Foreword

The Ka'aba

Made of dark rough stones laid in a very simple manner with white chalk filling the fissures, the Kaaba is an empty cube - nothing else. You cannot but shiver and wonder about what you see Here ... There is no one! There is nothing to view! An empty room (cube) is visible. Is that all?!! Is this the center of our faith, prayers, love, life and death?

Questions and doubts arise in your mind. Where am I? What is here? What you see is the antithesis of your visual imaginations of the Kaaba. You might have perceived it as an architectural beauty (like a palace) whose ceilings covered a spiritual silence. Another possible portrayal was that of a high tomb housing the grave of an important human being - a hero, genius, imam or prophet! No - instead it is an open square, an empty room. It reflects no architectural skill, beauty, art, inscription, nor quality; and no graves are found there. There is nothing and nobody there to whom you can direct your attention, feelings and memories.
You will realize that there is nothing and nobody there to disturb your thoughts and feelings about God. The Kaaba, which you want to fly over to come into contact with the "absolute" and "eternal", is the roof for your feelings. This is something you were unable to achieve in your world of fragmentation and relativity. You could only be philosophical, but now you can see the "absolute", the one who has no direction - Allah! He is every where.
How good it is to see the Kaaba empty! It reminds you that your presence is for the sake of performing Hajj. It is not your destination. Moreover, it is a guide to show the direction.
Kaaba is only a cornerstone, a sign to show the road.
Having decided to move toward eternity, you begin the Hajj. It is an eternal movement toward Allah not toward the Kaaba. The Kaaba is the beginning and not the end - when no more can be done. It is the place where Allah, Ibrahim, Mohammed and people will meet. You will be present there only if your mind is not preoccupied with self-centered thoughts. You must be one of the people! Everyone is dressed in special garments. Being Allah's chastity and family you are honored by him . He has more enthusiasm toward this family than any one else. However, the Kaaba, His property and His house is called the "house of people".
Quran III:96
Lo! The first sanctuary appointed for mankind was that at Bekka (Mecca), a blessed place, a guidance to the people.
You are not allowed to enter this sacred house if you are still self attached, that is, thinking of yourself.
Mecca is called "Baite-Atiq". Atiq represents being free! Mecca belongs to nobody. It is free from the reign of rulers and oppressors; therefore, no one controls it. Allah is the owner of Mecca while the people are its residents.
Under the provisions of, the Muslim is allowed to shorten his prayers if traveling at least forty miles away from his home. But at Mecca, regardless of where you are from or how far you have traveled, your prayer is complete. It is your land, your community and you are safe. You are not a visitor, but you are at home.
Before coming to Mecca, you were a stranger, exiled in your own land. But now, you are invited to join Allah's family. Mankind, the dearest family of the world, is invited to this house. If you as an individual are "self centered", you will feel like a homeless stranger lost with no shelter and no relatives. Therefore, shed the self distinctive tendencies. You are now prepared to enter the house and join this family. You will be welcomed as a friend and close relative of Allah's family.
The Prophet Ibrahim (PBUH) who was the oldest and most rebellious man of history, may be visualized. Denying all the idols on earth, he greatly loved and obeyed Allah alone. With his own hands, he built the Kaaba. This structure symbolizes Allah in the world.
The building is very simple. Black rocks of "Ajoon" are laid on top of each other. There is no design or decoration involved. Its name, Kaabah, means a "cube" in terms of architectural design - but why a "cube"?
Why is it so simple lacking color and ornamentation? It is because Almighty Allah has no "shape", no color and none is similar to Him. No pattern or visualization of Allah that man imagines can represent Him. Being omnipotent and omnipresent, Allah is "absolute".
Although Kaaba has no direction (because of its cubic shape), by facing Kaaba when performing the prayers, you choose Allah's direction and face Him. Kaaba's absence of direction may seem difficult to comprehend. However, universality and absoluteness prevails. Having six sides, the appropriate structure is a cube! It encompasses all directions and simultaneously their sum symbolizes no direction! The original symbol of this is the Kaaba!
Quran II:115
Unto Allah belongs the east and west, and whitherso-ever you will be facing Allah.
When praying outside of Kaaba you must face it. Any structure except Kaaba directs north, south, east, west, up or down. Kaaba, an exception, is facing all directions while it is facing none. Truly a symbol of Allah, it has many directions yet it has no particular direction.
Toward the west of Kaaba there is a semi-circular short wall which faces Kaaba. It is called Ismail's Hajar. Hajar signifies lap or skirt. The semi lunar wall resembles a skirt.
Sarah, the wife of Ibrahim had a black maid (Ethiopian) called Hajar. She was extremely poor and humbled to the degree that Sarah did not object to her becoming a bed-mate of her husband, Ibrahim, in order to bear him a child. Here was a woman who was not honored enough to become a second wife to Ibrahim yet Allah connected the symbol of Hajar's skirt to His symbol, Kaaba.
The skirt of Hajar was the area in which Ismail was raised. The house of Hajar is there. Her grave is near the third column of Kaaba.
What a surprise since no one, not even prophets, is supposed to be buried in mosques but in this case, the house of a black maid is located next to Allah's house! Hajar, the mother of Ismail is buried there. Kaaba extends toward her grave. As a result, Allah's house is directed toward her skirt!
There is a narrow passage between the wall (Hajar's skirt) and Kaaba. When circumambulating around Kaaba, Allah commanded that you must go around the wall (not through the passage) otherwise your Hajj will not be accepted.
Those who believe in monotheism and those who have accepted Allah's invitation to go to Hajj must touch this skirt when circumambulating the Kaaba. The grave of a black African maid and a good mother is now a part of Kaaba; it will be circumambulated by man forever!
Allah, the Almighty, in His great and glorious Divinity is all alone by Himself. He needs nobody and nothing. Nevertheless, among all His countless and eternal creatures, He has chosen one, mankind, the noblest of them.
From among all humanity: a woman, From among all women: a slave, And from among all slaves: a black maid!
The weakest and most humiliated one of His creatures was given a place at His side and a room in His house. He has come to her house and become her neighbor and roommate. So now, there are two, Allah and Hajar, under the ceiling of this "house"!
IN THE ISLAMIC COMMUNITY, THE "UNKNOWN SOLDIER" IS SO ELECTED!
The rituals of Hajj are a memory of Hajar. The word Higrah(migration) has its root in her name as does the word Mahajir (immigrant). "The ideal immigrant is the one who behaved like Hajar." Mohammad (PBUH)
Higrah is what Hajar did. It is also a transition from savagery to becoming civilized and from Kofr to Islam.
In Hajars mother language her name means "the city". Even the name of this black Ethiopian slave is symbolic of civilization. Furthermore, any migration like hers is a move toward civilization!
Hajar's grave is in the midst of man's circumambulation of Kaaba. You, the mohajir (immigrant), who has divorced himself from everything and accepted Allah's invitation to go to Hajj, you will circumambulate Hajar's grave and the Kaaba of Allah simultaneously.
What is being said in these paragraphs? It is difficult to realize. But for those who think they live in freedom and defend humanism, the significance of these incidents transgresses the scope of their understanding!

Circumambulating

Like a roaring river circling around a stone, Kaaba is surrounded by a crowd of highly excited people. It is like a sun in the center while the people are like stars traveling in their orbit of the solar system. Centrally positioned, the people move around it in a circular pattern. Kaaba symbolizes the constancy and eternity of Allah. The moving circle represents the continuous activity and transition of His creatures.
CONSTANCY + MOVEMENT + DISCIPLINE = CIRCUMAMBULATING

This is an equation of the whole world. It is an example of a system based on the idea of monotheism which encompasses the orientation of a particle (man). Allah is the center of existence; He is the focus of this ephemeral world. In contrast, you are a moving particle changing your position from what you are to what you ought to be. Yet in all positions and during all times, maintain a constant distance with "Kaaba" or with Allah! The distance depends upon the path that you have chosen in this system.
You do not touch Kaaba nor do your stop there. Everyone encircles Kaaba collectively. The movement is as one unit, one group of people. There is no individual identification, that is, as being a man or woman, nor black or white! It is the transformation of one person into the totality of a "people". All of the "I's" join and become a "We", establishing the "Umma" with the aim of approaching Allah.
Allah's way is the way of the people. In other words, to approach Allah you must first approach people. How is this done? To achieve righteousness you should genuinely become involved in the problems of people, not as a monk who isolates himself in a monastery but by becoming actively involved in the "field". This includes practicing generosity, devotion, and self-denial, suffering in captivity and exile, enduring torture pains and facing various types of danger. This is how you are with the people and where you may approach Allah. The Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) said: "Every religion has its monastic way of life. In Islam, it is JIHAD.
During Tawaf (circumambulating) you cannot enter the Kaaba nor stop anywhere around it. You must enter into and disappear from the crowd. You must be drawn into the roaring river of people who are circumambulating. This is how you will become a Hajj. This is the collective invitation to whoever wants to come to this house. What can be seen? Kaaba is steadfast in the center while the white, roaring river goes around it. Everyone is dressed in one color and pattern. There is no distinction nor personal promotion; true totality and universality is demonstrated.
Outside of Kaaba each person has his own ways and rights. "Totality" is only a theoretical concept. "Humanity" is only an idea, a logical and theoretical concept. Away from Kaaba people are identified by their names, nationality or race, but at Kaaba these characteristics are replaced by the concept of totality and universality which serves to identify them. Therefore, it is "people" representing "mankind" who are making Tawaf!
If you remain in the state of self-centeredness, you are not really a part of the Tawaf circle. You will be like a visitor standing at the bank of a river, but not in it. Those who are detached from themselves are alive and moving collectively. Those who are not separated from themselves are stagnant and dead. They are like wandering particles in the air of its systemic orbit. Furthermore, at Kaaba you are taught to prove yourself, to demonstrate your existence and to become eternal. You must reject self-centeredness.
By exercising generosity, kindness to others, and devotion to the community (ummah), you will attain self-discovery and envision the reality. When you give up your life in the way of Allah, in your warm blood you will approach Shahadat' and be called a Shaheed. Shahadat is being present, alive, palpable and visible. A Shaheed is an everlasting witness and visitor; he exemplifies an "eternal living".
Quran III:69
Think not of those who are slain in the way of Allah as dead; Nay, they are living. With their Lord, they have provision.
Because the way of Allah is the way of people, it should be pursued collectively not individually. But what about prayers which are performed individually? They are done in order to train you to practice devotion, demonstrate maximum generosity, deny self-centeredness, and sacrifice for the sake of others.
The ultimate goal is to become the ideal man/woman. Man is the representative of Allah. His representative and trustee (Adam) will exist as long as Allah desires. A person will live eternally if he dies as a "man" because one (the individual) is perishable but "man" is eternal! A drop of water which is not part of a river or does not flow into a sea is like dew. It lasts overnight only, and will disappear with the early smile of sunshine. Oh man, join the river to flow, to meet the sea and to become eternal! Oh dew, why are you waiting near the bank of the river which reminds you of the harmony of creation? Go ahead and join the people! But before coming together you must be fully conscious of what you are doing and why. You must admit it is for Allah, not for yourself and for the facts, not for the politics! Here every act has an important meaning. This eternal movement is governed by accurate discipline. It reflects the organization of the world.

Allegiance and the Black Stone

Circumambulation must begin at the point where the BLACK STONE is located. This is where you enter the universe's system. You join the other people and assimilate among them as a drop entering the ocean. This is the way to survival, the way to find your "orbit"! If you do not join the people, you will not be able to pursue the orbit nor approach Almighty Allah. Firstly, with your right hand you must touch or point to the BLACK STONE. Then, immediately, you must be assimilated among the people. What does this stone symbolize? It symbolizes a hand - a right hand! And - whose right hand? The right hand of Allah!

In the past, individuals and tribes made contracts with the chiefs of other tribes. This was done to assure their maintenance and survival in the desert. The contract was known as an allegiance. How was it actualized? The individual involved had to extend his right hand to shake and hold the right hand of the other in order that he becomes his ally. Automatically, it was understood that his previous allegiances were cancelled.
At the Black Stone, the moment of selection, you must choose your path, goal, and future. When joining the people, you must shake hands with Allah who is extending His right hand - therefore taking the oath to become Allah's confederate. You will be free from all previous allegiances; no longer will you be an ally of the powers, the hypocrites, the tribal chiefs, the rulers on this earth, the aristocrats of Quraish, the landlords, nor money. You are free! Quran, 48:10
The hand of Allah is over their hands.
Touch Allah's hand. He is superior to all who have TIED your hands in previous allegiances! Upon acquiring the status of being free (after shaking Allah's hand and re-asserting your "original promise"' to Him), it is your duty to join the people. Do not stop, continue on. You must find and select your "orbit". Enter the system and move with the others. As you circumambulate and move closer to Kaaba, you feel like a small stream merging into a big river. Carried by a wave, not by your feet, you are detached from the ground. Suddenly, you find yourself floating and carried on by this flood. As you approach the middle, the pressure of the crowd squeezes you so hard that you are endowed with a new life. You are now a part of the people; you are now a man alive and eternal! You move not "by yourself" but "with others". You join them not "diplomatically" but "with love".
See the Allah of Ibrahim. By relating you to Himself, Allah relates you to others. In such a deep, delicate and beautiful way he relates you to the people by the attracting forces of His love. Although you are here to see Allah, you find yourself so busy with the people. Allah has invited you from far distances to come to His house for a private visit, but now He tells you to join the people. You are not to enter His house, nor to stop and stare at the house. You must continue in your circumambulation, remaining shoulder to shoulder with the people. Kaaba is only the center of the orbit; there fore, if you stop, move your position or turn your head, you are "out" of the orbit! Once again, do not stop and do not go to the right or to the left. Qibla is in front of you; look ahead and continue going ahead.
Attracted by the forces of the world's sun (Kaaba), you are on your orbit. You have become a part of this universal system. Circumambulating (Tawaf) around Allah, you will soon forget yourself. What prevails is love and attraction; you are only one of the many people who are "attracted"!
Going around and around, you see no one but "Him". You are a "nothing who feels His existence" and simultaneously an "existence who feels nothing". As you circumambulate, you are like a particle in this circular movement which is an orbit, a motion, a Tawaf and a Hajj! Nevertheless, all of this is symbolic of Allah. Your position is that of "submission"
By becoming departed from yourself, you have assumed a new form as a "particle" that is gradually melting and disappearing. At its peak love is absolute; you are a devotee in love! If love had to be described in terms of motion, what type of movement would it be? Very simply, it is best expressed by the motions of a butterfly! In summary, it may be said that Kaaba is the center of love while you are the compass rotating around it!
Hajar was an example for humanity. Allah, the great love and ally of man, ordered her to leave her home with her nursing child. She was told to go to the fearful valley of Mecca where no plant not even thistles, will grow. Out of love for Allah, she Understood and accepted this order. It seems strange - a lonely woman with her lonely child cast into the depth of this valley among such ugly and inactive volcanoes. Without water? Without shelter? Without anyone? But why? All of this because Allah wanted absolute reliance upon Him! This rationale is not comprehendible by our Wisdom nor does it appear logical. Water is necessary for existence, the baby needs milk, a man needs friends, a woman needs supporters and a mother needs help. This is true, yet love can replace all of those needs! One can live with love if the spirit recognizes it. Oh lonely maid, a helpless nursing mother, you and Your child must rely upon Allah. Feeling secure with love, rely upon Him!

Ibrahim's Position

After completing the seventh round of circumambulation, the state of Tawaf ends. Seventh? Yes! It is not simply the sum of six plus one, but it is a reminder of the seven layers of heaven. Tawaf, your sacrifice for people, is an eternal movement on the path of people! It is Hajj and NOT a pilgrimage. Isn't this a genuine demonstration of existence? Isn't this the actual translation of Tawheed, and it's true interpretation?!!
At Ibrahim's position you must read two units of prayers. Where is this position? It is a piece of stone with Ibrahim's foot prints on it. It was on this stone that he stood and laid the cornerstone of Kaaba (Hajar-ul Aswad). He stood there to construct the Kaaba. Do you understand? Are you not shivering?
Being in Ibrahim's position signifies standing in his place! Who? You! It is not difficult to realize what Tawheed does to mankind. At one time, it may humiliate you to nothing, denying you "as you are" and "flinging mud" at you. At another time, it endows you with the highest degree of spirituality whereby you are alongside Allah - in His house, as His relative and on His path! Tawheed is a result of your being hit, denied, despised and enslaved during Tawaf.
Allah wants you to prostrate to Him. He will then call upon you - Oh sincere one! Oh friend! My associate, my confidant, my trustee and my listener! My purpose of creation and my private companion ..!
Approximately one hour ago, you were at the bank of this "river" standing, thinking of yourself, watching the people and not being one of them; you were a useless particle reprimanded by Allah. You were "mud", "clay" and "earth"
But now, you are flowing and moving. No longer are you stagnated nor putrefied. You are roaring, washing away the rocks, breaking the dams and finding your way to the gardens to grow heaven in the heart of the salty deserts! You irrigate the fields, the earth, flowers and plants. In turn you help the cultivation of thousands of seeds from which thousands of buds are impatient to germinate, to crack above the earth, exhibit their leaves and rise towards the sky. If you do not move, you will become like clay - hard and solid; and you will simultaneously bury and destroy all of these potentials.
Quran 91:10
And he indeed is a failure who stunteth it.
While the river flows, it gives life to the dead nature as Jesus (PBUH) did. But if you stay stagnated like dampness in the corner, enjoying yourself or suffering, you will become petrified. Larva of numerous parasites will grow in you, your color will change and you will smell terrible!
Come on - perform Hajj! Join the river of circumambulating people by circumambulating too! After an hour of swimming in this "stream of love", you will abandon your "self-centered mortal existence" and adapt to a new life among the people's "eternal existence" on the "eternal orbit" of Allah. Now you are like Ibrahim!
Next, from the same point which you started Tawaf, you must step out of the Tawaf circle. Like life after death, rise from the same point on the horizon from which you disappeared. The spirit of goodness, the spirit of Allah, which was in your original state of creation (Mud), is visible. From where? It appears at the place where you joined the Tawaf circle - under the right hand of Allah. After denying and killing all of the previous and false egos, you will discover your "authentic ego". Dressed in the clean white garb of Ihram, at the House of Allah and standing in Ibrahim's position, step in his footprints. Face to Face with ADah, start your prayer.
In the history of mankind, Ibrahim was the great rebel who opposed idolatry and established monotheism in this world. Although physically tired of sufferings, the prophet of responsibility and leadership had a sharp mind. His heart was full of love yet he carried an axe in his hand! Faith shined from the center of Kofr. A clear fountain of tawheed, monotheism, emerged from the sewage of polytheism!
The first to fight idolatry, Ibrahim was raised in the house of Azar who used to make the idols for his tribe. Ibrahim fought not only against idolatry and Nimrod' but also against ignorance and oppression. The leader of this movement, he was riotous against abjectness. He was the source of hope and wishes, the man of faith and the founder of true unity.
Ibrahim, enter the fire - the fire of oppression and ignorance! Help prevent the people from being burned by the fire of oppression and ignorance! The same fire is ignited in the fate and future of every responsible individual who is indebted to enlightenment and guidance. For those who behave like Ibrahim, Allah will make a rose garden from the fire of Nimrods! You will not burn and leave behind your ashes. It is a symbolic demonstration of how close you get to the "fire" during your struggle and performance of Jihad. To throw yourself into the fire in order to save other people is a bitter experience, but even more painful is the Shahadat.
Ibrahim, sacrifice your son Ismail! Cut his throat with your own hands to save the people's neck from being cut. Which people? Those who have been sacrificed at the steps of the palaces of power or near the plunderer's treasures or inside the temples of hypocrisy and misery! To get courage to seize the sword from the hand of the executioner, cut Ismail's throat with a knife! Allah (Ibrahim's God) will pay Ismail's ransom. You do not kill your son nor lose him! This gesture is a lesson for the sake of your faith. You must reach the point of your willingness to sacrifice your most beloved (Ismail) with your own hands.
AND MORE PAINFUL THAN "SACRIFICE" IS "SHAHADAT"
Remember that you just left circumambulation or "tawaf of love" and are standing in Ibrahim's position. When Ibrahim reached this point, he had experienced a life full of struggle - fighting with Nimrod, the idols, facing the tortures, the heap of fire, Satan, the sacrifice of his son Ismail and ... migration, homelessness, loneliness passing from the stage of prophecy to the stage of leadership, rejecting "individuality" and adopting "totality" and from being worker in the house of Azar, the idol maker, to becoming the builder of Kaaba, the house of unity!
Here Ibrahim stands. Having left many difficult years behind him, all of his hairs are gray. Yet, at the end of his life, (as old as a history) he is about to build a house; he is about to lay down the black stone.
Ismail helps him by carrying the stones and handing them to his father. The house of Allah is being constructed!
It is a surprise! Ismail and Ibrahim are to build the Kaaba. Ismail is saved from being sacrificed while Ibrahim is saved from the fire. Now they have a responsibility toward the people. Allah has commanded them to be the architects of "the oldest temple of unity" on earth, "the first house of people" in history, "the free house" of freedom and the Kaaba of love and worship. Haram is a symbol of "True Privacy and Modesty".
Now you are in Ibrahim's position! It is the highest point to which Ibrahim could ascend; it is the nearest point to Allah. Ibrahim, builder of the Kaaba, architect of the house of freedom, founder of tawheed, and fighter against the idols, was tortured by Nimrod. Leader of the tribe, struggler against ignorance and Kofr, conscientious of love and responsibility, Ibrahim escaped the temptations of Satan and the Khannas (whisperer) who inspires evil suggestions into the hearts of people.
Quran CXIV:5
who whispereth in the heart of mankind.
After suffering all the disaster, tortures and dangers, Ibrahim built a house - NOT FOR HIMSELF NOR FOR HIS SON - but a house for the PEOPLE. It is a shelter for those who are homeless, a shelter for those who have been forced to leave, a shelter for those who are wounded on this earth and a shelter for those who are fleeing. This house is to be a torch amidst a long and dark night. It symbolizes a rebel in the dark of his oppression!
Everyone is shameful and insecure; the earth has been converted into a big house for prostitutes where there is respect for nobody. It is a big slaughter house where nothing but oppression and discrimination prevails. At last - there is a house which is clean, safe and secure for all mankind (Allah's family) - the Kaaba!
In Ibrahim's position, you shake hands with Allah. Live the way Ibrahim did and be the architect of the Kaaba of faith of your time.
Save your people; help them step out of the lagoon of a stagnated and useless life. Awaken them from their deep sleep so they will no longer suffer oppression and live in the darkness of ignorance. Help them move; hold their hands and lead them. Call them to Hajj for Tawaf!
Upon returning from tawaf where you assimilated yourself amongst the people, you are in Ibrahim's position. You are in the house and city of safety and security, facing Almighty Allah. Therefore, You, the "confederate" of Allah should:
- Make your land safe, as if you are in the Haram area! - Make your time as the time of Ihram, as if you are always in the state of Ihram! - Make the earth the Safe-Mosque, as if you are in the Safe-Mosque!
All this because the "earth is the mosque of Allah," however you see that in reality it is not!

Between Tawaf and Sa'y

When completing the tawaf prayer in Ibrahim's position, you must go to "Masa" which is the space between the mountains of Safa and Marwa (it encompasses about 1/4 mile). "Run" between those two mountains seven times. Start at the top of Safa. Part of the path is at the level of Kaaba where you should do the "harwala". Next, you walk normally to the foot of Marwa.

Sa'y is a search. It is a movement with an aim. It is depicted by running and hurrying. During tawaf (circumambulation) you acted as Hajar. In Ibrahim's position you acted as Ibrahim and Ismail. Once you begin "trying" (Sa'y) you are acting as Hajar again.
Here is a true demonstration of oneness. Shapes, patterns, colors, degrees, personalities, borders, distinctions and distances are destroyed. Naked man and stripped humanity are on the scene! Nothing but faith, belief and action are eminent! Here nobody is spoken of; even Ibrahim, Ismail and Hajar are only names, words and symbols. Whatever exists is moving constantly, humanity and spirituality and between them only discipline. Furthermore, this is Hajj, a decision for an eternal movement in a certain direction. It is also how the whole world moves.
Here in Sa'y you are to play the role of Hajar, woman, a poor, belittled Ethiopian slave and maid for Sara. These are all of her qualifications in the human social system - in the system of polytheism, but not in the system of monotheism! This slave is the addressor of Allah, the mother of His great prophets (the messengers of Allah) and the representative of Allah's prettiest and dearest creatures. In this show of Hajj, she is the first and distinguished character. In the house of Allah, she is the only woman, a MOTHER!
Allah told Hajar to obey Him and He would provide for her and her son. Allah would take care of their lives, needs and future. Oh Hajar, the example of submission and obedience, the great champion of faith and reliance in love, you will be protected under My umbrella!
Hajar totally submitted to the will of Allah; she left her child in this valley. This was the command of Allah and the order of love! However, the model of submission (Hajar) did not "SIT QUIETLY". Soon, she arose and all alone tried to run from one dry mountain to the other searching for water! Constantly searching, moving and struggling, she decided to rely on her self, her feet, her will and her mind. Hajar was a responsible woman, a mother, in love, all alone, wandering, searching, enduring pain, disturbed, deprived of support, lacking shelter, homeless, isolated from her society, classless, race-less and hopeless; yet despite all these drawbacks, she was HOPEFUL! A lonely slave, a victim, a stranger, exiled and disgusted, rejected from the capitalistic-aristocratic system, hated by the nations, hated by the classes and races, hated by the family - this black maid was all alone with her child in her arms! She was far away from her town and country of a more privileged race. Wandering in this strange desert, she was like a prisoner in these mountains. All alone, she was restless but hopeful and determined in her search for water, going from one area to the other.
All alone ... Running on her feet to the top of these mountains (NOT SITTING AND CRYING HELPLESSLY!) in search of water.
This is the promoter of Ibrahim's tradition - not a god but a slave (Hajar), not seeking the mercy of "fire" but of "water". Water? Yes water! Not unseen not metaphysical, not love, not submission, not obedience, not soul, not a Philosophical view of life. not in heaven, not in the hereafter. No, no, no ... In this world and it is drinking water! From a fountain on this earth, it is purely material. This same liquid which flows on earth (water) is that which life is so thirsty for. The body requires it since it becomes blood in your vessels. It is the milk in the mother's breast which satisfies the child's thirst. Searching for water symbolizes searching for material life on this earth. It is genuine need which shows the relation of mankind to nature. It is the way of finding heaven in this world and enjoying its fruit on this earth.
Sa'y is physical work. It means exerting your efforts and running after water and bread in order to satisfy your thirst and feed your hungry children. It is a way to achieve a better life. Your son is thirsty and awaiting you in this dry desert; it is your duty to find a fountain to bring him some water. Sa'y is the struggle and search for your needs out of the heart of nature; it is the attempt to get water out of the stone.
Sa'y: purely material; a material need; a material aim and material act! Economy: nature and work! Needs:material and human!
Surprisingly, in terms of distance, there are only a few steps or few moments from Tawaf to Sa'y. Nevertheless, a great difference exists between the two:
Tawaf: Absolute love! Sa'y:Absolute wisdom! Tawaf: All "Him". Sa'y:All "You"! Tawaf: Almighty's will only! Sa'y: Your will only! Tawaf: As a butterfly who encircles the candle until it burns; and it's ashes are gone with the wind - disappearing in love and dying in light! Sa'y:As an eagle who flies above these black mountains with the support of its strong wings to find its food and seize his bait in the midst of stones. It conquers both the earth and the sky. The wind blows the earth and the sky. The wind blows so softly against the eagle's wings. Flying freely above the sky, heaven signifies its ambition. Under its wings, the earth is so despised. The earth is also conquered by the eagle's sharp and prudent look! Tawaf is: Mankind in love with the "truth". Sa'y is: Mankind self-supported by the "facts". Tawaf is: The exalted man. Sa'y is:The powerful man.
Tawaf: Love, worship, spirit, morality, beauty, goodness, holiness, values, truth, faith, righteousness, suffering, sacrifice, devotion, humility, slavery, perception, enlightenment, submission, Allah's might and will, metaphysics, the unseen, for others, for the hereafter, and ... for Allah! And ... whatever the easterner's spirit is motivated by and in love with. Sa'y:Wisdom, logic, needs, living, facts, objectives, earth, material, nature, privileges, thinking, science, industry, policy, benefit, joy, economy, civilization, body, freedom, will-power, mastery, in this world - for the self. And ... whatever the westerners struggle for.
Tawaf: Allah only! Sa'y:Mankind only! Tawaf: Soul and nothing else. Sa'y:Body alone. Tawaf: Pains of "being" and worrying about the "hereafter". Sa'y:Joys of "living" and convenience of "this world". Tawaf: Searching for "thirst"! Sa'y:Searching for "water"! Tawaf: The butterfly. Sa'y:The eagle.
Hajj is the combination of Tawaf and Sa'y. It resolves the contradictions that have confused mankind throughout history:
Materialism or idealism? Rationalism or enlightenment? This world of the hereafter? Epicureanism or asceticism? The will of Allah or the will of man? To rely on Him or the will of man? To rely on Him or rely on ones self?
Allah (Ibrahim's God) will teach you the answer - Both! A lesson not by words, perception, science nor philosophy but by showing you an example of a human. This example from whom all the worldly philosophers, scientists and great thinkers who are searching for faith and facts are to learn the great lesson of Allah is again a woman, a black Ethiopian slave and a mother. It is Hajar!
To the command of "love", she submits herself to His absolute will. Leaving her town and country, she brings her child far, far away and leaves him in this dry and lonely valley (Mecca). She relies absolutely on Allah and His love. With the power of faith, she denies all the logics and rationales. This is Tawaf!
But, unlike many of the so-called righteous people or worshippers, she does not sit quietly beside her son. She does not wait for a miracle to occur or for an invisible hand to bring some fruits from heaven or to flow a river to quench their thirst. Nay! She leaves her son in the hands of "love" and immediately arises to run - having decided to search for water and try her best. And now in the uncivilized and dry mountains of Mecca, a woman - alone, thirsty, responsible, a stranger - wanders in a fruitless search for "water"! Oh Allah, are we talking of "Hajar" or "mankind"?
Hajar's efforts are useless; she returns desperately to her son. To her astonishment, the child who was left under the umbrella of "love" in a state of thirst and restlessness, has dug under the sands with his heels. At that moment of maximum desperation and from an unexpected place, suddenly there appears:
by miracle, by the power of needs and the mercy of Allah - "a humming", "the sound of water"!
It is Zam-Zam, a sweet and life-giving fountain of water flowing from stone! This lesson: to find water by "love" not by effort but "after the effort".
Though you cannot approach Him by working hard, Oh my heart you should try your best.
Oh in love, try, try Your best - You, the absolute faith and absolute reliance!
Try seven times which is the same number of times you circumambulated during Tawaf! But, this time, do not pursue a circular path that finally leads you no place except where you originally started (i.e. Zero). Do not travel in an empty circle, reaching no where, gaining nothing and moving aimlessly!, working to fill the stomach and filling the stomach in order to be prepared to work. Finally, continue on until the time of death!
Tawaf: Living not for the sake of living but for the cause of Allah. Sa'y:Trying your best not just for yourself but for the people. Here your path is straight and not a circle! You do not move in circles but walk ahead. It is a migration, beginning at one point and reaching your destiny; it is going from Safa to Marwa.
During Sa'y you repeat a back and forth action seven times. The figure (7) is "odd" not "even" so that your Sa'y ends up in Safa and not at the point where you began! Seven times! Seven, a symbolic figure represents always, all your life to ... Marwa! Start at Safa which means pure love for others. Your destination is Marwa which means the ideal of manhood a sense of honor, generosity and forgiveness toward others! Who are the others? Those who are trying with you!
What do I know? This is only my understanding and not all that it signifies. It means annihilating and drawing yourself into this ocean of love; coming out clean and sinless; and stepping in Ibrahim's position. From there - Oh man, a stranger, homeless and exiled from the earth, a sense of responsibility urges you to search for water in the mirage. Go to the top of Safa as Hajar did. See the white flood of people trying. Running down from Safa restlessly and in a state of thirst, they search for water in this hot and dry desert They continue to the top of Marwa where they find no water. With dry lips, empty hands and sad looks, they return to Safa and Start their search again. This procedure is repeated seven times, yet water is not found nor is their thirst quenched! But, they do reach Marwa!
And you, Oh a drop, from the top of Safa join this White-river of wandering, struggling and thirst! Draw yourself into this flood of people. Try your best (to Sa'y) with the others. In the middle of your Sa'y at the level of Kaaba, "hurry up" along with the others.

The End of Sa'y

At the last point of your Sa'y, at Marwa, cut your hair short or clip your nails. Remove your Ihram garments and wear your regular clothes. Feel free! With empty hands and in a state of thirst leave Marwa, go to find your Ismail ...!

Listen carefully! Don't you hear the humming of water from here? See! The thirsty birds are all flying above this dry desert! Zam-Zam has quenched Ismail's thirst. A tribe of strangers from the very far lands has occupied this empty valley. The thirsty people of the earth have made a circle around Zam-Zam. A city of stones has grown in this thirsty and desperate desert. There has been a shower of relevation ... a house of "freedom" and "love"!
After returning from Sa'y, while thirsty and lonely, your loneliness will end here. Zam-Zam is flowing under your Ismail's foot. People are all around you. What else do you see? Allah is your next-door neighbor! You have gotten so close to Him.
- Oh man, tired of "sa'y" rely on "love"!
- Oh "responsible man", try your best since your Ismail is thirsty!
- Oh, "the one in love", wish!
- Hope that love and wishes do miracles!
- And you, Hajj, who are coming from Sa'y ...
- From the dry desert of "your existence" and the depth of "your neglected" nature, a fountain is humming!
- Listen carefully to your heart.
- You will hear the humming.
People who have come from all over the world. From the mountain of Marwa go toward Zam-Zam. Have a few drinks, wash your face and bring some of that water back to where you came from so that you may present it as a gift to your people!