Misconceptions on Hajj

The lifestyle in Singapore is very competitive and demanding.  Generally, like any other Singaporeans, the Muslims in Singapore are extremely busy to excell in their career.   To perform Hajj has always been a challenge for many of them, even to those who already have enough saving for the Holy pilgrimage. 

I was a young adult, just turned 21, when I first blurted out expressing my desire to perform Hajj during that time to a group of friends.  They looked at me as if I was a weirdo.   Upon hearing my statement, most of them had advised me that I should put a hold on it until the age of retirement.   Back then, they had the idea that Hajj was for the older and mature Muslims.  According to them, Hajj might deprive chances to advance in career and at a young age, there were too much work obligations hence, retirement age was a perfect age to perform Hajj.  This notion for delaying Hajj pilgrimage is still common today. 

I felt disappointed to hear much discouragement from my friends.  I was unhappy to hear their views.   I thought their perceptions on Hajj were peculiar, especially on the part in which they have the idea that it would be a waste of money, efforts and time to perform Hajj at an early age.   According to them young people should enjoy life full of entertainments, leaving Hajj for their old age, believing that the holy rites of Hajj will automatically wipe out previous sins.  

At that time, in my thoughts why would one, want to perform Hajj at an age when the human body degenerates and might not be physically fit to undertake the rigors journey of Hajj.  I was then recalling the time when my grandaunt performed Hajj with difficulties.  She narrated that she had to engage people to carry her on a wooden chair-like carriage carried by four men on their shoulders during Tawaf due to her feeble legs.  And the worst part was when while performing the Ibadah she needed to go to answer the call of nature frequently due to bladder problem.

One possible reason to have such idea of wanting Hajj for old age is because at retirement age, the human body is unable to enjoy the lifestyle that the young people used to have thus, turning to religion for comfort and Hajj fits in perfectly.  Apart from this, inferiority complex has always been a problem within those with such thoughts.  They often claim that they have not reached the required level to perform Hajj.  According to them Hajj is a difficult Ibadah and need more time to improve themselves in order to achieve a certain level before performing it. 

Indeed, such perception and understanding about Hajj, believing that it is meant only for the older muslims (of which are supposedly according to those with such view, are more mature and learned Muslims), is not right.  Such thinking still manifests in the young minds of today’s generation.  The fact is, older muslims are normally more mature than the younger ones but, they may not be necessarily learned people, particularly in Islamic knowledge. 

Nevertheless, as the youngest among the group, I listened attentively to my friends’ suggestions and swallowed all of them out of courtesy.  However, there was one among them whom her statements simply cannot be forgotten.   I was told by this particular friend that a person who wants to perform Hajj must be able to recite the Qur’an fluently and beautifully.  Upon hearing this, I told myself that it was impossible for me to acquire such capabilities.  Unlike my mother, I do not have a beautiful voice to read out loud the Qur’an with rhythmic recitation.  

Back then, I had little knowledge and understanding about Hajj.  After hearing from my friends about it, I had the idea that Hajj was very difficult to perform with lots of supplications in Arabic to be memorized and felt that I was not ready yet.  I told myself I need to attend classes on Hajj. 

Hajj seems frightening to me too, most probably due to the fact that it being frequently expressed by many that while performing Hajj, one will be punished for all the previous sins.  Indeed I was then very naive and silly to believe such idea.  My mind was thinking of the time I hurt my father’s feelings, a day before his death, which to me it was a great sin and I thought that I would surely be punished in Makkah.  What a fool I was!   

It was from my mother that I learned, one should not wait for old age to perform the fifth pillar of Islam.   My mother performed her first Hajj with her brother in 1984 at the age of 40, utilizing the privilege air ticket given by her employer.  She paid only for the lodging package.  On the day of her departure bound for Makkah, I had wish for Hajj to be ordained to me during my prime time, at the age when my body is physically strong with an alert mind to endure the journey of the Hajj pilgrimage, just like my mother.  Al-Hamdulillah, Almighty Allah had granted my wish.

(The previous posts  pertaining to Hajj were written based on the Hajj/Ummrah courses that I attended, the knowledge gained through extensive reading on Hajj/Ummrah, and my real life experiences performing Ummrah 1997, Ummrah 2000 and Hajj 2005.   I had learned about Hajj from Ustaz Osman bin Jantan, Ustaz M.Salleh bin A.Hamid, Ustaz Shafee and Ustazah Mariam bte Rauf.    All the goodness derives out of these posts are from Allah, and all the errors are from my weakness.)

~ by 2jay on December 19, 2007.