Meeting with Allah (swt) Hajj is an opportunity of meeting...

Meeting with Allah (swt) Hajj is an opportunity of meeting the greatest love of our life at the house of He who does not need a dwelling. Every day Muslims prostrate towards this house from thousands of miles away. When one offers daily prayers, an image of the house of Allah (swt) lingers in the mind but today as a favor of Allah to his sinful creations the sinners can see it in front of their eyes!

Stones The sites of hajj are such sacred ground that even some of the stones found here have hidden secrets. Among them are the stones of guardianship (wilayat) and immunity (bara'at) People circumambulate the stone of friendship ( Hajr Al-Aswad ) . They try to touch and kiss it because it is a stone sent down from the heavens. This is one of the grand symbols of Almighty Allah (swt) on the earth as our Prophet (saws) has said: الحجر الأسود يمين الله في أرضه.

"Hajar al-aswad represents the hand of Allah (swt) on the earth." [^1] Touching this stone is like shaking hands with Allah (swt). On the Day of Judgment it will be a witness for those who have touched it. One would offer allegiance that "O! Almighty you have given a chance to our sinful souls to come and cleanse ourselves of all past sins." This is why it is recommended to recite the following prayer when touching the stone: امانتي اديتها و ميثاقي تعاهدته لتشهد لي بالوافاة “O!

Hajr al-aswad I have given you my trust and fulfilled my promise, now you be the witness of my faithfulness.” The second stone symbolizes bara’at , or steering clear of Satan. Pilgrims are required to hit it with seven pebbles. In order to reach it, pilgrims must struggle through a huge crowd and then aim precisely at their target. It is not an easy task.

Perhaps Allah (swt) wants us to realize that since this battle against Satan, with all its difficulty, is but symbolic and keeping satanic thoughts away from us throughout our lives and staying on the Right Path are even more difficult and indeed represent the greatest struggle ( Jihad ). [^1]: راغب أصفهاني مفردات القرءان 856 Previous…