The Hajj
In the Name of the One Reality Longing for Union and Overflowing with Boundless Compassion and Love
Dearest Companions, Peace to your hearts.
Shaykh Nur sings:
Pilgrims circling the earthly Kaaba, Hayy Hayy Ya Allah.
Angels circling the heavenly Kaaba, Hayy Hayy Ya Allah.
Attributes circling the Essence of Allah, Hayy Hayy YaAllah.
Essence is circling the Essence of the Essence, Hayy Hayy Ya Allah.
The first Hajjis to the holy land of the Kaaba were Adam and Eve, who were seeking each other after being manifested in the earthly realm. It is related that the heavenly Kaaba also manifested on earth at this time together with them. The Hajj that the pilgrims undertake today is filled with their longing, their seeking and their weeping. The Hajj also adheres to the steps of our Mother Hajja and her son Ishmael, who were brought to the holy land by Divine command to the beloved Abraham, peace be upon them all. It is a beautiful level of spiritual fulfillment if we can once in our lifetime undertake the pilgrimage to the blessed sites to circumambulate the mystic Kaaba and visit the fragrant tomb of our beloved Prophet Muhammad, may he be showered in sublime peace. A pilgrimage like this is like no other journey on earth.
But what is the inner Hajj, our personal Hajj?
That Hajj is our life’s journey, from the moment Allah commanded “Be.” That Hajj will never end. It is our on-going pilgrimage to Allah, in Allah, with Allah. It is the pilgrimage from non-being to being and from the Essence to the Name. And then it is the journey of return from the Names to the One Named, the leap from the Attributes to the Essence. In lightning flashes, in breaths, in blinks of the eye. It is the journey, in laughter and weeping, with pilgrim companions and with friends of the heart, thru all seven levels of being back to the Source of Being.
Although the journey began before we came to this earth it is with the earth journey that we are now involved. Everything is here for us. We are complete. It is only that we must realize our completeness to become fulfilled. It is here that we are enjoined to manifest the great beauty and love of Allah in ourselves and to see it in others and in creation. To come to realize this we need to grasp the lifeline which the Beloved has placed in the hearts of the Messengers and the Friends. We must grab onto this lifeline to complete our earthly Hajj successfully – and the Tariqat is this lifeline. For this is the realm where the Prophets, the Mothers and Friends appear as guides. This is the realm where Divine teachings and exhortations to our souls take on utmost importance for our well-being. It is here that the Divine love song of the One Who is known by all the beautiful Names is heard by the lovers. It is here that the Source calls back all beings to Herself. It is here that we become conscious again after our spirit was veiled in seven levels of ‘darkness’. It is here that we begin the journey back to awareness of Allah, although Allah was never absent, was always closer to us than our own life vein. It is here that we discover the jewel of DivineLightLove inside our self. It is here that we come to know our own heart as the true Kaaba. It is here that we recognize Allah’s desire and intention for divine union while we are still in bodily form. It is here that we form our own sincere intentions, it is here that we make commitment and sacrifices. It is here that we undertake the conscious pilgrimage of return to our Source.
Together with beloved Nur may we sing, “Every step is a path to Allah, each life an open door, beloved.”
May we join our hearts with the pilgrims who are gathering in the holy shrines of Mecca, Arafat and Medina. And may we join our hearts with all those on the conscious Hajj of return into the Source of Love.
Heart in heart back to the Source, heart in heart in the Source of Love