Chapter Three

SPIRITUAL PHILOSOPHY OF HAJJ

  Indisputably, God has created man of earth in order to nurture him during his worldly life with the heavenly teachings of the prophets, remove pollutions from him, make him pure, and promote him to the highest stage of affinity with Himself. Since an earthy man is not worthy of affinity with God, and if such a man is left to himself, he will be drowned in the quagmire of lusts, God Who has made man evolutionize from the stage of mineral to plant and from plant to animal and then to human, can promote man to a stage making him unison with the angels. God does not withhold His favor from man and protects him with His special kindness and mercy. To prepare man to ascend to a metaphysical world, God has made a house of stone and mud in this world calling it His House and inviting his helpless and shelterless servants to shower them with His special blessings.
God has called all servants on the earth to make pilgrimage to Mecca, circumambulate His House, and link their hearts to the Lord of the House so as to gradually prepare themselves for visiting the Lord of the universe. God says (in a Hadith Qudsi1): لم تَسَعْني أَرضِي ولا سَمائِي وَوَسِعَني قَلبُ عَبدِيَ المُؤمِنِ اللّيّنُ الوادِعُ.
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1 The Hadith Qudsi is the words of Almighty God reported by the Prophets and their successors.

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�I am not contained in the earth nor in the heavens, but I am contained in the soft and tranquil heart of My believing servant.�1
Whoever goes to Mecca on foot will circumambulate the Kaaba, but whoever goes there with his heart present, the Kaaba will circumambulate him.
  What a great favor God has done to human beings to choose a House for Himself on the earth! What need does God have for a house in a ruined village? To fondle the villagers and to shower them with favor, God has chosen a house of the village as His to invite the helpless people to it once a week, a month, or a year calling them His guests and bestowing gifts on them so that they will improve their living conditions, learn manners, obtain knowledge and gnosticism, come to the city from the village and come to the capital city to be worthy of being received by the king and become his favorites.
God is too Great to be contained in a ruined village and take a house there. But the favor He has done to the villagers had made them feel dignified in a way to say that we are so much respected by the King that He has made a house among us and we have a link with Him. He is near us and we seek the settlement of our need from Him. What a favor it is that God Who is free from any defect and need has been so kind as to make a house of stone and mud for Himself making Him a neighbor of the servants to imply that 'I am with you; ask Me for everything.' He has also appointed all mosques as His Houses making Himself available to His servants. God has not said: You have necessarily to come to the heavens to seek help from Me or you have to come to Mecca to visit Me. I accept any corner you choose in My Name as My House and will receive you. I consider any hour in day or night you stand for prayer at home in the direction of My House as pilgrimage to My House and will answer your call and attend to your needs. Therefore, glorify Allah, the Merciful King, there is no god but He; the Lord of the universe.
  The external acts of Hajj symbolize the spiritual stages of the prophets and the Imams. Hajj is a display of the spiritual journey of the devotees and the stages of servitude. The essence of worship is the
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1 See al-Mahajjat ul-Beidhaa; vol. 5

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journey towards God and the external acts of Hajj, devoid of presence of the heart, are not considered as worship. The Holy Prophet (saw) says: إنمَا فُرِضَتِ الصّلاةُ وأُمِر بِالحَجِّ والطّوافِ وأُشْعِرتِ المَناسِكُ لإقَامَةِ ذِكْرِ اللهِ، فإِذا لم يكُنْ في قَلبِكَ لِلمذكُورِ الّذي هو المَقصُودُ والمُبتَغى عَظَمَةٌ ولا هَيبَةٌ فَما قيمَةُ ذِكْرِك؟
�The daily prayer, Hajj, circumambulation, and the other rites are aimed at remembering Allah. But when there is no remembrance of Him in your heart, what value will your oral remembrance have?�1
The Holy Quran has blamed the heedless worshippers -�So, woe to the praying ones who are unmindful of their prayers. (107:4, 5)�-, and forbidden offering prayers while being drunk ��O you who believe! Do not go near prayer when you are intoxicated until you know what you say. (4:43)-.
Genuflection and prostration are worthy if they indicate humbleness of soul and broken heart. The spiritual path too is real only when it is manifested in the form of bodily acts. As long as man continues to live in this world, his soul and body are not separate. Man's body is a manifestation of his soul and the acts of the body are manifestations of his inner feelings. In the same way that physical acts represent spiritual acts, the physical acts push the soul towards spiritual journey. إِليهِ يَصْعَدُ الكَلِمُ الطّيِّبُ والعَمَلُ الصّالِحُ يَرْفَعُهُ.
�To Him do ascend the good words; and the good deeds life them up. (The Holy Quran 35:10)�
Physical prostration that symbolizes humbleness and a broken heart is true only when it illuminates man's inner being, making the soul ascend to the heavens to sit with the angels, otherwise prostration based on hypocrisy, pretense, and habit will have no spiritual effect on the soul. مَنْ عَمِلَ صَالِحاً مِنْ ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنثَى وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَلَنُحْيِيَنَّهُ حَيَاةً طَيِّبَةً.
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1 See Jami'us-Sa'aadat; Vol. 3 p.322

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�Whoever does good whether male or female and he is believer, We will most certainly make him a happy life. (The Holy Quran; 16:97)�
Reflect on the following Hadith in which God spoke to the Holy Prophet (saw) on his Midnight Ascension �israa and Mi'raj: Whoever tries to win My pleasure, I will commit him to three characteristics; I will acquaint him with an approach of gratitude that is free from ignorance, a form of (continuous) remembrance of Me that is free from oblivion, and a kind of love with which he will never prefer the love for any creature to Mine. When he loves Me, I will love him and will then open the eyes of his heart to My Glory making him so intimate to Me and will confide him with supplication to Me in the heart of nights and daylight to the degree that he will stop speaking and associating with people. I, too, will make him hear My own words and those of the angels and reveal to him the invisible facts that I hide from My creatures. I will garb him with the uniform of pudency that all My creatures will act modestly towards him. He will walk on the earth guiltlessly, I will cause his heart to be cognizant and discerning, and he will be acquainted with all the affairs of Paradise and Hell. I will reveal to him the hardships of the Day of Judgment,
 

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including the way how I will settle account with the rich, poor, ignorant, and scholars. I will light up his grave, ask Munkar and Nakeer �the two angels in charge of the interrogation in graves- to interrogate him, he will neither experience the agony of death nor the darkness of the grave until the Balance �of his deeds- will be deposited for him and the registry �of his deeds- will be opened and the book of his deeds will be finally put into his right hand and he will read it peacefully and there will be no interpreter between Me and him. These are the characteristics of the lovers of Allah.�1
From Quranic Verses and Hadiths it is inferred that it is in the inner part of man that spiritual journey takes place and it is in the light of the physical acts that man's soul becomes so illuminated that it will see no other being as real but God. In this connection, the Holy Quran says: سَنُرِيهِمْ آياتِنا في الآفَاقِ وفي أَنفُسِهِمْ حَتّى يَتَبَيَّنَ لهُمْ أَنَّهُ الحَقُّ.
�We will soon show them Our sings in the universe and in their own souls until it will become quite clear to them that it is the truth. (41:53)�
It is in the state that a godly man is so plunged in the sea of knowledge and God's love that he will hear, see, and recognize everything with the light of God and he will become manifestation of God's Attributes and recipient of God's Mercy. In this relation, the Holy Quran says: أَوَمَنْ كَانَ مَيْتاً فَأَحْيَيْنَاهُ وَجَعَلْنَا لَهُ نُوراً يَمْشِي بِهِ في النَّاسِ كَمَنْ مَثَلُهُ في الظُّلُمَاتِ لَيْسَ بِخَارِجٍ مِنْهَا.
�Is he who was dead then We raised him to life and made for him a light by which he walks among the people like him whose likeness is that of one in utter darkness whence he cannot come forth? (6:122)�
Worship is the journey of the soul and a continued spiritual life in divine light. Since there is unity and interaction between man's body and soul, the journey of the spirit will be naturally manifested in body, and physical acts in prayer too will influence the soul's spiritual life. Since spiritual journey is found in the prophets and the Imams in its highest degree, their spiritual lives are said to be presented to man in
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1 Quoted from ad-Deilami's Irshad ul-Quloub

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the form of prayer, fasting, Hajj, almsgiving, and other religious duties. The Holy Quran says: لقَدَ كَانَ لَكُمْ في رَسُولِ اللهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ.
�Certainly, you have in the Apostle of Allah an excellent exemplar. (33:21)� In this Quranic Verse, the Messenger of God has been introduced as excellent exemplar, and people are duty-bound to adapt their deed and ethical lives to those of the Holy Prophet (saw). Addressing the Holy Prophet (saw), the Holy Quran says: قُلْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ
�Say: if you love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you and forgive your faults. (3:31)�
In this Quranic Verse, adherence to the Holy Prophet (saw) through journey towards God, affinity, and being loved by Him has been mentioned.
  Many Hadiths testify that the purpose of prayer, fasting, Hajj, almsgiving, and the other acts of worship mentioned in the Holy Quran is the Imams (a.s) as interpreted by the exegetes of the Holy Quran:
Dawud ibn Kathir quotes Imam Sadiq (a.s) as saying: يا داوُدُ، نحنُ الصّلاةُ في كِتابِ اللهِ ونحنُ الزّكاةُ ونحنُ الصّيامُ ونحنُ الحَجُّ ونحنُ الشّهرُ الحَرامُ ونحنُ البَلدُ الحَرامُ ونحنُ كَعبَةُ اللهِ ونحنُ قِبلَةُ اللهِ ونحنُ وَجهُ اللهِ - قَالَ تعَالى: فَأَيْنَمَا تُوَلُّوا فَثَمَّ وَجْهُ اللهِ � ونحنُ الآياتُ ونحنُ البَيّناتُ.
O Dawud, we are (the purpose of) the prayer in the Book of Allah, we are the (meaning of) almsgiving, fasting, Hajj, Sacred Month, the Sacred City, the Kaaba, Kiblah, and the Face of lah Who says: �Whither you turn, thither is Allah's Face. (The Holy Quran; 2:115)� We are the clear signs of Allah.1
Al-Mufazzal ibn Umar quotes Imam Sadiq (a.s) as saying: ثُمّ إِني أُخبِرُكَ أنَّ الدّينَ وأَصلَ الدّينِ هُو رَجُلٌ؛ وذلِك الرّجُلُ هو اليَقينُ والإيمانُ وهو إِمامُ أُمَّتِهِ أو أهْلُ زَمانِهِ فَمن عَرِفَهُ عَرِفَ اللهَ ودِينَهُ ومَنْ أَنكَرَهُ أَنكَرَ اللهَ ودينَهُ ومَن
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1 See Mir'aat ul-Anwaar

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جَهِلهُ جهِلَ اللهَ ودينَهُ ولا يُعرَفُ اللهُ ودينُهُ وحُدودُهُ وشَرائعُهُ بغَيرِ ذلِك الإمامِ فَذلِك معنى أَنّ معرِفَةَ الرّجالِ دينُ اللهِ... - الى أن قال عليه السلام - وأُخبرُكَ أَنّي لو قُلتُ أنّ الصّلاةَ والزكَاةَ وصومَ شهرِ رَمَضانَ والحَجَّ والعُمرةَ والمسجِدَ الحَرامَ والبيتَ الحرامَ والطّهورَ والإغتِسالَ مِن الجَنابةِ وكُلَّ فريضَةٍ كان ذلِك هو النبيَّ الذي جَاء به مِن عندِ ربِّهِ لَصَدقْتُ لأنّ ذلك كُلّهُ إنمَا يُعرَفُ بالنّبيِّ ولولا معرِفةُ ذلِك النبيِّ والإيمانُ بهِ والتّسليمُ له ما عُرفَ ذلِك. فهذا كلّهُ ذلِك النبيُّ.
�Let me inform you that the religion and the root of the religion is a man; a man of faith and certainty. He is the same Imam of the ummah and the Imam of his time. Whoever knows him has known Allah and the religion of Allah, whoever denies him has denied Allah and His religion, and whoever keeps ignorant of him has kept ignorant of Allah and His religion. Except through that Imam, no one can understand Allah, His religion, and the religious laws. This is the meaning of 'the religion of Allah is the cognition of men.' �I inform you that I have told the truth if I say that the prayer, almsgiving, fasting, Hajj, the Sacred Mosque, the House of Allah, ablution, ritual washing, and all the religious duties are the same prophet who has brought all these precepts from Allah. Getting to know these religious duties is the only way for getting to know the Prophet. If you cannot get to know, believe in, and submit to the Prophet, you cannot get to know the truths. Therefore, the purpose of all these truths is the prophet.�1
  The criterion of the truth of man's belief, ethics, and deeds in the world and the Hereafter is the Imam. Sheikh as-Saduq quotes Husham ibn Salim as saying: سَأَلتُ أبا عبدِاللهِ عليهِ السلامُ عَن قولِ اللهِ تعَالى: "وَنَضَعُ المَوازِينَ القِسْطَ لِيَومِ القِيامَةِ فَلا تُظلَمُ نَفسٌ شَيئاً." قال: هُمُ الأنبياءُ والأوصِياءُ. �وفي رواية أخرى عنهم عليهم السلام: - نحْنُ المَوازينُ القِسطُ.
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1 See Mir'aat ul-Anwaar; the introduction, p. 13

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I asked Imam Sadiq (a.s) about the meaning of the Quranic Verse, 'And We will set up a balance on the Day of Resurrection; so, no soul shall be dealt with unjustly in the least. (21:47).' He (a.s) answered: �They are the prophets and their successors. -According to another narration related to the Imams (a.s):- �We are the balance of justice.�1
  As he was asked about the meaning of 'the straight path' in the Quranic Verses, Imam Sadiq (a.s) answered: هوَ واللهِ عَلِيٌّ. هوَ واللهِ الصّراطُ والمِيزانُ. �By Allah, it is Ali. He is the Straight Path and the Balance.�2
Sheikh Saduq says: As Imam Sadiq (a.s) was asked about the 'Straight Path', he answered: هوَ الطّريقُ إلى معرِفةِ اللهِ عزَّ وجلَّ وهُما صِراطانِ: صِراطٌ في الدّنيا وصِراطٌ في الآخِرةِ. وأمّا الصِّراطُ في الدّنيا فهُو الإمامُ المُفتَرَضُ طاعتُهُ؛ مَن عرِفَهُ في الدّنيا واقتَدى بِهُداهُ مَرَّ على الصِّراطِ الّذي هو جِسرُ جَهَنَّمَ في الآخِرةِ ومَن لم يَعرِفْهُ في الدّنيا زلّتْ قَدَمُهُ عَن الصِّراطِ في الآخِرةِ.
�It is the path to the knowledge of Allah, Glorified and Majestic is He. They are two paths; one is in the world and the other in the Hereafter. The path in this world is the Imam the obedience to whom is obligatory. Whoever knows him and follows his guidance will pass the Bridge of the Requital in the Hereafter. But whoever does not know him in this worldly life will stumble and fall into Hell.�3
Imam Sadiq (a.s) also says: الصِّراطُ المُستَقيمُ أميرُ المؤمِنينَ عليه السلامُ.
�The Straight Path is Amir ul-Mu'mineen (The Commander of the Faithful; namely Imam Ali).�4
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1 See Kelimat Meknuneh Faiz; 159
2 See Kelimat Meknuneh Faiz; 161 (as quoted from Bassa'ir ud-Darajaat)
3 See Kelimat Meknuneh Faiz; 160
4 See Kelimat Meknuneh Faiz; 161 and Tafsir al-Mizan; vol. 1 p. 39

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Imam Ali (a.s) says: أَنا صَلاةُ المُؤمِنينَ وصِيامُهُم.
�I am the prayer and the fasting of the believing men.�1
Some people however have misinterpreted the above-mentioned Hadith, claiming that when one recognizes his Imam, he is not obliged to perform the religious duties, for the recognition of the Imam is considered as prayer, fasting, Hajj, almsgiving, and jihad. They invoke the Hadith, 'When you reach the stage of cognition, do as you wish.'
Rejecting this idea, Imam Sadiq (a.s) says: �He who believes in such matter is, in my sight, evidently polytheist. Allah has not ordained any prophet to invite people to cognition without obeying the commandments and prohibitions being accompanied by cognition. Allah has asked His servants to act to all religious duties but after getting to know the one who has brought those commandments and calls people to Allah. Therefore, cognition is of primary and obedience is of secondary importance. Whoever reaches cognition will become obedient and whoever becomes obedient will consider disobedience as sin.�
Mohammad ibn Marid reported: ____________
1 See Qadi Saeed Qummi's Asrar ul-Ibadat, p. 6

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فقالَ (عليه السلام) لي: إِنا للهِ وإِنا إليهِ راجِعونَ! واللهِ ما أنصَفونا أَنْ نكُونَ أخَذنَا بالعَملِ ووُضِعَ عنهُم. إنمَا قلتُ إذا عرِفتَ فاعملْ ما شِئتَ من قَليلِ الخَيرِ وكثيرِه فإنّه يُقبلُ مِنكَ.
I asked Imam Sadiq (a.s) whether he has actually said the hadith, 'When you reach the stage of cognition, do as you wish,' that is related by some people. The Imam said: �I have said it.�
I asked: �Even such doings are adultery, theft, or drinking of wine?�
He (a.s) answered: �Surely, we belong to Allah and to Him we will return.1 By Allah, it is not fair that we are obliged to perform religious duties and they are free! I have said that when you reach the stage of cognition (of Allah), do good deed a little or as much as you can, for it will be accepted by Allah.�2
  To sum it up, the external feature of the Hajj rites represents spiritual journey of a perfect man who has gone through different stages of servitude, detached from worldly ties and ornaments, and rescued from darkness and entered into the illuminated kingdom of God. Therefore, a true Hajj is an evolution in soul. It is not a plaything or entertainment as some ignorant people think, for their performance is more like a game than worship.
Malik ibn Anas says:
One year, I accompanied Imam Sadiq (a.s) in the Hajj pilgrimage. Being on the back of his horse and in the state of Ihram, the Imam (a.s) was trying to utter 'Labbayk' but his voice stuck in his throat. He therefore rode off his horse. I said: �O son of the Messenger of Allah! Say 'Labbayk', you have to say it.� He (a.s) replied: يا بنَ أبي عامِر، كيفَ أجسِرُ أنْ أقولَ: لَبّيْكَ اللّهمَّ لَبّيكَ، وأخْشى أنْ يَقولَ عزّ وجلّ لا لَبّيكَ ولا سَعْدَيكَ.
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1 This statement is an expression of grief.
2 See Usul al-Kafi; vol. 2 p.464

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�O son of Abi-Amir, how dare I say it? I fear that Allah will not answer me nor let me in.�1
  The Imams' sayings act as warning to the ignorant ones that Hajj is the journey of soul, not distance. If a man's soul gets into the state of Ihram, reaches the House of God, touches the Black Stone2 with the hand of the heart, stays on Mount Arafat with full heart, stops in al-Mash'ar al-Haram with full soul, sacrifices the sheep of the carnal desires with the knife of certitude and submission (to the Lord), he has performed a true Hajj.
  Prophet Ibrahim (a.s) reached such a stage of contentment and submission (to the Lord) inspired by God that he was ready to sacrifice his son for his Lord. He rolled up his sleeves without hesitation, laid down his endeared son, put the sharp knife on his throat, and thought of nothing but carrying out God's order. Such a degree of cognition of God is the result of his true spiritual journey.
He truly visited God's House and out of sincerity took off the garment of pleasure and worldly inclinations from his soul and put on a garment of submission to God and said 'Labbayk' from the bottom of his heart, entered into the sanctuary, stayed in the lap of the mountain of cognition, immersed his senses in divine thoughts, and saw world ornaments as worthless pebbles. He took his son to the altar and put the knife on his throat in Mina saying to himself, 'I turn my face to the direction of the One Who originated the heavens and the earth.'3
Reaching such a state requires traversing different stages including giving up pleasures, forgetting one's desires, and throwing pebbles at the alluring Satan to a degree that God's pleasure is considered above the life of even the endeared son.
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1 See Sheikh Saduq's al-Khissal; vol. 1 p. 160 Hadith 189
2 Black Stone is the sacred reddish-black stone built into the outside wall of the Kaaba
3 In the Holy Quran, God has related this statement to Prophet Abraham.