We see daily large masses of people flocking for Umrah, the small pilgrimage that brings together thousands of people in the Holy City of Mecca, all year round.
However, when you think of Umrah what flicks to your mind are a few images, the Kaaba, Ihram robes, cutting the nails and hair, the prohibition of using perfume, Zamzam and, of course, Tawaf and Safa Marwa.
However, I am extremely worried that Umrah might lose its true spiritual meaning. It appears that these mechanical rituals are devoid of the true essence of Umrah. We need to review its prospect and perspective.
How many of us understand the nature of the Sharīah and its lofty aims and objectives of those rituals. They have impregnable objectives like tawhīd, the glorification of Allah, submission to Him, demonstrating love, fear, and awe of Him. These objectives are what empowered Muslims to be the most successful nation in this life and the Hereafter.
We come here with a clear focus: to centre God in our life. We make a pledge to live a more conscientious life and care for our fellow human beings as we care for ourselves. Umrah is not only about an individual and but a collective renewal of the faith.
Pilgrimage to the Holy land is a spiritual journey of each and every pilgrim that merges into the journey of the masses. It is the coming together of every nation that makes Umrah so special. It is personal yet collective.
If we look at world history since the advent of the final prophet, Muhammad (saw), we can clearly see that Islam built the greatest civilisation known to humanity, by every objective metric, through personal and collective engagement.
Our Islamic civilisation started with the Prophet, followed by the era of the four rightly guided caliphs, the Ummayid period, Abbasid period, and then the Ottoman period. This constitutes around 85 per cent of Islamic history since the time of the Prophet.
It covered vast swathes of the globe, including the Arabian peninsula, most of al-Sham, Turkey, and Central Asia, South Asia, most of East and North Africa, and many parts of what is today Europe.
Today, the myriad of skyscrapers and construction sites around the holy site have ruined the spiritual aspect of the sanctuary. The ongoing project to extend Masjid al Haram has pushed back all hotels in the vicinity of the mosque, with the exception of Abraj al Bait, visible to the eye from a distance of a good 30 kilometers. It stands overbearingly as pilgrims traverse several kilometers and back for each prayer, five times a day. Mecca, the cradle of Islam, still retains its character as a hub of business and trading activity.
But it is in the same streets now prowling with high rise luxury hotels where the revolutionary message of Islam once dismantled all economic and political hierarchies.
Now, as you step out of Masjid al Haram, you arrive at the side entrance of Abraj al Bait, lined with shopping malls.
The Masjid Al-Haram is an iconic image for millions of Muslims who dream of making the once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage to Mecca, but its silhouette has been drastically altered by the luxury hotel and Clock Tower that now overshadows the religious complex. Every activity has been monetized.
The Abraj Al-Bait Towers loom over the Masjid Al-Haram in an ostentatious show of luxury that stands in stark contrast to the piety and history symbolized by the Kaaba, the cube-shaped structure believed by Muslims to have been originally built by the prophet Abraham A.S and his son Ishmael A.S. However, the religious monument is completely dwarfed by the Al-Bait Towers, with the clock tower holding the title of the world’s second tallest building after Dubai’s Burj Khalifa.
There are several major skyscrapers going up immediately beside the Kaaba. Debates are raging as to if these are appropriate, particularly given many historic sites have been destroyed over the years to make room for such structures. In the past, International outcry broke out after the Saudi government demolished the historic monuments and buildings.
Nonetheless, for the Muslims, Umrah is a way to show their obedience to the Almighty and to seek His forgiveness and it helps to cleanse the soul of sin. Moreover, it brings about spiritual peace and tranquillity, and strengthens one’s faith in Allah…
By Bashir Nuckchady
From Mecca
August 2024
