Pilgrimage to the Kaaba is one of the five pillars of the Islamic religion. It is a right of Allah upon those Muslims who possess the means to visit the Kaaba, the cubic building in Mecca. Turkish Muslims believe that hajj, the pilgrimage, is not only a responsibility but also a grace. It is a grace in the sense that no one has ever visited the Kaaba without an invitation. The invitation comes from the place of Abraham, where the patriarch stood about 4,000 years ago and invited the people of faith in one God to visit the House Abraham and his son Ismail/Ishmael built for Allah.
In my humble perception, every one visits God and the Kaaba s/he has in the heart. On the outside it is a geographical trip, but in its inner meaning it goes far beyond this; it is a trip to the deepest of the deep; to Allah, who has his throne in the heart of man.
It is customary to ask relatives and friends to prepare a list of prayers to be recited at the first sight of the Kaaba. The building itself is a simple one. But the aura of faith and prayer that surrounds it, the belief that angels join the circumambulation of the people, makes it a place where prayers are accepted.
Still not able to believe that I have also received Abraham’s invitation, I am writing these lines hours before a flight to Jeddah to join 3 million believers from all over the world in their hajj. I, too, have asked my friends and relatives what kind of prayers and supplications they would like me to recite for them.
Human beings have similar expectations all over the world; a good husband, better financial means, good scores on university entrance exams and relief from illness -- both material and spiritual. But no! The most common prayer “ordered” is that they might also, one day, visit the tomb of the Prophet of Islam; and that they might also become guests of Allah.
Turkish people love their Prophet. They love him to the point that they sent him greetings as if he is alive and will respond. “Tell my dear prophet,” my aunt told me. “That though I am not worthy of standing in front of him, I am still waiting for him to accept me.”
I have never been to Mecca before. My readings taught me that this one is a tough duty. The Quran names the pilgrims, the guests of Allah, the King. The fact that I am the guest of the King of Saudi Arabia decreases to the level of meaninglessness in the face of this fact. Everybody is the guest of the King of Kings there. And indeed, being the guest of Allah is tough on its own. We all know that visiting the residences of certain personalities with apparent prestige and might in this world is not an easy task. It is entirely thus: Being the guest of Allah -- Who hears all pronounced and unpronounced sounds, Who is aware of all the secret desires of the heart, the fears we have in the deepest parts of our consciousness -- is not easy at all.
Hajj is a gathering of Muslims from all over the world. Some load this fact with political meaning; I prefer a social one. There, an individual Muslim becomes aware that s/he is a part of a magnificent family, with members of different colors, different tempers, different languages. There, a single Muslim realizes that he/she is not a single being. There, a Muslim of the East understand the hardships of being a Muslim of the West; there, the sounds of the Palestinians, the Iraqis, of all the suppressed nations of the world, is heard without any discrimination.
I am certain that this is going to be a crossroads experience for me. Being a member of the Turkish Muslim community, I feel myself a delegate called to a general assembly. There I am the representative of the Turkish people; and from there I will try to bring back to you, Muslim and non-Muslim, the news from the assembly.
I ask you, whoever believes in the power of prayer, to join me and ask God that I shall be successful in this mission. --(Today's Zaman, 10 Dec 07)
In my humble perception, every one visits God and the Kaaba s/he has in the heart. On the outside it is a geographical trip, but in its inner meaning it goes far beyond this; it is a trip to the deepest of the deep; to Allah, who has his throne in the heart of man.
It is customary to ask relatives and friends to prepare a list of prayers to be recited at the first sight of the Kaaba. The building itself is a simple one. But the aura of faith and prayer that surrounds it, the belief that angels join the circumambulation of the people, makes it a place where prayers are accepted.
Still not able to believe that I have also received Abraham’s invitation, I am writing these lines hours before a flight to Jeddah to join 3 million believers from all over the world in their hajj. I, too, have asked my friends and relatives what kind of prayers and supplications they would like me to recite for them.
Human beings have similar expectations all over the world; a good husband, better financial means, good scores on university entrance exams and relief from illness -- both material and spiritual. But no! The most common prayer “ordered” is that they might also, one day, visit the tomb of the Prophet of Islam; and that they might also become guests of Allah.
Turkish people love their Prophet. They love him to the point that they sent him greetings as if he is alive and will respond. “Tell my dear prophet,” my aunt told me. “That though I am not worthy of standing in front of him, I am still waiting for him to accept me.”
I have never been to Mecca before. My readings taught me that this one is a tough duty. The Quran names the pilgrims, the guests of Allah, the King. The fact that I am the guest of the King of Saudi Arabia decreases to the level of meaninglessness in the face of this fact. Everybody is the guest of the King of Kings there. And indeed, being the guest of Allah is tough on its own. We all know that visiting the residences of certain personalities with apparent prestige and might in this world is not an easy task. It is entirely thus: Being the guest of Allah -- Who hears all pronounced and unpronounced sounds, Who is aware of all the secret desires of the heart, the fears we have in the deepest parts of our consciousness -- is not easy at all.
Hajj is a gathering of Muslims from all over the world. Some load this fact with political meaning; I prefer a social one. There, an individual Muslim becomes aware that s/he is a part of a magnificent family, with members of different colors, different tempers, different languages. There, a single Muslim realizes that he/she is not a single being. There, a Muslim of the East understand the hardships of being a Muslim of the West; there, the sounds of the Palestinians, the Iraqis, of all the suppressed nations of the world, is heard without any discrimination.
I am certain that this is going to be a crossroads experience for me. Being a member of the Turkish Muslim community, I feel myself a delegate called to a general assembly. There I am the representative of the Turkish people; and from there I will try to bring back to you, Muslim and non-Muslim, the news from the assembly.
I ask you, whoever believes in the power of prayer, to join me and ask God that I shall be successful in this mission. --(Today's Zaman, 10 Dec 07)
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