Take a look at the following picture. What do you see?
Most people will say they see the black dot. Not the whole field of white dots.
That’s people for you! Despite all the white dots around us–our health, wealth, youth, our household, our family, our fine clothing–we only see the black dots. That guy at work who’s always talking on the phone. That punk at school who keeps stealing your cookies. That drip-dripping tap that never stops.
Perhaps this is why Allah says:
Translation: And few of My slaves are thankful. [Surah Saba, verse 13]
Subhanallah, how true this is! And never truer then on Hajj. Hajj is a time of hardship, no doubt about that. But one of the main ways to increase the quality of your Hajj is to focus on the white dots, not the black dots. Because Allah will test you–guaranteed–in ways you cannot imagine.
Say you’re in Mina, and you suddenly realize you have to use the washroom. So you rush out–only to find over a hundred people lined up across ten stalls! Subhanallah! That’s a big black dot–but what are the white dots?
- You’re alive–that’s a big blessing in itself.
- You’re surrounded by your brothers and sisters in Islam–and Hujjaaj, to boot!
- It’s not a serious medical emergency–like someone dying–just a need to use the washroom.
And this happened to one of the Hujjaj in the group I went in. Subhanallah, they were literally almost jumping up and down, and some kind older person took pity on them and allowed them to jump the line–just in the nick of time!
The best way to prepare for Hajj is to start looking for all the white dots, now! Whether you’re at home, at school, at the mall, at work, at the dentist, think about all the blessings and white dots. And Allah says:
Translation: And He gives you of all that you ask for. But if you count the favours of Allah, never will ye be able to number them. Verily, man is given up to injustice and ingratitude. [Surah Ibrahim, verse 34]
Here are some examples to think about. Post the white dots you find in the comments insha’Allah.
- Your group leader tells you the bus to Arafah is coming at 3am, so you should get up at 2am to get ready. You wake up at 2am. 8am comes, and the bus is still not here.
- You complete your tawaaf and sa’iee for Hajj, and return to your tent, only to find out they’ve already served dinner–because the group’s going later!
- You’re sitting on a bus to Mina. You’ve been sitting for 4 hours. The driver turns off the air-conditioning because the engine is overeating. The guy sitting next to you has someone standing next to him, so he jams himself into you to get more space.
These are just a few examples, taken from some real incidents that happened to people while they were on Hajj. What are the white dots in these situations?
1. You have a group! Sure beats going alone. Hey, you could get lost if you go alone!
2. Allah (SWT) woke you up! He could have taken your soul that night, but he gave you respite! More time to ask for forgiveness and come back to Him.
3. You have a means of travel. As mentioned in surat Zuhkruf and Israa, the blessing of travel itself is great. In particular, the traveling of the land is mentioned in the later ayat. In our example, this is the bus.
4. Say Alhumdulillah that Allah has allowed you to perform the task of Sai and Tawaf. Remember when you first started. You had inner feelings like ‘it’s not going to be easy!’. But Allah (SWT) relieved you! And, it’s all over now, and you actually made it alive, and the rewards have been cashed in. What a greater blessing?
5. Come back, no dinner? It’s alright. Remember, you fast 30 days of Ramadan anyway. And remember that Allah (SWT) provided you with scrumptious foods day in, day out in your hometown. A few hours, no biggie. OK, if you’re still not budging, remember those places where 10 people fight to get a piece of bread. Can you find a piece of bread in your tent? Eat it, and thank Allah.
6. A.C? Say Alhumdulillah that Allah (SWT) has made you a Muslim and will with His Mercy save you from hell, THE hottest place. Image putting yourself into a real-life oven. Now multiply that by 70. Hmmm. Not exactly hot any more, are we? I’m sure you feel cooler now/
7. Yippee! Alhumdulillah, you can implement the verse in the Quran which addresses the BELIEVERS saying if it is said to make space in a sitting MAKE SPACE, for Allah will make space for you. Surah Mujadilah, btw.
Good. A pint of patience. A tablespoon of reflection Allah’s favors. And a teaspoon of brotherly love, for good measure!
JazakAllah Khair for the post, btw.
AA wr wb
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Assalamu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullah
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Wa’salam
The white dot is that if the Hajj is accepted then the person will be free of all sins just as he or she was on the day they were born!
This is the greatest achievement one get while being alive but it can’t be just given away just like that without testing can it?
From experience, I’d like to say that Allah takes care of us as his guest. Just be patient & the reward will be immense plus everything will work out in an instant