Sembreak Series: part 1 of unknown number of parts yet.
October
26, 2013
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| Brothers and Sisters listening to the lectures |
After
some months of absence, finally Alhamdulillah, I was able to attend this
month’s SOULidarity conducted by the Nur Factory last October 26, 2013 at Balay
Kalinaw in UP Diliman. This month’s theme is “The Sacred Journey”, and the
lectures and discussions we had were about Hajj and the sacrifices that Muslims
had done and should be willing to do for Allah’s sake. (To know more about Nur
Factory and SOULidarity, read the last paragraph of this post >_0)
Hajj,
or the Pilgrimage to Makkah (Mecca), is the fifth pillar of Islam. It is the
journey of visiting the Holy place of Makkah and conduct certain religious
practices throughout the whole month of Dhul Hijjah (the 12th and
last month of the Hijra Islamic Calendar). It is also one of the important
pillars of Islam that is considered done “by one’s capacity”, that is: a Muslim
is not fully obliged to do Hajj if he is not capable, financially, physically
and emotionally. Simply having the intention of going to Makkah to perform Hajj
will suffice for those who cannot afford (But not even having the intention is
already a low form of iyman/faith!).
Funny
as it may seem, but in reality only a few of the whole Muslim population
(especially here in the Philippines) knows what Hajj really is: Its history,
the rites and ceremonies done while in Hajj,the whole processes of completing
the Hajj and the great importance the pilgrimage itself in one’s own completion
of his or her deen (religion). We
only know that it happens once a year, that we slaughter goats and cows during Eidul Adha; that our relatives going to Makkah would come home with bags
full of dates and praying mats and praying beads (Tasbih) and will have a new
name and added tag “Apah Hajji” or “Babu’ Hadja”. Only a few who are really studying in Islamic
schools, and those who are actually going to Hajj would learn what Hajj really
is. And Alhamdulillah, through the 10th Soulidarity by Nur Factory,
I have learned something about Hajj and its importance in Islam and the whole
Muslim Ummah as a whole.
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| Broterh Mustafa Samur sharing the beautiful story of Hajj |
The
Session started with meeting new friends and introducing to new brothers and
sisters in Islam attending the session. Then the proper lecture about the
beginning of Hajj was prepared by Brother Mustafa Samur' a Turkish brother whom I
have met years before and have been a dear friend to me (and to all of us who
knew him :) The Story of Hajj started from the very beginning of creation of
the Ka’ba by Prophet Adam (Alayhis
Salaam) as the first house in this world, then by the reconstruction of it by
Prophet Ibrahim and
Prophet Ismail (
Alayhimus Salaam), and finally the third
and final rebuilding by Abdulmuttalib, the grandfather of our dear Prophet Muhammad (
SallaAllahu Alayhi wa Sallam). The stories about the sacrifices of
Prophet Ibrahim (AS), his wife Sitti Hajar and their unmoved submission to
their Lord’s commands composed most of the whole processes done in Hajj. I
cannot share all the stories here about Hajj for I am not worthy to share
something so important. Pls do visit Islamic websites and read along about Hajj
and its history.
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| Me and brothers Ayan and Mustafa |
The
second part of the SOULidarity is wherein a brother and a sister share their
experience during Umra (the lesser hajj) and Hajj itself to the group. Both of
them related the unique experiences they had while on the sacred journey. The
great learning of how to be more patient and discipline; The principle of
understanding and being sensitive to other people’s needs; to be flexible and
adapt to an utmost different environment (imagine sleeping in a dessert for a
night or two!). And most importantly, the experience their own urge for change,
to become a better Muslim, to throw away all the negatives and evil self one
may have and lastly the overwhelming experience of Allah’s forgiveness and love
to his servants was what made them almost teary-eyed. Even us listeners were
silent throughout their sharing; we who had never been to Makkah to do the
pilgrimage, even felt that invigorating feeling they felt. And as every minute
passed by with us listening to them, our yearning to go to Makkah ourselves
grew more and more strong. It was indeed a once-in-a-lifetime journey that they
more than willing to do again if given another chance. It was like being reborn
like a new born baby without any sins and burdens on your shoulder. It was a
feeling of bliss and peacefulness in this world full of sorrows and
dissatisfaction.
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| Brother Mustafa (the other Mustafa) shares his Umrah Story |
MashaAllah,
how come we dream and prayed that we can visit other famous tourist attractions
like Singapore or Paris or even Boracay and Palawan’s Underground River, and
yet we had never even asked Allah to give us the chance to visit Makkah on
Hajj? It was something each and every Muslim should reflect on. Maybe we are
not yet capable of performing Hajj due to our own financial problems or our
current social attachments and responsibilities. But we should never cease to
pray and pray, to have the intention to in shaa Allah to perform Hajj someday,
and to take actions step by step until we reach that day that we see the great
Masjidul Haram right in front of us, with our tears flowing with love. And we
see different faces of Muslims from different palces around the world, with
different skin colors and different status in their community (be them a prime
Minister or a mere fish vendor), praying at the same time, bowing their heads
and prostrating and asking forgiveness and Mercy from their Creator, Allahu
Azza wa Jal.
MashaAllah!
Yaa Allah grant us the chance to perform Hajj while we are still young and free
of too much burden and responsibilities that prevent us from doing this great
act of worship.
Ameen.
(let
us all have the intention to perform Hajj even once in our life in shaa Allah?
Let us do it while we are still young :) Bismillah!)
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| The Nur Factory Brothers with Abdul-Aziz "Robin" Padilla. Yup, My Camera actually betrayed me and took only a third of my face (on the farthest right hehe) |
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| The Nur Factory Sisters |
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| Brother Abdul-Aziz "Robin" Padilla came as a guest and talked about his last visit to Zamboanga and teh importance of unity among Muslim brothers and sisters as one Ummah. |
Alhamdulillah,
I was indeed thankful to Nur Factory for conducting this SOULidarity session.
The Nur Factory is a group of young Muslims hroughout Metro Manila aiming at
sharing the great light (“Nur”) of Islam to both Muslims and Nonmuslims alike.
The SOULidarity Sessions are monthly sessions conducted by Nur Factory focusing
on important topics on Islam and the Muslim Brotherhood, promoting a better and
more productive way of becoming Muslims in our daily walks of life. You can
join these sessions conducted every last Saturdays of the month. Even
NonMuslims are free to attend. PM me on Facebook and I can redirect or refer
you to them in shaa Allah.
Salam
kasilasa
-Anak
Iluh
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