This year again the biggest concentration of humanity in Mecca is submitting itself to God  asking for His  blessings. People gathered there shout ‘Labbayk Allah Huma Labbayk’ (Here I am, O God, here I am) in unison, however, they are not able to shun their individuality  because what follows rituals is nothing but a regular indulgence in things of personal effect oblivious of the world around them.

 Once rituals are over everyone is eager to return to his/her homeland basking in the glory of repentance and deliverance. Immediately he/she is engrossed in all the  concerns, troubles, issues that were left behind and now come in the fore with all their gravity to take over the ‘repentant.’  

If Hajj is considered as only a set of rituals  then we, surely, have lost its purpose.

Hajj is an act of prayer that combines both ‘words and actions.’ In prayers such as praising Allah, the recitation of the Quran or the recitation of certain Suras and phrases are recited while offering prayers and saying ‘Labbayk Allah Huma Labbayk’ during Hajj, we use words to pray.

Our acts of standing, bowing and prostration in prayers are movements that entail ritual significance as acts of prayers. Both rituals and locomotive aspects of prayer lead to spiritual aggrandizement in the presence of God which finally culminates into Understanding that can be unique and personal in nature. However, individualism in prayer is never the intent and purpose of Islamic ideals .

Social, cultural, ethnic and linguistic effect of most Islamic rituals, being congregational in nature,  is unifying. As the focus of all such gatherings is ‘the Unity of God,’’ individualism always dissipates to make room for new identity that is overreaching, self-abnegating and compassionate.

At the time of Hajj such acts as standing, bowing, prostrating in prayers, circumambulation of Kaba, stay at Arafat, Mina, Muzdalfah etc.   have significant amalgamation of words and actions to submit to the will of God.

Hajj being culmination of all prayers in Islam condones individuality. A Muslim going on Hajj must divorce himself/herself from all worldly, personal and myopic attachments and submit him/herself fully to God in congregation of others who have also divorced their individuality and submitted to ‘the Unity of God.’ Individualism dissipates into a celestial experience whose significance can never be overestimated.

The nation that emerges from such experience has unity of purpose, is futuristic, lively and enlightened nation giving impetus to progressive human civilization.

If it is not happening then we must have misunderstood the purpose of Hajj. Hajj is a symbol of human unity and dignity. It entails humanity’s unitarianresponse to ‘the Call of God.’ Abnegating individualism in unison with others around him in the same white garb shouting ‘Labbayk Allah Huma Labbayk,’  he/she is declaring ‘I submit myself completely to the Unity of Purpose.’

God’s purpose is humane. After Hajj we transcend our own-self and reach out to humanity around us. If we return from Hajj content, basking in self-satisfying glory of deliverance, oblivious of humanity around us, then we may have missed the point.

However, this cannot happen automatically. Nothing happens without reasons. God Almighty in the Quran says, ‘Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves.’ 13:11 The organizers of Hajj must prepare humanity for this change by conducting seminars, delivering lectures, showing movies on this theme and facilitating Islamic scholars from the lands of Islam to meet freely with each other and discuss issues faced with Ummah.  However, they’ll first themselves have to rise above the myopic considerations of Wahabism.  

One cannot discount the fact that the Government of Saudi Arab is rendering invaluable services to Ummah by arranging for such a large number of Muslims across the globe to perform Hajj peacefully. At the same time, however, there is yet another greater responsibility laid on it to exploit fully the spirit of Hajj for aggrandizing the stature, strength and dignity of Ummah through Hajj.

Muslims come and display a great show of Muslim brotherhood, unity of the Ummah, and discipline. Only these energies are to be channeled and given voice. Especially, in the present times when Ummah is facing challenges of unknown magnitude, we need to look at Hajj not only as a body of rituals but as an institution sustaining both power and virility as well as spirituality to Muslim Ummah.