Rejecting an empty Philosophy

Rejecting an empty Philosophy
(From Ali Syariati's book HAJJ)


Life today (not life as it should be carried on) is an idle cyclical action

a movement with no goal! A meaningless pendular action starts with the day

only to end at night and night starts only to disappear at dawn. In the

mean time, man is busy watching the play of these black and white "rats" who

chew the strings of our life until we die.



Life (as we live it) is like a theater. Man watches these aimless nights

and days. Indeed, what foolish play is conducted! When you are in need, you

hope and struggle to overcome your needs. Yet once you achieve this, you view

your past efforts humorously. What a senseless philosophy to live by!



Living on a day to day basis, the person lacks direction. His aim is only

to live. What exists is a dead spirit in a living body. However, the Hajj

experience alters this unhealthy condition!



Once you decide to perform Hajj and take the necessary steps, you are on

the road to the actualization of Hajj. Before going to Hajj you reside in your

home calm and reposed. Upon entering the state of mind for Hajj, you arise

and move away from your routine environment.



Hajj is the antithesis of aimlessness. It is the rebellion against a damned

fate guided by evilforces. The fulfillment of Hajj will enable you to

escape from the complex network of puzzles. This revolutionary act will reveal to

you the clear horizon and free way to migration to eternity toward the

Almighty Allah.



Depart from your home. and visit "Allah's house", or the "house of the

people"! You, whoever you are, you are a man, Adam's son, and a

representative of Allah on earth! You are a relative of Allah, Allah's

trustee, His master of nature and a student of God. Allah taught you the

names. He made you from His spirit and endowed you with special qualities.

You were praised by Him; His angels even prostrated to you. This earth and

everything in it was made available to man. God became your "homemate",

with you at all times and watching all of your actions. Are you living up

to His expectation?



Prophet (PBUH):



Allah is in the hearts of the believers



Quran XXIX:3



Thus Allah knoweth those who are sincere, and knoweth those who feign



Quran LVII: 25



And that Allah may know him who helpeth Him and His messenger, though

unseen.



Quran XVII: 7



LO! We have placed all that is in the earth as an ornament thereof



that we may try them: which of them is best in conduct.



Quran LXVII: 2



Who hath created life and death that He may try you, which of you is

best in conduct; and he is the Mighty, the Forgiving,



With the passage of time and the influence of various forces of the social

system which disregard human rights and duties, your character has been

changed. The vicissitudes of life have affected you to the degree that you

became alienated and neglectful. Originally, with Allah's spirit in your

heart, you were supposed to shoulder the responsibility of being Allah's

trustee on earth. You were granted time as a means for fulfilling this task

but you failed because the gift was used carelessly!



Quran CIII: 2-3



By the declining day, LO! man is in a state of loss,



This is what is called life! But realistically speaking what has been

accomplished? What constructive contributions have you made? What have

you gained? So many precious years have been lost, yet who are you?



Oh trustee and vicegerent of Allah on earth, you have turned to money, sex,

greed, aggression, and dishonesty. You have regressed to the inferior status

that you occupied before almighty Allah blew His spirit into you. Where is

the spirit of Allah now? Oh man, rise out of this decadent situation!

Divorce yourself from this gradual death.



Leave your surroundings and go to the pure land. There you may face Almighty

Allah under the inspiring sky of Mashar. The estrangement which you have

experienced will be overcome. At last, you will find yourself!



Reaching towards Allah



Hajj occurs during the highly respected month of Zul-Hijjah'. The land of

Makkah (Mecca) is tranquil and peaceful. Instead of fear, hatred, and war,

the desert is characterized by security and peace. An atmosphere for

worship where people are free to face Almighty God is prevalent.



Do you not hear Ibrahim's command:



Quran XXII: 27



And call upon the people for Hajj. They will come to you on their bare

feet or riding any weak camel and they come to you from every far desert.



You, oh Mud, search for and follow the spirit of Allah! Accept his

invitation; leave your home in order to "see" Him. He is waiting for You!



Human existence is frivolous unless one's aim is to approach the spirit of

Allah. Separate yourself from all those needs and greeds which distract you

from Allah. Therefore, join the eternal human migration to Hajj. "See"

Almighty Allah!



Before departing to perform Hajj, all of your debts should be paid. Your

hates and angers toward relatives or friends must disappear. A will must

be drawn. All of these gestures are an exercise in the preparation for death

(which will overtake everyone some day). These acts guarantee your personal

and financial clearance. The last moments of farewell and the future of man

are symbolized.



Now you are free to join eternity. On the day of resurrection, when "you can

do nothing" in Allah's court, where "your eyes, ears, and heart are the

best witnesses of what you have done,"



Quran XVII: 36



You and every organ of your body are responsible for your deeds. While

you are in this "house of correction" get ready for the "house of

justice". Exercise death before you die-go to Hajj!



Hajj represents your return to Allah, the absolute, who has no limitations

and none is like Him. To return to Him signifies a definite movement toward

perfection, goodness, beauty, power knowledge, value, and facts. On your way

toward the eternal, you will NEVER approach Allah. He is to guide you in

the right direction and not to be your destination!



Islam is different from Sufism. A Sufi lives "in the name of Allah", and

dies "for the sake of Allah". But, a Muslim strives to approach Almighty

God



To Allah we belong and to Him is our return.



Quran II:156 & XLII:53



All affairs tend toward Allah.



Our goal is not to "perish", but to "bloom". This is done not "for Allah"

but rather to bring us "toward Him". Allah is not so far away from you;

therefore, try to reach Him! Allah is closer to you than yourself!



Quran L:16



We are nearer to him than his jugular vein.



On the other hand, everyone beside Allah is too far to be reached! Oh man,

all the angels prostrated to you; yet, through the passage of time and

societal influence you have changed greatly. You have not abided by your

promise to worship none but Almighty Allah. Instead, you have become a

slave to idols, some of which are man-made.



Quran LIV: 54



In an assembly of truth, in the presence of a sovereign omnipotent.



Your nature is characterized by loyalty to other individuals, selfdevotion,

cruelty, ignorance, a lack of direction, fearfulness, and greediness! This

life has caused you to acquire animalistic traits. Now you are like a

"wolf", "fox", "rat", or "sheep".



Oh man, return to your origin. Go to Hajj and visit your best friend who

created you as the best creature. He is waiting to see you! Leave the

palaces of power, the treasures of wealth and the misleading temples.

Dismember yourself from the flock of those animals whose shepherd is the

wolf. Join the flock at Miad who is going to see the house of Allah or the

house of the people.



Entering Miqat and becoming One



The show begins at Miqat. At this point, the actor (mankind) must change

his clothes. Why? Because one's attire covers the person as well as his

character. In other words, an individual doesn't wear clothes, but rather,

the clothes cover him!



Clothes symbolize, pattern, preference, status, and distinction. They create

superficial "borders" which cause "separation" between people. In most

cases, "separation" between people, gives birth to "discrimination".

Furthermore the concept of "I" not "we" emerges! "I" is used in the context

of my race, my class, my clan, my group, my position, my family, my values,

and not "I" as a human being.



So many "borders" have been created in our lives. The descendants of Cain,

the executioners and the cruels split Adam's family and mankind's unity

into many parts and factions. What resulted were the following relationships:



master and servant, oppressor and oppressed, colonialist and

colonialized, exploiter and exploited, strong and weak, rich

and poor, nourished and malnurished, honored and dishonored,

happy and unhappy, noble persons and lay persons, civilized

and uncivilized, Eastern and Western, Arab and Ajam and etc.



Humanity is divided into races, nations, classes, subclasses, groups, and

families. Each one has its own distinct status and values, names and honors.

And-for what? All this just to show "ones-self-but under so much "make-up"!



Now take off your clothes. Leave them at Miqat. Wear the Kafan which

consists of plain white material. You will be dressed like everyone else. See the

uniformity appear! Be a particle and join the mass; as a drop, enter the ocean.



Don't be proud, you are not here to see somebody, but be humble. You

will be seeing Allah. Be the one who realizes his mortality or a mortal

who feels his existence.



At Miqat, regardless of your race or tribe, you must doff all the covers

you wore in your daily life as:



- a wolf (symbolizing fierceness and oppression),

- a rat (symbolizing slyness),

- a fox (symbolizing craftiness),

- or a sheep (symbolizing slavery).



Leave all these in Miqat and assume your original shape as a "man" - just

one "Adam" as you will be at the end, as one "dead"!



Wrap yourself in two pieces of cloth. One covers your shoulders and the other

goes around your waist. No special style or material is used. It is made of

very plain and simple fabric. Everyone is wearing the same outfit (Ihram).

No distinctions in appearance are visible.



The caravans from all over the world which are traveling to Hajj will

congregate at Miqat. They will meet at the same time and at the same place!



On his way to Allah, man is not just "to be" but he is "to become" what he

should be!



Quran XXIV:42

And unto Allah is the journeying.



How wonderful! Everything is moving - evolution, death and life, life and

death, contradiction, change, and direction.



Quran XXVIII:88

Everything will perish save His countenance.



And Allah is the "absolute" - being, perfect, and eternal!



Quran LV:29

Everyday He exerciseth (universal) power.



Hajj is also a movement. Man decides to return toward Allah. All of his egos

and selfish tendencies are buried at Miqat (Zu-halifa). He witnesses his own

dead body and visits his own grave. Man is reminded of the final goal of his

life. He experiences death at Miqat and resurrection afterwhich he must

continue his mission in the desert between Miqat and Miad.



The scene is like the day of judgment. From one horizon to the other, a

"flood of whites" appears. All the people are wearing the Kafan. No one

can be recognized. The bodies were left in Miqat and the souls are

motivated here. Names, races, nor social status make a difference in this great

combination. An atmosphere of genuine unity prevails. It is a human show

of Allah's unity.



Fear and pleasure, excitement and charm, perplexity and rapture all appear

as minute particles in a magnetic field. Allah is in its center (qibla')!

Only man shows himself. He is situated in one direction which is toward

Allah. In this desert all the nations and groups merge into one tribe. They

face one Kaaba.



Once you remove your clothes and all the signs which distinguish "you" as

An individual, you may enter into the heart of the crowd. In the state of

Ihram', try to forget the things that remind you of your life.



Everyone "melts" himself and assumes a new form as a "mankind". The egos

and individual traits are buried. The group becomes a "people" or an "Umma".

All the l's have died in Miqat; what has evolved is "We".



By the time you leave Mina you should have integrated into the Umma. This

is what Ibrahim did. You are also supposed to act like Ibrahim.



Quran XVI: 120



Lo Abraham was a nation obedient to Allah, by nature upright, and he was

not of the idolators.



At last, one is all and all is one! Everyone is equal. The society of

polytheism is converted into one of monotheism or Tawhid. This is the

Umma or the society which is onto the right path. It should be a society

which is perfect, active and led by Islamic leadership (Imamat).



Everyone performing Hajj has turned away from himself to face Allah. He has

been endowed with the spirit of Allah. You have gone from an exile to the

hereafter. You have been exposed to the absolute facts. You have overcome

ignorance and oppression and have been enlightened by consciousness and

justice. You have rejected polytheism and adopted monotheism.



Previous to the performance of Hajj, the people neglected their human

quality. They were alienated by power, wealth, family, land, and race.

Their life was only in the context of mere "existence". Finally, the

experience of Hajj allowed them to achieve self-discovery. Now they

perceived each other collectively as "one", and individually as a "man"

NOTHING ELSE!



Declaring your Intention

NIYAT



Before entering Miqat, which is the beginning of a great change and

revolution, you must declare your intention. What does this encompass? It

is the intention of a "transferral" from your house to the house of people,

from life to love, from the self to Allah, from slavery to freedom, from

racial discrimination to equality, sincerity and truth, from being clothed

to being naked, from a daily life to an eternal life and from selfishness

and aimlessness to devotion and responsibility. In summary, it is a

transferral into the state of "Ihram" .



Therefore, your intention must be strongly asserted. You will grow out of

your "shell" as do the seeds of dates. Being extremely conscious, you must

have faith in your heart. Enlighten your heart with the flame of love;

"shine" and "shine". Forget all about yourself! In the past, your life was

characterized by "negligence" and "ignorance" You were helpless in all

aspects of existence. Even in the realm of your job, you became a slave,

working either as a habit or by force! Now, shed this pattern of life!

Become genuinely "conscious" of Almighty Allah, the people and yourself!

Choose a new job, a new direction and a new "self"!



Praying in Miqat



When at Miqat and ready to start the Hajj, you are aware of what must be

done and why. In the Ihram attire you will perform the prayer of Ihram,

presenting yourself to the Almighty Allah. Say - Oh Allah, I No More

worship the idols, and No More am I the slave of Nimrod'.



Oh Allah, I am standing in front of you with the gesture of Ibrahim not as

an oppressor (wolf), not as a cheater (fox), not as a hoarder(rat). Nay, I

face you as a "man" wearing the same clothes that I will wear when I see

you in the hereafter. This means that you willingly and consciously want to

obey Allah and become His slave. You will rebel against anyone and anything

beside Allah. Your readiness to exercise necessary duties is expressed.

Such a position is not different from the regular prayer, but at this time it is

like a more intimate talk to Allah. It is as if Allah's presence can be

felt.



Say:



Oh the most gracious and the most merciful, whose glory and mercy go

beyond the limits of friends and enemies, the righteous and the sinful,

the believers and non-believers ... Oh Allah, I worship you since you are

the only one who deserves to be worshipped. I choose no master, but you,

the master and owner of the day of judgment". Quran I:2-4.



Quran I:5



Thee (alone) we worship; thee (alone) we ask for help.



Oh our only love, Oh our only help! See how we are lost by our ignorance!

See how we are misled by the oppressors! See how we are limited by our

weakness!



Quran I:6



Show us the Straight Path - the path of truth, consciousness, fact,

beauty, perfection, love, and goodness.



Quran I:7



The path of those whom thou hast favored, Not (the the path) of those

who earn thine anger nor of those who go astray.



At Miqat in the white dress of the hereafter, each bow denies and asks

forgiveness for the wrong deeds which were motivated by fear and greed.

They were committed during your life. Each prostration asks forgiveness

for those which were done in the Courts of Powers.



The prayer at Miqat is a promise to Allah that there will be no prostration

nor bowing to anyone other than Him!



Peace be upon you Oh Mohammad, His slave and Messenger

Peace by upon you and those obedients of Allah and the good doers.

Peace be upon you ...



All these are phrases which refer to the "near ... not the far".



Allah, Ibrahim, Mohammad, people, heaven, the hereafter, salvation, freedom,

love and etc. are all present at Miqat. Dressed in the colorless clothes of

Ihram, you experience a new birth - a resurrection! No longer will Satan,

who rejected Allah's command, cheat you. No longer will you feel like a

stranger. Shameful and apologetic, you return to Allah. But now you are

free and responsible!