Hajj: Unity of Humanity

"Ya ayyuhalladheena amanut-taqullaha haqqa tuqatihi wa la tamutunna illa wa antum muslimun." (Aal 'Imran, 3:102)

"Ya ayyuhannas uttaqu rabbakumul ladhi khalaqakum min nafsin wahidatin wa khalaqa minha zawjaha wa baththa minhuma rijalan katheeran wa nisa'a. Wattaqullahalldhee tasa'aluna bihi wal-arham. Innallaha kana 'alaykum raqeeba." (An-Nisa, 4:1)

Dear brothers and sisters in Islam,

Brothers and sisters, every year millions of Muslims from every corner of the earth converge on one place, at one time, wearing the same garments, performing the same rituals, calling out with the same words:

This is Hajj — the fifth pillar of Islam, the journey of a lifetime, and the most powerful demonstration of human unity the world has ever seen.

Allah commanded Ibrahim, 'alayhis salam:

"Wa adh-dhin fin-nasi bil-hajji ya'tuka rijalan wa 'ala kulli damirin ya'teena min kulli fajjin 'ameeq." (Al-Hajj, 22:27)

1. Equality before Allah. In Hajj, the king and the pauper stand side by side in identical white garments. No one can tell who is rich and who is poor, who is a minister and who is a street sweeper. All are equal before their Lord.

The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam, declared in his Farewell Sermon:

"O people, your Lord is one and your father is one. There is no superiority of an Arab over a non-Arab, nor of a non-Arab over an Arab, nor of a white person over a black person, nor of a black person over a white person — except by taqwa." (Musnad Ahmad, 23489 — Sahih)

2. Training for the akhirah. Hajj is a dress rehearsal for the Day of Judgement. The white ihram resembles the burial shroud. The standing at Arafah resembles the standing before Allah. The crowds, the heat, the difficulty — all remind us of what is coming.

3. Unity of the ummah. Hajj reminds us that we are one body. The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam, said:

"The likeness of the believers in their mutual love, mercy, and compassion is like a single body: when one limb aches, the rest of the body responds with sleeplessness and fever." (Sahih al-Bukhari, 6011; Sahih Muslim, 2586)

When we see Muslims suffering in Palestine, in Sudan, in Myanmar — that is our body aching. We cannot be indifferent.

Brothers and sisters,

First: If you have not performed Hajj and you have the means, begin planning for it seriously. It is an obligation that many of us delay year after year. The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam, said:

"Ta'ajjalu ilal-hajj, fa inna ahadakum la yadree ma ya'ridu lah." (Musnad Ahmad, 2869)

If you have already performed Hajj, support someone else who cannot afford it.

Second: Reflect on unity. Is there a brother or sister you have fallen out with? Is there a division in your community that you can help heal? Hajj teaches us that our differences of race, language, and culture are nothing before Allah. Let that lesson come home with you — or reach you even if you have never been.

"Ya ayyuhan-nasu inna khalaqnakum min dhakarin wa untha wa ja'alnakum shu'uban wa qaba'ila li ta'arafu. Inna akramakum 'indallahi atqakum." (Al-Hujurat, 49:13)