ALMISKEENAH

 

THEN…..

A certain saintly person, resident in Makkah, used to perform Hajj annually until his seventieth Hajj. Yet every time we entered into Ihram, crying Labbaik out loud, he used to hear in reply: "Laa Labbaik." Once a young man was with him when the same thing happened. The young man said in surprise: "O Uncle, a cry of Laa Labbaik has come in answer to your call." The old man asked: "O son, did you also hear it?" The old man cried bitterly and said: "O son, for seventy years now I have heard that reply time after time." The young man asked: "But dear Uncle, why should you cast yourself in so much difficulty by performing Hajj every time?" The old man replied: "O son, on which other door can I knock except His, and who else is there to whom may I go except Him. It is my duty to continue begging for mercy. If He so desires, He may accept, and should He desire, He may reject. O son, it is not permissible for a slave to flee from the door of His Master for any reason that may not suit him." Saying this, the old man wept bitterly that tears covered his chest. Thereafter he again cried Labbaik, but this time both heard in reply: "Now we have indeed accepted your presence here. And so we act with those who keep their faith in our goodness, but not so with those who follow their vain desires and still hope for Our Mercy." The young man having heard this asked his uncle: ‘O Uncle, did you too hear this reply?" The old man said: "Yes, I have also heard it." Thereafter the old man wept so much that he died.

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Ali ibn Muwaffaq Rahmatullah alaihi, says: "Once on the eve of Arafat I slept in the Masjid at Mina. I saw two Angels in green clothes descending from above. The one asked the other: ‘How many pilgrims are present here this year?’ When the other replied he knew not, the first one said: ‘There are six hundred thousand. But do you know from how many of them Allah Ta’ala accepted Hajj?’ The second replied he did not know. The first one went on: ‘Allah Ta’ala has accepted the Hajj of only six from them.’ Saying this they both departed towards the sky.

Ali ibn Muwaffaq Rahmatullah alaihi states further: ‘Greatly filled with fear and anxiety for what I heard, I woke up deeply distressed for my own Hajj. If only six pilgrims had their Hajj accepted, then what chance is there that I would be among them?’ On the way back from Arafat I looked at the great congregation distressed and worried again. How is it that of such a huge gathering only six should succeed? In this distress, I fell asleep at Muzdalifah and again I saw the same two Angels asking the same question and giving the same answers as before. Then the first one further asked: ‘And do you know what Allah Ta’ala commanded regarding this situation?’ The second one replied: ‘I know not.’ The first one continued: ‘Allah Ta’ala looked at them with His Mercy has decreed that on account of the blessings of each of them, the Hajj of one hundred thousand Hajjis will be accepted. This indeed is Allah Ta’ala’s favour which He bestows on whomsoever He pleases.’"

It is also reported that Ali ibn Muwaffaq Rahmatullah alaihi had performed more than fifty pilgrimages, praying that every time the reward be granted to Rasulullah SallAllahu alaihi wasallam, and the Khalifas and his parents and to any who’s Hajj had not been accepted. While on the plain of Muzdalifah, Allah Ta’ala appeared to him in a dream saying: "O Ali, are you trying to be more generous than I am? I have created generosity. I have created generous ones and I am the most generous of all. Verily through that Hajis’ Hajj that has been accepted, I have accepted that Hajj of each and everyone who’s Hajj had not been accepted."

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Hisham bin ‘Urwa narrated, that upon his martyrdom, al-Zubair bin al-Awwam RadhiAllahu anhu, did not leave a single dinar or dirham in cash, except for two estates and some houses he owned. He incurred his debts from his practice of not accepting to keep anything on consignment, for during the pilgrimage season, and whenever a travelling merchant brought him his remaining goods to sell for him and to keep the money until the next season, al-Zubair RadhiAllahu anhu would reply: "I do not accept anything on consignment, but I will take the goods as a loan, for fear I mix them with other merchandise."

Later on, after he died, and when his son counted his debts, they added up to two million. To satisfy his father’s debts, Abdullah bin al-Zaubair used to attend the pilgrimage season annually, and he called the pilgrims to come forward to claim the monies they loaned to his father. Abdullah did that for four consecutive years until everything was repaid. Only after the four years passed that Abdullah divided the remaining balance between the heirs. Al-Zubair had four wives, and each of them inherited one million and two hundred dirhams.

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Hafs ibn Amr al-Hawdhi narrated that Nafi’ heard Abdullah ibn Umar RadhiAllahu anhu pray at the Hill of Safa, during a pilgrimage to Makkah: "My Divine Lord, protect me by helping me to correctly comply with Your religion. Guide me to obey Your commands and to comply with the guidance of Your Messenger SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. Lord protect me against infringing upon the limitations set by You. Lord fill my heart with love for You, and gather me among those who love Your Angels, Your messengers, and Your righteous servants. My Divine Lord, help me to do my deeds with ease. Help me to avoid the avenues of difficulties, forgive me my sine in this world, do not require them from me thereafter, Lord, and gather me among the blessed pattern of the pious ones in the Hereafter. Lord! You said, ‘Call upon Me and I will answer your prayers.’ Lord, surely You do not fail Your promise. O Allah, indeed<you are the One Who guided me to Islam. I beseech You not to divest me of Your gift. Do not deprive me of it, nor take it away from me. Keep me thus until You take my soul back to You in a state of perfect Islam, submitting to You."

Nafi’ added: "this was only a short passage of an extensive prayer, Abdullah ibn Umar RadhiAllahu anhu prayed at the Hills of Safa and Marwa, and he repeated them at again at the Valley of Arafat, and later on, he invoked the same prayers near the Sacred monument at Jamarat, and then during his final Tawaf of the Ka’aba.

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NOW…..

A modern ibn Battuta! SubhanAllah!

The sacrificial animals begin to arrive.

More on the attempts to control the crowds, and reduce the presence of those without official permits

 
All good is from Allah Ta’ala whereas mistakes are from this humble speck. May Allah Ta’ala Bless all readers, bringing you all closer to Him and His Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. Ameen.