Saturday, October 4, 2014

"Hajj is a journey of love" - Shaykh Dr. Muhammad bin Yahya al-Ninowy

Bismillah.


Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah, seeing Shaykh Al-Ninowy on Malaysian TV brought much delight to the heart.

Our beloved Shaykh began his tausiyah saying "I love you all for the sake of Allah" because as narrated in a hadith among the seven groups of people who will be granted a shade from Allah are two people who love each other for the sake of Allah.

Before going on to the main topic of his tausiyah which is about hajj as a journey of love, the shaykh asked: "How is your heart with Allah? is it better than last year, same time? Or is it the same? Are you closer to Allah now than last week, last month? If it's the same, you have a chance now to love Allah with all your heart. He is close to you, but are you close to Him?

Basing his talk on the connection between hajj and love, the Shaykh advised the audience to "take your heart with you when you go for hajj." He kept reiterating the point: "Go to hajj with your heart."

He further said: "Hajj is like a rehlah of mahabbah. Hajj is about tauhid and love. It's about tauhidun mahabbah or love of tauhid or even tauhid of love. And that love is the love of Allah."

Many people love Allah, love the Prophet and love doing ziarah, which is, of course, good according to Shaykh al-Ninowy who stressed the virtues of making salawat to Prophet Muhammad salallah alaihi wasalam who would return our salam with our name and soul.

One who intends to perform hajj should purify the heart with Allah, and ask Him earnestly: "O Allah I really want to go do hajj." If we purify our niyyat, Allah will take us. "If He doesn't take you, He will still reward you," said the shaykh. 

We must keep praying so that Allah will make it easy for us to do hajj. Some people think the media has given plenty of publicity and awareness on hajj and the haramain that their yearning and longing has diminished somewhat. But Shaykh al-Ninowy is of the view that those who rely on the media to feed their longing is like those who only love and have a relationship based on only correspondence and that doesn't work.   

When going for hajj, the shaykh reminds us to "hug the kaabah, visit the Baqi and Prophet Muhammad salallah alaihi wasalam with our soul and heart."

We must pray wholeheartedly so that we get to step on the sands on which the Prophet once stepped on, and that our mouth gets to taste the healing and barakah of zamzam which is the water of love or water of life. Life and love are the same things. Those who do not have love, do not have life. Prophet Ismail alaihi salam drank that water, so we pray: O Allah, permit the mouth to drink that water. O Allah, allow our hearts to be infused with the love of Your House, and the jamal of Prophet Muhammad salallah alaihi wasalam

When we touch the Kaabah we are essentially connecting with all the Prophets, Ismail, Ibrahim, Muhammad right to Adam. When we go back to the House, it's like going back to love.

Shaykh al-Ninowy said people go for hajj for all kinds of reasons, to get shifa' from their illness, to solve a problem, to deal with some kind of difficulties be it economic, political or social. You can go asking for all these but tauhid demands that you go only for Him, only for Allah. You cannot be going for Allah and other things. Having said that, we should still make a petition to Allah for our needs. 

So, go to Allah. Say: I'm going for Allah, to Allah. Say: Ya Allah here I come, I come only for You. Remember the story of Musa who says: I'm running back to you O Allah, so that You are pleased. Therefore, go for hajj to please Allah and to become closer to Him. 


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