 Not
this year
Here is my message to all would-be
pilgrims to Hajj this year: You do
NOT have my blessing
By Houman Younessi
January 8, 2004
iranian.com
A couple of nights ago, we received a peculiar
telephone call. It was a relative of ours who lives in Iran. The
call was strange
because aside from the fact that the message it contained was inconsistent
with our image of the character of the person, it was also entirely
insincere.
She, a cousin of my wife's, and her husband - an
otherwise rational, reasonable, very well educated professional,
globe trotting,
young couple - had called to ask for our "permission" and "blessing"
before they headed out to a pilgrimage to Mecca!
Now for those readers who might not per chance be
aware, it is a requirement on the would-be pilgrim to Mecca --
within realm
of practicality - to ask for and receive from everyone they
know their blessing (halaali) before they embark on a
trip to Mecca.
I felt that this was what she was doing; ensuring
that her investment
in time and money to go to Mecca was not wasted on a technicality.
Now this was peculiar as they were probably the last couple in
Iran
that I imagined would actually consider such a pilgrimage.
They simply are not the type -- or so we thought at least.
(This in itself is an interesting topic to explore).
What
is more interesting however is the inherent insincerity in
the very
action
we are talking about here. She called to ask for our
halaali two days before they were due to leave. This implies that
passports
were in order, tickets were purchased and all the logistics
in
place before she called. So what if we did not give
them our blessing? Would they have cancelled? Would they have
considered the trip
as haraam which -- technically speaking
- it would be? I am sure there was no such intention
to
cancel; hence my accusation of their insincerity. This was merely
going through
the motions. The spirit of the act was not there.
Being the pain in the neck that I sometimes can
be, and as an exercise, I was very much tempted to refuse them
my blessing
and see how
they would react. But I thought better of it, and despite
my conscious, I came forth. They went on, secured in
the feeling
that they had
received the blessing of all of us over here clear
across the world.
Deep down however, I HAD NOT given them my
blessing. Not
because
they had not observed protocol of first asking for
halaali and
then proceeding to plan the trip; not because I felt
that they were
not Mecca going types; not even because I fundamentally
disagree with the practice; but for a much more --
I think --
fundamental reason.
At the time that several thousand of our compatriots
are battling homelessness, hunger and disease brought
about
by the devastating
Bam earthquake, NO PILGRIMAGE TO MECCA IS LEGITIMATE,
particularly for our fellow Iranians.
Ebaadat bejoz khedmat khalgh neest
Be tasbeeh
o sajjaade o dalgh neest
(Prayer is not about rosary beads, cloaks and a
prayer mat
Serving the people; true prayer is that)
I am not sure exactly how many Iranians are planning
a Hajj pilgrimage this year. Let us say the
figure is 100,000.
Let
us also assume
that it costs on average a mere $3,000 to make
the trip. This represents a total outlay of
$300 million!
This sum
almost doubles
the TOTAL amount of aid estimated to arrive
in and for Bam EVER from all sources. With such
a sum we
can ensure
a future
for
many thousands of victims of the earthquake.
This is true spirituality, this is true "ebaadat",
this
is the
Hajj of
the heart:
Tavaaf e khaaneye del kon ke ka'beh khod sangeest
(Circumambulate the House of the Heart as Ka'bah
is but a rock)
Some might say, "but I have already helped
the Bam victims". My question is: How much?
I say
at the
very minimum and
in order to give your trip any modicum
of legitimacy, you should
have
contributed an equal amount to the relief
cause as you are likely to spend
on the trip. But then again, if you have
done so and you still have as much money to spend
to go
and walk
around
a cubical
structure, throw stones at a worn out pillar
and have innocent animals killed,
why not donate that money too and go to
a real Hajj in the heart? I am sure if there is one,
this is
what god
would
wish you to
do.
This reminds me of the following passage
by the famous poet Araaghi:
Beh tavaaf
ka'beh raftam beh haram raham nadaadand
Keh to dar boroun cheh
kardi ke daroon
e khaaneh aayee?
(To K'abah I went intent on circumambulation;
alas I was denied entry into the domain.
"What did you
do outside the House of God to deserve being permitted inside?"
I
was asked to explain.)
So here is my message to all would-be
pilgrims to Hajj this year: You do
NOT have my blessing
as you
will
not have god's...
no, not this year... Your pilgrimage
this year is "null and void". You
can not POSSIBLY
receive
divine
blessing
when your fellow man is prostrate,
hungry and devastated. No,
not this year...
Author
Houman Younessi is a professor at
a university in New England.
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