Authored By, Naveed Fatima.
The atmosphere was breezing with the Lord-‘The Creator’, elated and so very happy to see His servants, His creation. And we, the Created Ones were also elated and ecstatic to be present standing in attendance to His Holy Presence at His beck and call. The scenario was as if both ‘The Creator’ and the Creation are assembled at one spot—‘The Land of Mecca’. Every feasible thing existing there at that moment was bathing in the pristine shower of dazzling Light of the Glorious Merciful Allah.
I was experiencing an out of the world, a heavenly feeling of ecstasy, ultimate exuberance of joy, the feeling of meeting my Lord. It’s true Allah cannot be perceived by these physical mortal eyes –But He (Allah) can be felt with the spiritual eyes, the eyes of the heart. I was having an unusual, unique and exotic feel that Allah is in the atmosphere around, in the air, in the sky, beneath the clouds, seeing the huge, humongous crowd of people, obliging towards HIM, making obeisance to HIS call and performing the rites of HAJJ, with utter sincerity. Each and every person accumulated there, on the Holy land of Mecca leaving behind the love for this glitzing world, forgoing worldly matters, unbothered of the worldly transactions assembled there without speck of pride and prejudice, shunning behind caste and creed, from rags to riches, old to young , black to white, irreverent to pious, unaffected by weather and climate, heedless of the scorching Sun the parching heat, shrivelling cold, unmindful of hunger and thirst, agony and pain, tarried and tired-But, striving with one and only one thing on mind, on tongue the chant echoing ‘Labbaik Allahumma Labbaik’ (Lord! Here, we are at Your service).
Every nook and corner was flowing with white stream of purity, clad in the white ubiquitous ‘Ahram’ wherever the sight stretch, north to south, east to west, the ground, was table spread with whiteness shimmering , gleaming in contrast with the Heavenly Divine illuminating light emanating from the sky above, making a picturesque, glowing with glittering Glory. Even though there was so humdrum, buzzing of noise rushing of crowd but still the radiant serenity and peace of Heaven could be felt and absorbed.
My most momentous and unforgettable memory was the night at ‘Muzdallifa’ to be spent on the open plain. It was a black dark moonless, starless night, but the light emanating from the ‘Ahram’ clad men, scattered on the hills for collecting the stones, was such a splendid and marvellous sight as if the glowing insects specked and decked were scintillating and twinkling like luminous stars on a dark background.
Nostalgia of all these memories are traversing through each by lane, every bypass, every halt, each stop, from dawn to dusk, eating to drinking sharing pain and happiness together under one shelter ‘MINA’ with brethren faith. The unflinching spirit in hurling seven stones to Satan in the topsy and turvy mob was the most heroic of act. The never-ending supplications on the day of ‘Arafat’ were also very tremendous and soulfully captivating.
This is how we basked and bathed, gasped, and breathed in the pure Glory of Allah and came out washing away all our blemishes, dirt, and grime. This is how HAJJ cleanses sins of every HAJJI.
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