the level of glory and praise ‑ meaning that
our soul will become illuminated by the light (Nur) of Allah
.
In this blessed journey, while in the
security of the Truth, one should be able to reach to a level of
true servitude, where one can distinguish between good and bad,
friend and enemy, and what Allah (swt) wants, from what one's own
evil soul wants...
What is more important than which has been
mentioned is at this stage, one must attain sincerity (khulus).
This means that in one's heart and thoughts during this journey,
nothing should remain except Allah and the performance of the Hajj
exactly as the way Prophet Ibrahim (as) performed it.
The person should not perform Hajj simply
for people to congratulate him; or, may Allah protect us, to make
other people work hard and go through troubles, meaning his Hajj is
not simply to use other people. In fact, his Hajj should not even be
for Allah to bestow upon him, both in this world and in the next,
blessings and bounties. Rather, all of his attention and focus on
this journey must be for Allah , the goal of reaching to Him and to
the true worship, such that no one else or anything will be in his
sight except the pleasure of Allah .
In summary, at this stage, one's intention
must be sincere and there must not be anything of the worldly
pleasure, in fact not even the pleasures of the next life should be
in his sight. Just as the Qur'an mentions, the best colour is
the colour of Allah
The worst of colours is the colour of
conceit, and it is clear that if Allah forbid, through one's
actions, speech, or if in one's heart or soul this trait is already
there, then he has reached to the stage of disbelief (kufr):
Notes:
[2] Surah al‑Maidah (5), Verse 27
[3] Surah al‑Tawbah (9), Verse 105
[4] Surah al‑An'am (6), Verse 122
[5] Surah al‑Anfal (7), Verse 29
[6] Surah al‑An'am (6), Verse 79
[7] Surah al‑Lail (92), Verses 19‑20
[8] Surah al‑Baqarah (2), Verses 138
[9] Surah al‑Ma'un (107), Verses 4‑7
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