Chapter Two

The Maqâm of Ibrâhîm

 

The Maqâm (Station) of Ibrâhîm (Abraham, peace be upon
him): [The step-stone used by Prophet Ibrâhîm during the original construction
of the Ka‘bah. The stone carries the imprints of his feet, and is housed in a glass
enclosure on the north side of the Ka‘bah].

Before discussing Hajj, we have to give a glimpse at the
history of the Sacred House. Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, says in His
Noble Book (what means):

“Verily, the first House (of worship) appointed
for mankind was that at Bakkah (Makkah), full of blessing, and a guidance for
Al-‘Alamîn (the mankind and jinns).” (Âl-‘Imrân, 3: 96)

The history of establishment is depicted as follows: the
House was placed for mankind (to worship Allah) since the time of Âdam (peace
be upon him) till the Last Hour befalls. Its Author is Allah, all praise and
glory be to Him; He is the One Who established it and appointed its place.
Since it was placed to mankind, then it must have existed before people were
brought into being. It was placed at the creation of the universe, for Allah,
all praise and glory be to Him, willed to make a House of His, whereto Âdam
(peace be upon him) and his offspring would go on a pilgrimage, and Âdam (peace
be upon him) complied.

Some people ascribe the establishment of the House to the
Prophet Ibrâhîm (Abraham, peace be upon him); that he built it by the Command
of Allah. We ask those people to carefully understand the Words of Allah. The
House was placed for mankind means that the Sacred House existed before Âdam
(peace be upon him). Ibrâhîm was assigned the duty of raising the foundations
effaced after the flood that drowned the earth during the era of Nûh.

But Allah commanded Ibrâhîm (peace be upon him) to take
his wife, Hâjar (peace be upon her), and his son, Ismâ‘îl (Ishmael, peace be upon him), to a barren arid
valley near the Sacred House.

 Allah,
Blessed and Exalted be He, says in His Noble Book (what means):

“And (remember) when We showed Ibrâhim (Abraham) the site of the
(Sacred) House (the Ka'bah at Makkah) (saying): ‘Associate not anything (in
worship) with Me, [Lâ ilâha ill-Allâh (none has the right to be worshipped but
Allâh Islâmic Monotheism], and sanctify My House for those who circumambulate
it, and those who stand up for prayer, and those who bow (submit themselves
with humility and obedience to Allâh), and make prostration (in prayer,
etc.).’” (Al-Hajj, 22: 26)

The location of the House was shown and specified to
Ibrâhîm (peace be upon him). Regarding the Sacred House, Allah, all praise and
glory be to Him, says when recounting the invocation of Ibrâhîm (peace be upon
him) what means:

“O our Lord! I have made some of my offspring to
dwell in an uncultivable valley by Your Sacred House (the Ka'bah at Makkah); in
order, O our Lord, that they may perform As-Salât (Iqâmat-as-Salât), so fill
some hearts among men with love towards them, and (O Allâh) provide them with
fruits so that they may give thanks.” (Ibrahîm, 14: 37)

Ibrâhîm took his wife Hâjar and their son Ismâ‘îl, who was
still an infant, and left them near the Sacred House appointed by Allah, all
praise and glory be to Him, since the beginning of creation. But what was the
role of Ibrâhîm and what did he do?

 

Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, ordered Ibrâhîm to
raise the foundations of the House (the Ka‘bah at Mecca); to raise a
construction high on the earth to guide people to the place of the House, so
that people know that this is the Sacred House of Allah and that is its
whereabouts.

 

The
Ka‘bah…the sign of the Sacred House

 

People should know that the Sanctified Ka‘bah is
not the Sacred House of Allah, but the sign indicating that in this place
stands the Sacred House of Allah, as established by the Qur’anic verse in which
The Most Exalted says (what means):

“And (remember) when Ibrâhim
(Abraham) and (his son) Ismâ'il (Ishmael) were raising the foundations of the
House (the Ka‘bah at Makkah).” (Al-Baqarah, 2: 127)

Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, made Ismâ‘îl help
his father, Ibrâhîm, in raising the foundations of the House. Thus, Ibrâhîm
only built up the foundations when Ismâ‘îl grew up, to be a helping hand to his
father.

Some people believe that the Sacred House is the Ka’bah,
which is incorrect. The Sacred House is the place where the Ka‘bah was
built. There is a difference between the place and the sign indicating it, a
sign firmly established. Every space has length, width, and then comes the
third dimension, the height. What Ibrâhîm did was to raise the foundations,
i.e., to establish the height. At the place of the Sacred House, Ibrâhîm made
his wife Hâjar and their infant son, Ismâ‘îl, dwell.

 

Benison
is in the Sacred House

 

Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, describes His House
as blessed, and the blessing lies when a thing offers more than expected.

For instance, when man cultivates wheat, where the acre
usually yields five Irdabbs [A standard measure that equals 25128 grams], but it gives him fifteen Irdabbs, we say
it is a blessing. So, there are bounties and there is what surpasses bounties.

The Sacred House is full of blessings: the blessing of
winning the Good Pleasure of Allah, the blessing of refraining from harming
people, the blessing of having your soul filled with faith, the blessing of
fearing Allah and the blessing of killing pride in the soul. Without regard to
social status, every human being in the Sacred House of Allah is equal to his
fellow humans. Only in that House is the blessing that every Salah
(offered Prayer) is worth the reward of a hundred thousand offered prayers and
the blessing of multiplying the good deeds. Moreover, if the Salah is
worth a hundred thousand offered prayers, a good deed is also worth a hundred
thousand good deeds, whereas in places other than the Sacred House of Allah, it
is worth tenfold the like thereof.

From amongst the blessings also is the hospitality of
people; millions of Muslims visit Mecca to perform Hajj and no matter how
highly prepared Mecca was, it would not have accommodated all those people who
come from the five continents of the world and from every deep distant mountain
pass to perform Hajj, if it were not for that blessing. The hearts show
magnanimity and places as well, so we may find ten people sleeping comfortably
in a single room, whereas outside Mecca if two people slept in the same room
they would feel discomforted.

The blessing of the Hajj is that you avoid all sins.
Indeed, every moment passing on you without sinning is itself a blessing. In
the Hajj, Allah blesses all your times, you do nothing but kind acts, and the
performance of good deeds therein is endlessly and infinitely multiplied.

The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him
peace) said: “The reward of Hajj Mabrûr (the one
accepted by Allah) is nothing other than Paradise.”

An endless blessing extending from worldly life to the
hereafter, for Allah wants man to abide by His Divine Law and no time man lives
abiding by His Law as that of Hajj. Before hearing the Azân [The Muslim summons
to prayer, called by the muezzin from a minaret of a Masjid five times a day]
the Muslim hurries to the Sacred House of Allah and keeps offering prayers,
glorifying the Praises of Allah and reciting the Noble Qur’an. He shies away
from any sin or missing the Congregational Prayers or failing to dedicate
himself to the obedience of Allah.

The Truth [Al-Haqq: one of the Beautiful
Names of Allah], Blessed and Exalted be He, says (what means):

“Verily, the first House (of
worship) appointed for mankind was that at Bakkah (Makkah), full of blessing,
and a guidance for Al-‘Alamîn (the mankind and jinns).” (Âl-‘Imrân, 3: 96)

Al-‘Alamîn is the plural of (the Arabic word) ‘Âlam
(world), indicating all, except Allah. It includes different species as the
world of the angels, that of the jinn, that of mankind and so forth. The aimed
at meaning is that faith is strewn throughout the entire universe among all the
species of the earth, and during the Hajj season all these species gather in the
Sacred House of Allah. The Truth, Whose Majesty reigns supreme, says (what
means):

“In it are manifest signs (for
example), the Maqâm (place) of Ibrâhim (Abraham); whosoever enters it, he
attains security.” (Âl-‘Imrân, 3: 96)

What
are the manifest signs?

 

What are the manifest signs present in the House? The only
stated in the Noble Qur’an is the verse in which The Most Exalted says (what
means), ‘The Maqâm (place) of Ibrâhim (Abraham).’ Allah,
all praise and glory be to Him, wants to direct our attention to that Maqâm,
which is a stone on which Ibrâhîm (peace be upon him) used to stand while
raising the foundations of the Ka‘bah. Ibrâhîm could have raised the
foundations of the Ka‘bah in the height of his body, but his love of the
religion and the duty assigned to him by Allah made him bring a stone so as to
elevate the foundations higher.

Allah, glory be to Him, says that in the House are, ‘Manifest
signs,’ which is plural, whereas ‘The Maqâm (place) of Ibrâhim
(Abraham),’ came singular. Through a profound comprehension of the
meaning, you will find many signs in Maqâm Ibrâhim, because on
contemplating any blessing endless blessings are revealed. The Truth, Blessed
and Exalted be He, says (what means):

“And if you count the Bounty
of Allâh, never will you be able to reckon it.” (Ibrâhîm, 14: 34)

The Almighty says (in the aforementioned verse) Bounty
and has not said Bounties, because a bounty embosoms many blessings.
Similarly, in Maqâm Ibrâhim are many signs; first that Ibrâhîm fulfilled
the enjoined duty with profound adoration and love, shown in his strong desire
to elevate the House, enhance it and perfect it. He saved no effort for
accomplishing that end.

Certainly, carrying out one’s work with perfection is a
sign bespeaking your love of it, which is one of the secrets behind the
magnificence of the universe. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and
grant him peace) said, “Allah loves when any of
you performs a work to perfect it.”

If Allah, The Most Exalted, says (what means), “In it are manifest signs (for example), the Maqâm (place)
of Ibrâhim (Abraham),” (Âl-‘Imrân, 3: 96) we have to see through
it the signs exiting in Maqâm Ibrâhim. Ibrâhîm was a nation, having of
good righteous attributes what may only gather in a nation. For goodness cannot
gather in a single person but only in a nation: one is trustworthy, another is
honest and a third is generous. Yet, all the good righteous attributes gathered
in the Prophet Ibrâhim (peace be upon him).

Because Ibrâhîm (peace be upon him) loved the enjoined
duty, he endured the trials Allah had put him through; he succeeded and
fulfilled the duty the best that can ever be. Recite the Qur’anic verse in
which Allah, praise be to Him, says (what means):

“And (remember) when the Lord
of Ibrâhim (Abraham) [i.e., Allah] tried him with (certain) Commands, which he
fulfilled.” (Al-Baqarah, 2:124)

What are the Commands that Allah tried Ibrâhîm with?
Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, commanded him to slaughter his son
Ismâ‘îl, his sole son, who attained adulthood. How did Ibrâhîm respond to the
Divine Command? Did he slacken in executing it? Did he invoke Allah to mercy
his old age and pardon his only son? No, despite the severity of the trial he
started execution. This presents a sign for you to fulfill the enjoined duty
and endure the trial with utmost complacence.

Another sign is unveiled at the construction of the
Ka‘bah: Ibrâhîm wanted to fulfill the Decree of Allah in raising the
foundations of the Ka‘bah not as his capability allows him – as aforesaid – but
he contrived to boost his capability and brought a stone so that the
foundations may tower as high as that stone. If you look at the stone, that
lies few meters away for the Ka‘bah, you will find footprints. They say that
when Ibrâhîm (peace be upon him) stood upon the stone it humbled itself and
softened, imprinting on it surface his footprints. Another view suggests that
Ibrâhîm contrived to secure a foothold, so that when he stands upon the stone
he remains stable and does not lose his balance.

All are signs showing that we should accept the duties
Allah enjoins on us and perform them perfectly and lovingly, why? Because
perfection and high fidelity spread the Blessings of Allah in existence; when
you see something done perfectly it will inspire you as well as others to
exclaim in admiration, ‘Allah.’ Certainly, those who do not perfect
their work have deprived existence from the perception of beauty in this world.
Allah, praise be to Him, is the Source of beauty, He, praise be to Him, is
Beautiful, loves beauty.

Whoever
enters it is safe

The Truth, Blessed and Exalted be He, says (what means), “In it are manifest signs (for example), the Maqâm (place)
of Ibrâhim (Abraham); whosoever enters it, he attains security.” (Âl-‘Imrân, 3:
96) Meaning, none should be attacked, which represents a universal
as well as a judicial issue.

Some
skeptics say that during the time of the Qarâmitah [Karmathians. At first this was a
revolutionary deviant movement of early Isma‘ili inspiration, deriving its name
from an Isma‘ili leader called Hamdan Qarmat. There were groups of Qaramitah in
the Syrian Desert, Al-Kufa and Bahrain. Their most audacious and sacrilegious
act, from a theological perspective, was to seize Black Stone from the Ka‘bah,
only returning it some 22 years later] some people entered the House seeking refuge and
asking for security, but in spite of that Ibn Qarmat entered the House and
killed the people therein.

The
incident also recurred years ago from Al-Jahmiyah [A deviant sect attributed to Jahm bin
Safwân], then what is the meant
security and why was not it fulfilled in these two examples?

The Qur’anic verse saying (what means), “Whosoever enters it, he attains security” (Âl-‘Imrân, 3: 96), is an enjoined Divine Command, liable to be
obeyed or disobeyed. Whoever obeys the enjoined Divine Command will grant
security to those who enter the Sacred House of Allah, and whoever disobeys it
will deny granting security to those who enter it. The incident does not contradict
the stated Qur’anic verse because we are confronted with a universal issue that
happened, as well as a judicial one, having to do with obedience and violation.

Just as Allah orders His servants to offer prayers, pay
the Zakâh (obligatory charity) and observe Saum (Fasting),
He orders them to secure whoever enters His Sacred House. It is a judicial
issue, obeyed by those who follow the Law of Allah and disobeyed by those who
violate it. The obeying should guard the safety of those present inside the
Sanctuary just as Allah has ordered, which necessitates that each person should
show leniency; neither quarrels nor argues, nor commits whatever may cause
dissension or provoke conflicts.

“Whosoever enters it, he attains security,” a
command to secure whoever enters it. There is a group assigned to assure the
security of whoever enters the Sacred House of Allah.

But it is not an individual responsibility but a general
one assumed by guards who prevent the spread of chaos, disorder, riot or
propagation of a foreign doctrine inside the Sanctuary. Allah, all praise and
glory be to Him, says regarding the Sacred House (what means):

“And whoever inclines to evil
actions therein or to do wrong (i.e. practise polytheism and leave Islâmic
Monotheism), him We shall cause to taste a painful torment.” (Al-Hajj, 22: 25)

Meaning whoever fights in the Sanctuary must be seized
with a painful torment in the life of this world and in the hereafter. In
worldly life, he must receive the painful torment of being killed not fought.
His surrender is not accepted, but he must be killed for abusing the safety of
the Sanctuary he is obliged to guard and respect as Allah has commanded.
Whereas in the hereafter Allah will punish him with a painful torment that
meets the atrocity of his crime. The Truth, all praise and glory be to Him,
says (what means):

“And (remember) when We made
the House (the Ka‘bah at Makkah) a place of resort for mankind and a
place of safety. And take you (people) the Maqâm (place) of Ibrâhim
(Abraham) [or the stone on which Ibrâhim (Abraham) stood while he was building
the Ka'bah] as a place of prayer (for some of your prayers, e.g. two Rak'at after
the Tawâf of the Ka'bah at Makkah).” (Al-Baqarah, 2: 125)

The House was made a resort; means a place people turn to
as recourse, where they turn to Allah in repentance. As long as the servant
returns to Allah and keeps practicing the Rituals and Laws of Allah throughout
a period of time, his soul will get used to obedience, and when it does he will
continue abiding by it. Back in his country he will shy away from ever sinning.

Among the rituals Allah prescribed in Hajj and ‘Umrah are
matters connected with issues governing the entire universe. After Tawâf [The devotional act
of circumambulating (i.e. walking around) the Ka‘bah seven times while reciting
prayers and supplications. Tawâf should begin and end at the Black Stone]
you perform Sa‘y
[The devotional act of walking seven
times between the knolls of As-Safâ and Al-Marwah, which are located some
distance from the Ka‘bah inside Al-Masjidul-Haram; starting at As-Safâ and
ending at Al-Marwa]. Sa‘y
is done between As-Safâ and Al-Marwah, the two
knolls between which you walk for seven ashwaat [One complete
circuit around the Kabah constitutes a shawt (pl. ashwaat), and seven ashwaat
complete one Tawaf], as in Tawâf.

Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, wants us during the
performance of this ritual to summon in our minds an issue of faith, namely
that Allah has created this universe and made it work through causes. Whoever
adopts the causes of living – whether a believer or a nonbeliever – and masters
them, causes will give him. But at the same time The Almighty wants to invite
our attention that The Originator of causes, glory be to Him, is above all
causes. Allah gives (of His Bounties, Blessings, Favors, Honors, etc.) to
whomever He wills without end. He, glory be to Him, guides you to the causes
and means of obtaining provision; if you succeed in adopting them, they will
give you and if you do not, they will not. But never believe that causes alone
are the givers. You adopt the causes and if Allah wills they will give you,
meanwhile your heart should wholly be with the Creator of the causes.

There is a difference between the Bounties Allah gives through
causes and those directly bestowed. In Hajj Allah draws our attention to that.

He made us perform Sa‘y between As-Safâ
and Al-Marwah to remind us of the story of Hâjar (may Allah be pleased
with her) and her son Ismâ‘îl (Ishmael, peace be upon him), when Ibrâhîm
(Abraham, peace be upon him) brought them to this place wherein there is
neither plant, nor water, nor any means of survival.

In this place bare of survival means, Ibrâhîm (peace be
upon him) left his wife and his infant son to direct our attention to a
principle governing this universe. When Ibrâhîm hurried back Hâjar (may Allah
be pleased with her) laid hold of the reins of his riding animal and said, ‘To
whom are you leaving us?’ but Ibrâhîm did not answer back. Then
Hâjar said, ‘Allah ordered you so?’ and he beckoned to her
affirmatively, so she said, ‘Then He will never leave us be lost.’

That is the first principle of faith: if Allah settled you
in a place, He will never let you be lost, however powerless are all causes and
means to offer you anything.

What did Hâjar do? She submitted to the Decree of Allah
and contented herself with it. Then what happened? Her baby thirsted and she
wanted to water him. She must adopt means and look for a spring, or a well, or
a walking caravan that has water. She must exert utmost effort and ascends Al-Marwah
knoll to get a better view of her surroundings, perhaps she might find a tree,
or a bird, or some people. Hâjar hurried to As-Safâ knoll
but she neither found water nor a trace of life, so she returned again to Al-Marwah
knoll but she found nothing. Then she returned to As-Safâ
then to Al-Marwah and she kept running between them until she repeated
the act seven times, but she found nothing. Her runs between As-Safâ
and Al-Marwah were the utmost effort she could exert and she could do no
more, so she sat beside her infant after her own means ran out, but behold the
little infant’s leg struck the ground and water gushed forth!!

Hâjar adopted the causes but they offered her nothing,
whereas the weak infant struck the ground gently with his little foot and the
water sprouted. If she had found a caravan passing by, or a nearby spring, the
parable would not have been completed.

Allah wanted to have all the acts of that event be
completed to call our attention to this universal issue, that is, if earthly
means ended, do not despair, Allah, praise be to Him, will never abandon you.
He is The Sayer and His Statement is the absolute truth (the Qur’anic verse
that means):

“Is not He (better than your
gods) Who responds to the distressed one, when he calls Him, and Who removes
the evil, and makes you inheritors of the earth, generations after
generations.” (An-Naml, 27: 62)

This serves to strengthen the believer and make him never
lose hope, because he has a Mighty Support to shelter himself under, but the
nonbeliever – Allah forbid – when he despairs, he commits suicide. When the
believer despairs, he knows for sure that he has with him the Lord Who will
never abandon him. Every pilgrim returns having this principle settled in his
heart: the parable of Hâjar and her infant son Ismâ‘îl, causes and The
Originator of causes, so a believer receives all the hardships of life firmly,
resolutely and hopefully.

Truly, Allah loves from amongst His servants the trusting,
who would never let go the Hand of Allah stretched out to him with means and
causes. Whenever they fail to give, The Lord of all means and causes surely
will.

Free
choice and specific enjoined duties

We have to pay attention that in Hajj man steps outside
the scope of general free choice to that of specific enjoined duties, so he
cannot overpass any of the places The Legislator has specified to him without
being in a state of Ihrâm [The sacred state of practicing great
self-denial into which a Muslim must enter before performing Hajj or ‘Umrah,
during which certain actions are forbidden (like having conjugal relations,
shaving, cutting one’s nails, and several other actions) nor commit sin, nor
dispute unjustly. In this sacred state the dress of Muslim pilgrims consists of
two lengths of white cotton, one wrapped around the loins, the other thrown
over the left shoulder. Ihrâm clothes for women should fully cover the body
except the face, hands and feet.] The essence of Ihrâm
is the abandonment of vain choices to an abidance by the faith commitments
dictated by Allah.

For instance, there is the Mîqat [The place where
pilgrims declare their intentions to perform Hajj or ‘Umrah and assume the
state of Ihrâm], which
is the place separating between the sacred precincts of Mecca and the land
outside them. Outside the Mîqat you are not governed by special rules
that restrict your movement, but inside it you are within the sacred precincts,
which you cannot enter except in a state of Ihrâm.

In the Hajj man submits to new enjoined duties. A fact
arousing wonder is that the locations of the Mîqat are not geometrically
specified in a way that makes their dimensions equally separated from the
Ka‘bah. The distance of the Mîqat for the people of Hejaz, wherein is
the Sacred House, is the longest among all Mîqats. Whoever enters from
Medina to perform Hajj must assume Ihrâm from the location called
Abar ‘Ali. The distance from Abar ‘Ali to Mecca is 450 km. On the
other hand, the Mîqat of Râbigh is 204 km, Al-Juhfa
187 km, Al-Irâq 94 km and Yalamlam 54 km.

Therefore, the specification of the Mîqats is not a
geometrical process for you to learn that it is not a matter of calculations but
a matter that wholly submits to the absolute dispensation of the Divine Will.
It is hard for the mind to grasp the wisdom behind the enjoined duties. For
instance, we perform Wudu’ (Ablution) to offer Salah (Prayers).
Some people believe that Wudu’ is cleanliness or purity. To them we say
it is not a matter of cleanliness or purity, because in case you do not find
water you perform Tayammum [To put or strike lightly the hands over clean earth and then
pass the palm of each on the back of the other, blow off the dust and then pass
them on the face. This is performed instead of Wudu’ (ablution) in the absence
of water or when one is unable to use water because of illness] with
clean dust. So, do not judge that Wudu’ is cleanliness because Allah,
all praise and glory be to Him, has a wisdom we are ignorant of.

If we step inside the Mîqat we move from the place
of choice to that of abidance, where we no longer wear sewn clothes, perfumes,
neither shave our beards nor heads, nor dispute. All these commands are
addressed to those who have crossed the Mîqat. Whoever has
crossed it, has committed himself.

Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, The Enjoiner, has
prescribed a special conduct for the pilgrim. You are the one who engaged
yourself in these enjoined duties, which constitutes a practice on
self-restraint and the choice you made to win the Good Pleasure of Allah. In
return, Allah bestows on you endless forgiveness and grace, especially if you
approached the Hajj rituals out of faith; meaning that you do not first ask for
knowledge of the wisdom behind every deed enjoined on you, but you perform the
deed because it is simply enjoined by Allah. If performed, it would fill your
heart with tranquility, relief and contentment. That is the difference between the
duty imposed by humans on humans and the duty imposed by The Truth on His
creatures.

If a compeer assigned to you a duty, you would wonder why
should I do that thing? But with Allah, you receive the assigned duty with the
obedience that tantamount to your trust in His Knowledge and your love to Him.
You do not ask why should I do that? But rather you ask if Allah is the One Who
judged so. For Allah wants nothing for us but goodness and decree nothing but
good. Goodness, the more your reasoning power was incapable to grasp it, the
greater and grander it is, because goodness in that case surpasses your power
of comprehending it.

When Allah, be ever gloried His Majesty and Might,
addresses His creatures, He addresses them not with enjoined duties. Allah does
not say do that and do not do that, but says, ‘O mankind believe,’ and
whosoever believes among them, He enjoins on him duties. Therefore, you find
every enjoined duty in the Noble Qur’an preceded with His Statement (that
means), ‘O you who believe.’ For as long as you have engaged
yourself in a faith commitment with Allah, you have believed that to Allah
belongs the attributes of absolute perfection, enfolding endless ideals. If you
received a command of faith that you do not understand but you honored it and
performed it, it would inspire relief in your heart and serenity in your soul
and you would find your willingness to obey The Almighty overwhelms your whole
being. Addressing judgments to the believers and their performing them is an
acknowledgement of your belief in The All-Wise God, Who orders you with nothing
but brings you absolute prosperity.

Faculties in the soul that we know and others we do not
respond to the Law of Allah. The Most Exalted legislates based on the realties
He alone sees. Nothing whatsoever escapes His Knowledge, and you never have a
whole picture.

A vivid example of compliance is Abu Bakr (may Allah be
pleased with him), after the return of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless
him and grant him peace) from the miracle of Al-Isrâ’ (the Night Journey) [The miraculous
night journey during which the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace, was taken from Al-Masjid Al-Harâm (at Mecca) to the farthest masjid (in
Jerusalem)] and Al-Mi‘râj  (the Ascension to Heaven) [The miraculous ascension of the Prophet,
may Allah bless him and grant him peace, from Jerusalem to the Heavens to meet
his Lord]. On
hearing about the journey of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and
grant him peace) to Baitul-Maqdas (Jerusalem) and his ascension to the
seventh heaven people disagreed and listeners wavered between a believer and a
belier, but what did Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) say? Did he
discuss the matter? Did he subject it to his reasoning power?

And discussed it as the nonbelievers who said to the
Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), ‘Claim you
that you reached it in a night and we mount on camels back for a month to reach
there.’

They reckoned it materialistically, though they are unseen
matters unsubjected to such sort of estimations.

Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) did not pursue
that manner of judgment, he simply said, ‘If he said so, he has told the
truth.’ He priorly ranked truth for being told by the Messenger of
Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), and did not base it on the
credibility of the story. Abu Bakr said, ‘If I believe him in the news
coming to him from heaven, will not I believe him that he moved from Mecca to
Baitul-Maqdas (Jerusalem) and returned in a night?’

Also Al-Fârûq [The one who distinguishes truth from falsehood] ‘Umar bin Al-Khattâb
(may Allah be pleased with him), on seeing people kissing the Black Stone, a
matter that bewilders the minds, what did he say? He said, ‘By Allah, I
know that you are a stone that neither harms nor avails and had I not seen the
Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) kissing you I
would not have kissed you.’  This is
absolute submission. He does not measure the judicial matters by rational standards
but receive them by the Command of The Legislator, Allah, all praise and glory
be to Him.

Among the rituals that cause the mind to pause
meditatively for long is ‘Arafât. That is the topic we shall discuss in
the next chapter.