Hajj is Journey

Hajj is a blessed journey. This journey is not a journey that a person takes from one's hometown to the city of Mecca, but rather a journey in one's spiritual universe that stretches on a line from the past to the present and from the present to the future. It is a journey of tending towards Allah (swt) and a journey of spiritual rise. Hajj is a journey that ends with jannah. According to Prophet Muhammad (saw),  “The reward of Hajj Mabrur (the one accepted by Allah) is nothing except Paradise.” (Bukhari, Umrah, 1)

First of all, hajj is about servant's tending to his Lord with the consciousness of "coming from Allah (swt) and returning to Him” (Baqarah, 2/156) and setting off on journey only because it is His order and only to gain His contentment.  Ka’bah is a symbol. The real purpose is to reach the owner of the Ka’bah. Hajj is the reunion of the lover and the beloved one. For a believer to visit the house of Allah (swt) with the love of Allah (swt) is the highest privilege and the most beautiful expression of surrender. On the other hand, it is the greatest honor to be considered as "the guest of the most Merciful". 

Hajj is also a journey to the realm of the heart. A servant living in a material world tends towards exploring the meaning beyond the material, recognizing the spirit clad in the body and reaching the essence of humanity with hajj. He recognizes  that such things as property, position or reputation are temporary and his primary duty is to serve Allah (swt).

Hajj is a journey to the history. In this holy town, a believer remembers and thinks of the blessed memories of Prophets from Adam to Ibrahim, Ismael to Prophet Muhammad (saw). On the one side, he expresses the joy of being in the land that witnessed the birth of Islam and the revelation of the Qur’an, on the other side he also feels in his heart the sorrow and suffering of the companions faced for the sake of their beliefs.

Hajj is a journey to the Hereafter. Believers covered by ihram garments comprehend the meaning of the death at Ka’bah before they die. At Arafat, Muzdalifah and Mina, they experience the rehearsal of resurrection, hisab (reckoning), and midhan (balance), shortly the mahshar (apocalypse). They get delighted for the joy of judgment before the reality of it, reaching endless mercy and pardon, therefore, gaining the contentment and love of Allah (swt). 

In this way, the hajj turns into a journey of tafakkur (to ponder, thinking on a subject thoroughly) which carries deep meanings and it matures the pilgrim in the sense of belief, practice and morals.