Taped on: 1998

Title: HAJJ

Speaker: Imam Yahia Abdul Rahman Ph.D.

Location:

     The Hajj pilgrimage is the great journey a Muslim embarks upon at least once in their lifetime. With insight and passion, Dr. Yahia Abdul Rahman explores the virtues of this pillar of the Islamic faith, as he draws upon some of the following topics:

• Praising God (Allah), our Glorious Creator and Merciful Sustainer.

• Through this physical journey of the Hajj pilgrimage, the greatest of spiritual rewards are promised, marking the transformation of the devout believer on many different levels.

• Reflect on how the process of Hajj has laid the basis for the equality of humankind as prescribed by God (Allah). No religious pilgrimage on earth sees millions converge every year at a single point as the Muslims have since the Hajj became a commanded rite. Leaving behind their homelands and earthly possessions to declare their faith in the One God (Allah), the believer stands and bows shoulder to shoulder with their brothers and sisters from every region on earth. They are united beyond ethic and national boundaries, unified by their belief in the One and Only God (Allah) and the Message given to all the blessed Messengers of God, and finalized by the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.

• This journey of a lifetime cannot be fulfilled without important worldly concerns being addressed. Among them: mending our differences and misunderstandings with others, and paying our debts. These function to remove emotional and financial burdens from ourselves, as well as loved ones who might be forced to take them on in our absence. Hajj prepares the faithful for the inevitable end of this life and the eventual transition into the next.

• The search for meaning represents a challenge posed to mankind since our origins. Among the Prophets of God (Allah), recall the struggle of the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) (a). So profound was his personal quest for truth that God (Allah) rewarded him with revelation (wahi) and commanded both he and his, Ismael (a), to build the first house devoted to worship of the One and Only God.