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Chapter VII: Secrets of Pilgrimage

(1) To spend with a cheerful mind. Bear with Pleasure sacrifice of the loss that is caused in the matter of properties or the occurrence of any calamity, because it is a proof of the acceptance of Haj. The troubles and calamities on the way to pilgrimage is like expense in the way of God and the expense of a dirham at that time is equal to the expense of seven hundred dirhams. That is the reward of bearing hardships in the way of Jihad. Nothing is spoiled near God of any trouble which is foreborn and every loss which is sustained. It is said that if one gives up sins and bad company and takes up good company and gives up assembly of useless talks and takes to the assemblies of Zikr, they are the signs of acceptance of Haj.

SIGNIFICANCE OF INTERNAL ACTIONS OF HAJ

KNOWLEDGE: The first thing of Haj is to know everything in connection with Haj. Know. O dear readers, that you will not be able to reach God till you can control your passions and low desires, restrain yourself from all enjoyments and pleasure, make short your necessities and work only for the sake of God. For this reason, the friends of God of yore used to live far away from the localities of men and lived in lonely places in caves of mountains and hills, so that their lovetfor God might be deep. God says about them in the Quran : Because there are hermits and those who renounced the work among them and they are not proud.
When they began to live contrary to it and gave up loneliness for divine service and mixed with the people to fulfill their low desires, God sent the Apostle Muhammad (P. H.) to reawaken the paths of the next world and to call them to the aways of the Prophets. On being questioned by the religious people about the life of a hermit, the Prophet said : God gave us in lieu thereof Jihad and Takbir in every elevated place (Haj). The Prophet said : God gave this gift for this people and made Haj as their monkery, honoured the ancient House as His House fixed it as the object of desire of the people, made its surrounding place pure to show honour to the House, made Arafat an opening space as the precincts of His House and

204 SECRETS OF PILGRIMAGE Vol-I

Source: Imam Al-Ghazali, Ihya Ulum al-Din (Revival of the Islamic Sciences)
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