On the auspicious spiritual occasion of Hajj the pilgrims of God’s house from all over the world are gathered in the land of revelation. Hajj is of course a religious ritual that some prophets also performed before emergence of Islam. Even the polytheists of Makkah used to perform Hajj and circumambulation of the Kaaba before Islam according to their own traditions, some of which were not approved by Islam.
Muslim thinkers have tried to explain the existential philosophy of Hajj by citing Quranic verses and ahadees.
Undoubtedly, “understanding the spirit of monotheism and negation of polytheism” is one of the most important reasons for the formation of the Abrahamic Hajj; but Hajj, in addition to its religious aspect, had a special political importance for the newly formed Islamic government from the time of the Holy Prophet (SAAW). The essential role of Makkah and Medina at the beginning of the publication of heavenly teachings at the forefront of Islam had turned Hajj into a political event.
In describing this dimension of Hajj, we are faced with key phrases such as “the need to know about the affairs of Muslim world”, “knowing of hostility (against Islam) and keeping apart from it”, “the need to explain the facts about the Islamic society “, which in a brief phrase we refer to as “explanatory Hajj”. In this approach, Hajj has a capacity beyond a mere religious ritual. In order to understand the meaning and reality of “explanatory pilgrimage”, there are some points that we need to pay attention to:
First; The Holy Qur’an in verse 28 of Surah Hajj in interpretation of this gathering says: “call people to Hajj…so that they may see their (worldly and hereafter) “benefits”. The word “benefits” in the above verse is plural and has a general meaning that includes all worldly and hereafter benefits. According to this verse, Hajj is an occasion of gathering and communication for Muslims to examine and observe their material and spiritual benefits.
Imam Khomeini in one of his statements regarding the philosophy of Hajj says: “The political point of this gathering is that, the pilgrims should be informed about the issues and affairs of the Muslims, they must understand each other, build brotherhood among themselves, think to keep control of their countries in their own hands, and find solutions for their own problems. If we had performed Hajj with its true spirit, following the mentioned requirements, many troubles that the Muslims have faced till today would not have happened.”
The second point is related to the duties of Iranian pilgrims in explaining the facts about the Islamic Republic of Iran and showing an Iranian equal to the revolution.
The Iranians who are performing the Hajj should be a worthy example of their nation. From this point of view, Hajj is a gathering that provides an opportunity for an Iranian to express the truths regarding the Islamic Republic of Iran and the achievements of the Islamic Revolution.
Imam Khomeini (R.A) in this regard addressing the Iranian pilgrims said: “You are the bearer of the message of a nation that saved a country with its revolution and replaced the archaic imperial regime with an Islamic government, which was going to sink into atheism, corruption and vulgarity due to deep influence of the eastern and western super-powers; you are the representatives of the nation whose Islamic revolution, in a very short period has been able to shake both the Islamic countries and the oppressed people in the east and west of the world with the blessing of Islam and People’s resistance. It succeeded in attracting international community to Islam despite the excruciating difficulties resulting from the confrontation with eastern and western superpowers and the sabotage of terrorists affiliated to these two oppressive factions”.
The last point is related to the unity based on “Oneness of Allah” and availing the opportunity of Hajj to show the brotherhood and solidarity among the Islamic Ummah to disrupt the evil plots of the enemies of Islam.
Imam Khomeini (RA) says in this regard: “O, Muslims of the world and O, followers of the school of monotheism! The root of all the troubles of Islamic countries lies in the lack of Unity and harmony. The secret of victory is rooted in believing in oneness of Allah, keeping the unity and creating harmony.
According to this hypothesis; It is expected that Iranian and non-Iranian pilgrims will convey the message of unity of the “Islamic Ummah” from the land of revelation to the world with the right planning and understanding of the conditions of time and place, and by displaying a “faithful Islamic religious lifestyle”, presenting a worthy image of the Islamic society.
Undoubtedly, such a message will be like water that is poured on the fire of “Islamophobia” at the global and regional level, and it would explain the merciful essence of the real Islam.