Due to the natural course of life, everything in this universe undergoes constant changes. A human being changes from baby to child to adult, the seasons transform from spring, summer, autumn to winter and the planets continuously circulate in their orbits. Everything is in constant motion and change. However sometimes, the hardest thing to change is our inner selves; our bad habits, thoughts and behaviours. We fall into patterns, often locking us into people we might not necessarily want to be. However as Muslims, our number one goal should be to continuously strive for self-refinement, to transform ourselves into human beings that transcend the worldly life and who aim for the pleasure of Allah to reach our final abode of paradise.

There are many aspects of Islam that help to fulfil this aim. One of these is fasting during the month of Ramadan. This helps us to train ourselves to gain greater self-discipline and nearness to Allah whilst disrupting our normal routine. Hajj is another example. It transports you out of your normal existence to be welcomed into the realm of the Divine. You leave the routines and actions that you have been accustomed to in order to bring about real change within your heart and soul that is supposed to remain with you when you return. It should leave a lasting imprint on your soul to transform, even if only a little bit of you. In fact, the real work of Hajj begins after you leave, when you implement the lessons you learnt into your daily life, as Sayyed Muhammad Hussain Fadlallah explains:

“To embark on Hajj means to start hajj after hajj is over, that you make a pilgrimage to Allah in all the spheres of life. For in our lives, there are many places of tawaf, and many places of sa’i, and many places of battles with the Shaytan, and there are many arafats, and mash’ar al-harams, and minas, for these rites of hajj encompass all of life.”

A hajji (the person who performs Hajj) is not a hajji if he or she returns just as they were when they left. No more is this highlighted than when the pilgrim becomes in the state of Ihram. Ihram is described as a state of disciplined abstinence where one abstains from things that are normally allowed to gain closeness to Allah. The aim is to remove yourself and your ego from everything that’s material. It’s not just about clothing but is an entire state of being.

Ihram must be done at a place called Miqat before one enters Mecca and is one of the first steps of Hajj. It involves performing a ghusul called ghusul-ul-ihram where one washes their body with the intention of purifying themselves for the sake of Allah, both internally and externally. After ghusul, the pilgrim renounces his ordinary clothes in exchange for two pieces of seamless white cloths (women are allowed to wear sewn clothing to ensure their comfort and modesty).

Ihram encompasses many meanings, but overall, it is to let go of your ego, your past, your bad habits and to -at least for a short time- exist as a seamless part of the universe; no longer distinguishable and identifiable, just like the cloths on your body. In Hajj, there are no brands, colours, designs and styles that indicate your financial, social or material status. The pilgrim in the state of ihram must also leave all other behaviours, including smelling perfume intentionally, removing hair, clipping your nails, applying make-up and looking at yourself in the mirror, as an exercise to temporarily forget ‘the self.’ The pilgrim in the state of ihram must also avoid arguing, insulting others, saying bad words, as well as not harming the creatures around them by killing insects or animals, or uprooting plants. Doing these things would invalidate this sacred state of being.

Ali Shariati encapsulates how ihram can lead to transformation when he says:

“Before entering miqat, which is the beginning of a great change and revolution, you must declare your intention. What does this encompass? It is the intention of a ‘transferral’ from your house to the house of people, from life to love, from the self to Allah, from slavery to freedom, from racial discrimination to equality, sincerity and truth, from being clothed to being naked, from a daily life to an eternal life and from selfishness and aimlessness to devotion and responsibility. In summary, it is a transferal into the state of ihram.”

One great lesson from ihram is that it removes takabbur (arrogance) from the heart of the pilgrim and creates a sense of unity and equality.

Have you ever bought a nice new dress and when you wear it you might just walk with your head held a little higher? You might have bought an expensive designer watch and can’t stop waving it around so people might notice it? Have you noticed when someone buys a designer bag or belt and they ensure that the logo is clearly visible at all times? Look at me, I’m so great. You might think that perhaps with these nice material items, your status as a human being is elevated and that you deserve to maybe even be envied for these items. Ihram comes and demolishes this arrogance in one fowl swoop. It reminds us of our essence as human beings and that no one is better than anyone else based on material things.

Ihram and Hajj in general, also works to equalise all of humanity by reminding them that they are all the same, regardless of wealth, status or race. For Malcom X, the famous African-American human rights activist, attending Hajj transformed his entire philosophy around race. He experienced the transformation of perspective that Allah intended for Muslims when they embark on Hajj. He writes of his experience:

“There were tens of thousands of pilgrims, from all over the world. They were of all colors, from blue-eyed blondes to black-skinned Africans. But we were all participating in the same ritual, displaying a spirit of unity and brotherhood that my experiences in America had led me to believe never could exist between the white and the non-white.

You may be shocked by these words coming from me. But on this pilgrimage, what I have seen, and experienced, has forced me to rearrange much of my thought patterns previously held, and to toss aside some of my previous conclusions…

During the past eleven days here in the Muslim world, I have eaten from the same plate, drunk from the same glass and slept on the same rug while praying to the same God with fellow Muslims, whose eyes were the bluest of the blue, whose hair was the blondest of blond, and whose skin was the whitest of white. And in the words and in the actions and in the deeds of the ‘white’ Muslims, I felt the same sincerity that I felt among the black African Muslims of Nigeria, Sudan and Ghana.

We are truly all the same-brothers.

All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.”

In addition to uniting the Muslims and teaching them self discipline and to let go of the ego, the two white cloths of Ihram also resemble the shroud of death. As humans, we are forever hurtling towards death, with every breath taking us closer to this certainty. People would live their lives very differently if they fully comprehended this reality. No more would they be tempted to lie, steal, lust after fame and status, neglect their salah (prayers) or abandon the worship of The Creator. It also represents how we will be when we are raised again on the Day of Judgement, in nothing but our shrouds, and so, in a sense, is like a dress rehearsal for that Day.  

Ihram teaches the pilgrim lessons for life for it is not just a change in clothing; it is a change in perspective and behaviour. Even for those of us who aren’t in Hajj this year, we should all seek to implement the concepts of ihram in our daily lives and constantly strive for self-refinement and discipline always improving ourselves, staying away from all that is haram and strengthening our connection to Allah.

May Allah grant us all the opportunity to perform Hajj.

 

By Naba Alsaffar as part of Kalima Institute’s Dhul Hijja Project.