The Journey of a Lifetime :: Reminiscing Hajj 2010 - Part II

At King Abdul Aziz International Airport, Jeddah [October 19-20, 2010]

It was an enthusiastic feeling to land on the soil of what is now Saudi Arabia; reverberating with the thoughts and feelings that this is the place where Islam took its roots and stronghold and spread far and wide. This is the soil where my identity was first introduced by Almighty Allah through the Prophet [peace be upon him] some 1400 years ago. This is the soil where every believer wishes to set foot at least once in his/her lifetime. This is the soil that has nurtured the identity of believers through the ages. We were all set to land at the King Abdul Aziz International Airport at Jeddah.

WHY WE MUST NOT CELEBRATE BIRTHDAYS, ANNIVERSARIES, NEW YEAR…

And when they meet those who believe, they say: "We believe," but when they are alone with their Shayâtin (devils - polytheists, hypocrites, etc.), they say: "Truly, we are with you; verily, we were but mocking.”

Al Quran :: Surat al-Baqara :: Verse 14

Islam and the Muslims are under siege today; they are abused, deterred, threatened, ridiculed, and lured into believing that they are orthodox. They have been under this siege ever since, and will remain so till the Last Day. However, many of us do not amply realize the significance and gravity of this situation. While we at times might be able to outwit the element of siege in most of the cases, the last one – being lured to believe that we are orthodox – is seldom offset by prudence. An offshoot of this same aspect is the rampant and incandescent urge to portray ourselves as unorthodox and contemporary, at times at the cost of belying the premises of our belief and Islam. Just imagine how you would feel when you are ridiculed in your office when you tell your colleagues, “I do not celebrate my birthday!”…