Three Stages Of Coming Close To Allah. ⏳️

Three Stages of Coming Close to Allah

There are three main actions in Hajj: Tawaf — going around the Ka'bah; Sa'i — running between Safa and Marwa; and then the Wuquf at Arafah and the Qurbani. These three stages, these three actions, represent the stages of coming close to Allah.

The First Stage: Tawaf — Orienting Your Life Around Allah

Somebody decides, "I want to come close to Allah — what do I do?" This is the stage of Tawaf. Tawaf — you're going around in a circle. This life, that's how it is. We are going round and round; our life revolves around Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. From the moment we wake up till the moment we sleep, our life revolves around Allah. He provides, He looks after us, we worship Him, we ask Him. This is Tawaf — this is the start of the journey.

The Second Stage: Sa'i — Striving and Putting in the Effort

Then you have Sa'i — running between the mountains of Safa and Marwa. Who did this action, running between the two mountains? Hajar.

Running between Safa and Marwa was done by a lady who had no food, no drink, and nobody — but she put her full effort to search for something and rely upon Allah. This is the second step. The second step, after the initial Tawaf — you're going around, asking how can I come close to Allah? The second step is Sa'i: you have to put in the effort, you have to run, you have to sweat for the sake of Allah.

The Third Stage: Qurbani — Sacrificing for the Sake of Allah

But you know what is the greatest step to prove your closeness to Allah? It is the Qurbani — to sacrifice for the sake of Allah. The sign of somebody who is close to Allah, and somebody who is not close to Allah, is this: if you are close to Allah, you are willing to sacrifice for His sake.

And that is why Ibrahim — what is his nickname? What is the nickname of Ibrahim? It starts with the Kha. What's his nickname? خَلِيلُ اللّٰه — Khalilullah, Khalilur Rahman, the close friend of Allah. What made him close to Allah is that he was willing to sacrifice the most beloved thing to him for the sake of Allah. This is the sign.

Are you willing to sacrifice for the sake of Allah? For a parent, a parent is willing to give themselves — maybe for Allah — but they are not going to give their child. The child is more beloved to me than myself. How many parents would give their kidney, transplant their kidney for their child to live? They don't mind if they die themselves.

And so Ibrahim — this is what he teaches us — the greatest closeness to Allah is the closeness to Allah through Qurbani, through sacrifice.

The Question of Hajj and Eid ul-Adha

This is the question of Hajj, and the question of Eid ul-Adha. You have to ask yourself: What did I sacrifice for the sake of Allah? Did I sacrifice my time? Did I sacrifice my wealth? Did I sacrifice my children, my efforts?

How often we get a business opportunity, or a friend at school wants us to do something and is encouraging us — "Why don't you jump in?" — but we know it goes against what Allah wants from us, and yet we jump in anyway. We are willing to sacrifice our relationship with Allah; we are not willing to sacrifice money, or friends, or opportunities.

This is what Hajj is about.