Obedience to Allah is major philosophy of Hajj

Hojjat-ol-Islam Abdolhossein Khosropanah, an academic and researcher of Islamic sciences termed obedience to Allah as the major philosophy of hajj.

Speaking on the philosophy of hajj, Khosropanah said the general philosophy of hajj is to obey and worship Allah. When Muslims perform hajj rituals including the Tawaf or circumambulation around the Kaaba, walking between Safa and Marwa, wearing Ihram hajj costume and such like, they show their humility and obedience to the Almighty. Humble and obedient servants are more successful in complying with God’s instruction.

He went on to say that hajj has underlying philosophies. For instance, one of the reasons for staying in Mina and Arafat is to reflect on the bounty and blessings of Allah. It is a good chance to pray and talk to Allah in private. During the stay, one can know his self and this is a prerequisite to gain knowledge on Allah.

“One of the hidden aspects of stoning the symbol of Satan as a hajj rite is to fight Satan resistance against his temptations,” said Khosropanah adding that when hajj pilgrims practice this ritual, they in fact keep away from the Devil and turn their backs to it.

Elaborating on Safa and Marwa, the cleric said the one who first jogged between Mount Safa and Mount Marwa was Hagar, the wife of the Prophet Abraham. “When her infant son Ishmael was overcome by thirst, she started to run around in quest of water but her efforts apparently proved futile. At this point a spring bubbled up under Ishmael feet. This story teaches us that we can not meet our needs or reach our goals only through our efforts, but we must put our trust in God and request his needs from Him.”

Khosropanah urged all Muslims to focus on hajj only while they are on the spiritual journey and not to waste their valuable time on worldly matters.