The pilgrims responded to the call or “azan” of Hajj. “And proclaim the pilgrimage among men: they will come to you on foot and on every kind of camel, lean on account of journeys through deep and distant mountain highways.” [22:27]

“And an announcement from Allah and his Messenger to the people on the day of the great pilgrimage- that Allah and his messenger are clear from the pagans.” [9:3]

Prophet Mohammad (ﷺ) reclaimed the pre-existing rituals of Hajj from the pagan practices and made of them the best expression of “tawheed”. The pilgrims would respond to the call or “azan” by chanting: “Here I am O Lord, here I am. You have no partners, here I am. Surely praise, blessings and dominion belong to you. You have no partners.”

We know the address and the direction. The road map is obvious and transparent. Nothing is secret about it. Like the message itself, it should not be concealed. The call for Hajj is made in the open, and every effort is made to make the call well heard and well answered.

“Behold! Safa and Marwa are among the rituals of Allah.” [2:158]

“Those who conceal the signs We have sent down, and the guidance after which We made clear for the people in the book- on them shall be the curse of Allah, and the curse of those entitled to curse.” [2:159]

The pilgrims in Mecca constitute a representative sample of humanity celebrating their equality and their diverse colors, languages, and cultures. Such diversity must be acknowledged and celebrated because it creates in us the motivation and the willingness to learn, and to value the experiences of others through effective and compassionate communication. This is the underpinning of the powerful Quranic principle of “taaruf” or celebration of diversity. Nothing will save them except “tawaf” and what it symbolizes. “Tawaf” or compassing around ka’aba aims at the mutual recognition among the diverse cultural experiences in order for the life of the people to be perfected. Speaking about diversity should not include the differences between the rich and the poor. Do not acknowledge or legitimize poverty. Standing at equal footing in prayer, and looking the same in Hajj should be continuous reminders to minimize the gap between those who have and those who don’t, and not to accept the status quo. “In order that it (money or wealth) may not merely circulate between the wealthy among you.”

Prophet Mohammad said: “He does not believe- who goes to bed with full stomach and his neighbor is hungry.”

“Poverty is almost like blasphemy.”

Imam Ali who made the fighting of hunger and poverty his career considered hunger and poverty the worst form of death.

Those who made it to Hajj this year and those who did not must ask the real questions:

What have we done to stop the suffering of millions of people from hunger every day?

What measures of relief and assistance have we offered to prevent the death of a child every seven seconds from hunger or malnutrition-related diseases?

You and I could not make it to Hajj, but we can be pilgrims in our homelands if we change our perception of Hajj from mere rituals to a “state” or an “abode” that we strive to reach and achieve.

Let us move spiritually with the crowd to the summit of Arafa and establish for ourselves a state that is compatible with the summit and the perfection of the summit: No obscenity, no wickedness, and no wrangling. “For Hajj are the months well known. If any one undertakes that duty therein, let there be no obscenity, nor wickedness, nor wrangling.” [2:197]

Let us live while in our homelands the state of the pilgrims in their “ihram” and renew our vows to value and preserve life and the quality of life.

Let us relive while in our homelands “sa’y” the daily struggle searching like Hagar for water and life.

Dear sisters,

Prophet Mohammad addressed Muslim women by saying: “Hajj is your struggle.”

If you believe that Hajj is a “state”, you are always in a state of emergency to bring the state of Hajj to your families, to the community and to the mosque. You are given the responsibility to protect the society from within.

Your active participation in the community is the best proof of the equality that Hajj symbolizes. The high moral and spiritual environment created by men and women in every mosque should not be less than that experienced in the first house, the Sacred house. Men and women can learn, work and interact in such a clean environment without separation.

You are like Hagar who universalized the concept of hegira, rejected the status quo, and transcended. Pilgrims are in Mecca today and every day because of a woman called Hagar. No Hagar: no zamzam and no life. Likewise, your community is alive and well because you are present and your presence is religiously and humanly acknowledged.

By Dr. Walid Khayr