The Hajj Collection

As we received so much positive feedback for our Ramadan Reader, please find below an assortment of resources that centre on the days of the Hajj and the festival of Eid-ul-Adha. 


Talks and Lectures

Hajj: The Inward Spiral - A sermon exploring the deep significance of the Hajj, with its rites echoing in distant pre-eternity when all souls past present and future stood in witnessing before God.

The Purification of Hajj -  A striking khutba discussing the transformative qualities of yearly festival and ritual, moving beyond mere pageantry to times when our selves can be cleansed and elevated.


Sacrifice and Submission - An Eid-ul-Adha khutba drawing the parallel between the sacrifice that Abraham was commanded to make and the ones we have to make when clearing our lives of those obstacles in our lives barring us from the Divine.

Fathers and Sons and Hud and her Sisters - A pair of sermons that both centre on the House of Abraham, which of course feature so strongly and prominently in the origins and the significance of the Hajj.


Articles
 
Ten Good Manners for Hajj - A translation by the Sheikh from Imam Ghazali's magisterial Ihya ulum ad-Din.

From Drury Lane to Makka - A moving account of the first recorded visit English Muslim to the Holy Sanctuary

Hajj: an inward journey - An article published in Emel magazine, exploring the idea that Hajj is a journey on different planes, the effects of which transcend space and even time.

Thought for the Day transcripts

21st January 2005 - Hajj in full swing

Hajj: the Inward Spiral

Friday sermon (jum'ah khutba) - Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - 12 November 2010 - Cambridge - 20 mins 51 secs

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This sermon, delivered just before Eid al-Adha, reminds us of the deep significance of Hajj. The great annual gathering of pilgrims from all over the world recalls an even greater gathering before time when every human soul bore witness to Allah's Divine Sovereignty: "Bala shahidna!" The outward ritual of journeying to the Noble Sanctuary thus corresponds, with Allah's help, to an inward journey toward remembrance of our true nature and station. The pilgrim's call of "Labbayk Allahumma labbayk!" ("At Your service oh Allah!") echoes the soul's primordial attestation. It is the worldly counterpart to the acknowledgment that He is our Lord, and we are His humble servants. Sheikh Abdal Hakim explains the kissing of the Black Stone in this context, and describes the fundamental tranquility brought about this great journey of remembering and submission. May we all be able, God willing, to journey to Mecca and receive the treasure of inward transformation that is the gift of travelling as humble supplicants to Allah's earthly court.

Image: 'Meccacentric' by Lateefa Spiker. Used with permission.

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Sacrifice & Submission

Eid al-Adha khutba by Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - Cambridge - Eid al-Adha 1429 (8 December 2008) - 15 minutes 56 seconds (6 minutes 40 seconds - Arabic sermon)

This sermon recollects the extraordinary occasion which the Eid commemorates, when Ibrahim (peace be upon him) obeyed the command of God to sacrifice his son Ismail (peace be upon him); when father and son, united in love and respect for each other, were bound even more deeply in obedience to their Lord. The sheikh relates this powerful symbol of sacrifice to the daily struggle that we all undergo to cut out of our lives what may seem most dear to us, but which actually blocks our path back to God. In His Mercy, God did not bring about Ismail's sacrifice because He has ordained that Mercy for Himself first and foremost. Similarly He has given us a defence against the distractions of the human ego, greed and ugly desires, the sword of the sharia by which we ward off the attacks of Shaytan and our hawa (baseless whims). Ultimately what we sacrifice for Him with that sword is no sacrifice at all, but a victory which brings us closer to Him.

[Apologies for the poor sound quality a short way into the English sermon, the microphone in the hall broke - it does come back after about 30 seconds.]

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The Purification of Hajj

Friday sermon (jum'ah khutbah) by Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - Cambridge - December 2007 - 17 mins 05 secs

As millions of Muslims from all over the world make their way toward Mecca for the great pilgrimage (hajj), we have the opportunity to reflect of the meanings and power of this ancient and beautiful ritual. In this sermon, the sheikh reminds us of some of these, in particular its fundamental link to the renewal and reaffirmation of Divine Unity (tawhid). By physically striving to reach God's House, we engage in a deep purification, reorienting ourselves and our societies toward Him and stripping them of the spiritual and physical encrustations of materialism and idolatry in all its forms. Many well-attested sayings of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) attest to the immense mercy and forgiveness granted through this process. The means by which they are effected through the outward and inward journey and practices of the pilgrim are mysterious but profoundly powerful. Thanks to the coincidence of calendars this year, we are also approaching another, sadly diminished festival, Christmas - a strange, materialistic way to celebrate a messenger who was among the very highest in his asceticism. The sheikh closes by asking God to preserve the spirit of tawhid and charity, and not to allow it to become similarly diluted by indulgence and materialism. May God also accept the pilgrimage of all our brothers and sisters who have gone on hajj this year, and make it a means to true rebirth and renewal.

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