O pilgrims, supplicate devoutly for your nation!

Translated by Mr. Anas Al-Refaiee

Praises be to Allah – praises that would match His blessings and equal His bounties! O our Lord! Praises, as great as your glorious Face and great Sovereignty, be to You. O Lord, the Exalted! I can’t number eulogies as due to You as You eulogize Yourself. I testify that there is no god but Allah Alone, Who has no partner, and that our master and prophet, Muhammad, is His bond-servant and messenger, His chosen one and His dear friend, and the best of the prophets He had ever sent. He was sent by Allah to the whole world as a bearer of good tidings and warner. O Lord! Have perpetual blessings upon our master, Mohammad, and upon his kinsfolk to the Day of Judgement. I counsel my sinful soul and you, O Muslims, to fear Allah, the All-High.

Dear bond-servants of Allah! One of the Islamic rituals which are flourishing not withering, getting stronger not weaker, and progressing not regressing, over the time, is the ritual of Al-Haj (going in pilgrimage) to the Sacred House of Allah in Mecca.

Those who trace out the increasing numbers of people who head for the Sacred House of Allah in this season each year will probably see something astonishing or something that would excite ecstasy and joy in their hearts, and the number increases more and more every year. It has amounted to a figure falling between one and two millions, then reached more than two millions. This year, however, it may amount to three millions – you never can tell. At any rate, those who behold the great numbers of pilgrims in the Sacred House of Allah, on the hights of Arafah or in any place in which pilgrims fulfil the rites of Al-Haj will see something that would excite pleasure in one’s heart and stir admiration in one’s feelings.

Nevertheless, every one of us is wondering: where is the impact of these large numbers; where are the results of this unique and remarkable religious observance; where is the influence of those millions of people who move collectively round the Ancient House of Allah; where are the consequences of all that, and where is the stream which has to accumulate from all that. But when wonderers inquire into the matter thoroughly, they will find no positive answer to their wonder. And I figure that their ecstasy will then fade away, and their joy will be transformed into sorrow and sadness.

While we are wondering before this scene, we should remember the Hadith of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) related among other Sayings by Ahmad and Abu Dawud (through more than one chain of authority) who said that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “You are all but prone to being threatened by nations who will conjoin against you in the same way in which eaters rally round their common trencher.” Someone said: “Is it because we will be then small in number, O Messenger of Allah?” The Messenger (pbuh) said: “No, you are then numerous, but worthless like the froth of the flood. And Allah will take the fear of you out of the hearts of your enemies and will cast faintness into your hearts.” Another one said: “What does faintness mean, O Messenger of Allah?” The Messenger of Allah said: “Loving this life (or this world?) and abhorring death.” This multiplicity which excites ecstasy and joy, as well as such afflictive and grievous results should be reviewed and explained over again, remembering the above-said saying of our Master, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) which is a miraculous prophecy of his and a brilliant sign of what Allah has revealed to him of the news of such ensuing events as nobody knew then. What should we say, O brothers, concerning this situation and with regard to this pondering? What is the self-imposed answer to this pondering? Should we say to those who head for the Sacred House of Allah from all parts of the world: “Return back home, for your pilgrimage is unacceptable and useless?” Allah forbid! It is one of the most outstanding rituals and one of the greatest pillars of Islam. Suffice it to say that the Messenger of Allah has described Al-Haj in one of his sound sayings, confirming that “The devout Haj will be rewarded by no less than the paradise.” This way of speech on the part of the Chosen One, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), confirms that that Haj is acceptable – i.e., Should Al-Haj be carried out devoutly, Allah will no doubt accept it. And, subsequently, such Haj will certainly be rewarded with paradise. No, we won’t say that at all! Instead, we ask Allah (The All-Glorified, the All-High) to bless this ritual, to make it flourish increasingly over the time, and to inspire those who head for the Sacred House of Allah to staunchly dedicate it to Allah (The Almighty, the All-Glorified) and to have the fervour that would ensure Satisfaction and Mercy of Allah (The All-Glorified, the All-High). Yes, indeed! But we would like to say to those who go in pilgrimage, heading for the Sacred House of Allah: “Should you head for that destination with the help of Allah (The Almighty, the All-Glorified), turn to your own hearts and make sure of the presence of the heat of sincerity to Allah (The All-Glorified, the All-High) inside them, eliminate from yourselves any mundane purpose that would have furtively found its way inside, clear out your hearts and your intention and make your going in pilgrimage the same as your returning back to Allah (in the hereafter) when all mankind will stand before the Lord of the Worlds. Then, should you be favoured by Allah (The Almighty, the All-Glorified) with such an intention that is pure in itself and clear of any taints, and should you enter upon the practices and rites of Al-Haj, don’t forget to humbly supplicate Allah (The Almighty, the All-Glorified) for your nation, while you are humbly supplicating Him for yourselves, whenever you sense the manifestations of Allah’s Mercy and Kindness being extended to the pilgrims or to you yourselves. Don’t forget to supplicate Allah imploringly for this nation which has been dispersed after being united. Undoubtedly, it was only whimsical desires that have swerved it from the Path of Allah, and it was the mundane rivalries that have removed it away from the fold of Allah (The All-Glorified, the All-High). Entreat Allah (The All-Glorified, the All-High) for this nation which has favoured, without good reason, to draw out the causes of conflict and discord and to bury and ignore the causes of agreement, of unity, of intimacy and of solidarity. Supplicate Allah (The All-Glorified, the All-High) for your nation among which many instances of seductive and seditious acts have taken place, the most serious one of which is that some people have chosen to rig Allah’s doctrine whenever they would be asked for counsel about the religion of Allah (The Almighty, the All-Glorified). In the past, when muftis were asked about the religion of Allah (The Almighty, the All-Glorified), they used to be all of a tremble with fear of Allah (The Almighty, the All-Glorified) due to the fact that they would be in a position to speak for Allah and about Allah’s doctrine. Yes, they used to wonder whether they were saying the truth that would be in agreement with what had been prescribed, or going astray off the Path of Allah ( The Almighty, the All-Glorified)! How many the muftis who have stammered to the degree that they have been unable to give any reply when they were asked questions are! And May Allah be Merciful to Malik, the imam of Al-Madinah, whom one day was approached by a man who had come from the far west (of the Islamic homeland) with many questions. Malik replied to some of them, but in answer to the rest which were more than thirty he said: “I don’t know!” The man said: “I have come up to you from the far west, being sent to ask you these questions! Now, what should I say to them there when I return back after this great effort?” Malik said: “Tel them that Malik says to you:’ I don’t know’.”

At present, O brothers, there are some bubbles of those who speak for Allah and for the doctrine of Allah (the All-Glorified, the All-High). Someone of them would close his eyes and talk whatever he wishes about what his own interest requires, about what the status quo of his relations with people requires, about what his professions and mundane interests require and about what his personal status requires. Allah! All interests have become placed in a show-case of reason and mind, while the fear of Allah (The All-Glorified, the All-High) has become absent from inner feelings. Entreat Allah to ameliorate the situation of this nation and to favour it with such muftis who observe Allah, remember the long sleep in the grave and remember that they will stand before Allah (The All-Glorified, the All-High) in the hereafter. I would like to say to every single one of those who are going in pilgrimage to the Sacred House of Allah: “When you will stand holding fast to the covering of the Ka’bah, when you will perform your prayer and feel inclined to supplicate Allah during your prostration, or when you will stand on Al-Safa or Al-Marwah and sense such a kind feeling in your hearts that would incite you to commune with Allah and supplicate Him, then ask Allah (The Almighty, the All-Glorified) to inspire the governors of the Islamic nation to a good return to the religion of Allah, to fill their hearts with the fervour of yearning to support the religion of Allah. Ask Allah (The All-Glorified, the All-High) to inspire them to a good return to the Path of Allah (The Almighty, the All-Glorified). Ask Allah (The Almighty, the All-Glorifired) to wake them to the fact that the first and foremost task which Allah (The Almighty, the All-Glorified) has assigned them to conduct is serving this religion – Islam – and that everything beyond that is insignificant. Ask Allah (The All-Glorified, the All-High) to make them conjoin with zealous sincerity to the religion of Allah (The Almighty, the All-Glorified); for if such sincerity exists, it will extirpate all causes of discord, consequently making the factors of accord flourish among them.”

That is what I would like to say to the pilgrims who are heading for the Sacred House of Allah. And all what I figure is that should sincerity has grown up in their hearts, and should true fervour has cleared their hearts from taints, their supplication will be granted. Why not! Doesn’t Allah (The Almighty, the All-Glorified) say: “And your Lord says: ‘Call on Me; I will answer your (prayer); but those who are too arrogant to serve Me will surely find themselves in Hell – in humiliation’”? [Ghafir, 40:60]

In this era, it is more likely that you will never find any intercessors to intercede with Allah (The Almighty, the All-Glorified) for our shortcomings, to intercede for this nation which is in a contiguous danger from its enemies, to intercede for his nation which has been dispersed after being united, and to pray that the governors of this nation may return to the Path of Allah and be sincere to the religion of Allah, not to their personal interests nor to exerting all efforts for collecting perishable things of this world under their armpits.

I hopefully ask Allah to make such devout persons the intercessors for this nation and to make them agents for solving its problems and eliminating its hardships.

Having said that, I ask forgiveness of Allah (The All-Great).