Series: Hajj That Does Not Return as It Began (5)
By Prof Dr. Faid Mohammed Said
The real question after Hajj is not: Did I perform the rituals? Rather, it is: Was it accepted? How many people reached Makkah with their bodies, yet did not reach Allah with their hearts? How many pilgrims returned exactly as they had gone, unchanged by the journey, untouched in their depths by those days in which a new spirit was meant to be born? For this reason, the question of acceptance is one of the greatest questions a person must face after Hajj, because it goes beyond outward appearances and relates to the true nature of the relationship between the servant and his Lord.
There is a profound difference between performing an act of worship and having it accepted. A person may perform an action perfectly in its outward form, yet lack its spirit, impact and sincerity. Another deed may appear small in the eyes of people, yet be great before Allah because of sincerity, humility and truthfulness. Islam, therefore, is not a religion of outward motions alone, but a religion of hearts that live behind those motions. For this reason, the righteous predecessors feared the rejection of deeds more than they feared having few deeds, because the matter is not how much you have done, but how much of it has truly reached Allah. Allah Almighty says: “Allah only accepts from the people of taqwa.” [Al-Ma’idah: 27]
The Prophet ﷺ said: “An accepted Hajj has no reward except Paradise.”[1] This great hadith opens a wide door for reflection: what is an accepted Hajj, a Hajj mabroor? It is not merely a Hajj that is valid in its outward rulings, nor simply a journey whose pillars have been completed. Rather, it is a Hajj in which the intention was sincere, the soul was purified, and the person emerged from it different from how he was before responding to the call of Allah.
An accepted Hajj is not recognised by the abundance of photographs, the length of stories, or the number of emotions people describe after returning. Rather, it is recognised by its lasting impact on a person’s life. True Hajj does not end when one leaves Makkah. It begins after that. Therefore, one of the first signs of acceptance is that you see a change in your character and behaviour: that you become calmer and more merciful, less angry, and more truthful with Allah and with people. Hajj should be reflected in your tongue, your dealings and your outlook on life. Hajj is not a passing journey through time, but a process of reshaping the soul.
The Qur’an connects Hajj with moral purification. Allah, the Exalted, says: “Hajj is during well-known months, so whoever has made Hajj obligatory upon himself therein, there is to be no sexual relations, no disobedience, and no arguing during Hajj.” [Al-Baqarah: 197] Hajj, then, is not merely movement between the sacred sites. It is a movement from the chaos of the self to the discipline of the soul, and from harshness of character to purity of heart.
Another sign of an accepted Hajj is continued closeness to Allah after the rituals have ended. The purpose is not for a person to live temporary moments of faith and then return to his old heedlessness. Rather, those days should mark the beginning of a new path. The issue is not simply a tear that fell beside the Ka‘bah, but the state of the heart: did it remain alive after the tears dried? Did the longing for Allah continue after the journey ended?
Among the truest signs is also that a person comes to dislike sin after Hajj, and feels the weight of wrongdoing after having once taken it lightly. When the heart tastes the meaning of nearness to Allah, it no longer feels at ease with distance from Him. A person may not become infallible, but he becomes more ashamed before Allah, and more fearful of losing the light he felt during those blessed days. Allah Almighty says: “And those who are guided, He increases them in guidance and grants them their taqwa.” [Muhammad: 17]
Then comes the sign of humility, which is among the greatest effects of Hajj. True Hajj does not produce religious arrogance, nor does it give a person a sense of superiority over others. Rather, it makes him more aware of his weakness and his neediness before Allah. Whoever stands at ‘Arafah among millions of people, seeing them all in the same garments of ihram, realises that true worth is not found in wealth, position or name, but in the sincerity and purity of the heart. Allah Almighty says: “O mankind, We created you from a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you.” [Al-Hujurat: 13]
An accepted Hajj is also one whose effect is preserved in daily life. A person should carry what he learnt in Makkah into his home, his work, his relationships and his character. The aim is not to return merely with beautiful memories, but to return with a purer heart, a more conscious self, and a soul closer to Allah.
It is not for a person to state with certainty that his deed has been accepted, for that belongs to Allah alone. But it is for him to review himself and ask honestly: if my Hajj were truly accepted, how should I be now? This question may be more truthful than many words and slogans, because it places a person before reality, far from religious courtesy or imaginary self-satisfaction.
The believer always lives between hope and fear. He does not rely on his deeds, no matter how great they may be, and he does not despair because of his shortcomings, no matter how many they may be. He hopes for Allah’s mercy and acceptance, and fears that he may have fallen short, become heedless, or corrupted his deed by what came after it. Allah describes His righteous servants by saying: “And those who give what they give while their hearts are fearful because they will return to their Lord.” [Al-Mu’minun: 60]
An accepted Hajj does not need to be announced, because its effect appears by itself in a person’s character, speech and dealings. It appears in his mercy towards people, in his truthfulness, in his humility and in his closeness to Allah. An accepted Hajj is not a successful journey in the tourist or social sense. It is a person who has changed from within and returned to life with a new spirit.
The question that every pilgrim should carry with him after returning remains: what has remained of Hajj in my heart? For the greatest loss is not that Hajj comes to an end, but that its effect comes to an end.
[1] Reported by al-Bukhari in his Sahih, Book of ‘Umrah, Chapter: The Obligation and Virtue of ‘Umrah, no. 1773; and Muslim in his Sahih, Book of Hajj, Chapter: The Virtue of Hajj, ‘Umrah and the Day of ‘Arafah, no. 1349.
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