Hajj: The School of Complete Submission to Allah | Jumu'ah Khutbah | Sh. Yaser Birjas

Hajj: The School of Complete Submission to Allah

My dear brothers and sisters, as the Hujjaj are wrapping up right now the last few minutes of their journey to Mecca, and as we hear locally also wrapping up our days of Eid, starting insha'Allah with this evening of Friday, you only have one day left for the days of Tashreeq, the days of Ibadah that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala dedicated for the Hujjaj and for those outside of Hajj to immerse in a complete culture of Ibadah, worshipping Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. My dear brothers and sisters, this is now more like also reminding us we're wrapping up the entire Hijri year. A couple of weeks from now, that's it.

This Hijri year will be done, a new one will be starting. And we have to question ourselves every single time when Hajj comes close to an end: what did we learn and what did I gain in this year? And what exactly — if I need to carry one single thing throughout this year to the next year insha'Allah wa ta'ala — what should it be? Brothers and sisters, no wonder Al-Hajj was put in Dhul Hijjah, the last month of the lunar calendar. It's more like the final reminder to what exactly your purpose is, what's the point of this life, and how you can move from this year to the next year with an upgrade insha'Allah wa ta'ala.

Hajj: A School of Submission

Brothers and sisters, Al-Hajj truly is a school. It's a school to learn the complete submission to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And if you forgot the purpose of your creation, I'm reminding you.

You are the creation of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And Allah azza wa jal has made the purpose of this entire creation to worship Him. As He says subhanahu wa ta'ala:

That I have not created jinn or mankind but to worship Me. Alhamdulillah, we're here as a testimony that we are into worshipping Allah azza wa jal. But the question, my dear brothers and sisters — do you believe, and do you think the one sitting right next to you, perhaps even you came together — our hearts, are they on the same level of submission to Allah azza wa jal? We're listening to the same khutbah.

We're going to be praying the same salah in the same jama'ah. But is my heart as submissive to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala the way the person next to me, behind me, in front of me? That is the question I need to ask myself, my dear brothers and sisters. And Hajj is a lesson.

It teaches us the meaning of submitting your will to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. You see, Allah azza wa jal says in Surah Al-Ahzab:

It is not for a believing man or woman that if Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala decrees a matter, that they will have a choice in it. If Allah decrees something, this is it — my job is to say, my Lord, I listen and I obey. Why is that? Because I trust Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, the All-Knowing, the All-Aware, the All-Wise subhanahu wa ta'ala. I trust His judgment.

So how much of that submission is filling my heart? Because if you have that, I can guarantee you, wallahi, you will be living an easy life. The reason why? Because alhamdulillah your heart is attached with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and nothing will faze you in this world. No crisis, no worry, nothing will faze you. Why? Because I'm in the hand of Al-'Alim Al-Hakim. My affairs have been delegated to the All-Wise subhanahu wa ta'ala. The one who says:

Does He not know what He created? Since He is the one who created subhanahu wa ta'ala — the All-Aware, the Most Subtle.

The Example of Ibrahim (alayhi salam)

So my dear brothers and sisters, I want to share with you a few words about Hajj — how does Hajj teach us that concept of submission? The concept of submitting ourselves to the will of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

The first thing we learn is that Hajj in itself is an extension of the story of Ibrahim alayhi salam. We heard that story many times. Every single Hajj season you'll hear it. But what is the main issue I need to learn? What is the main focal point of that story? What is it exactly? Is it his journey from Iraq to the Holy Land, or to Egypt, or going down south into Mecca? What exactly is the story of Ibrahim alayhi salam about? Why would Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, out of all the messengers of God, choose this man — salawatullahi wa salam alayh — to be the forefather of all the anbiya that would come after? Why would this man, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, out of all the prophets and the anbiya, chose to be Khalilur-Rahman — the most beloved to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala? Why is that?

Because Allah spoke about one of the best qualities of Ibrahim alayhi salam. And what was that? When Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala told Ibrahim alayhi salam, "Submit yourself to Me" — what did he say? He didn't question it. He said, "I submit myself to the Lord of the worlds."

It is for that reason — for true submission that was in the heart of Ibrahim alayhi salam and in the life of Ibrahim alayhi salam — that Allah elevated his status. Don't you want to be on that level? Don't you want to raise yourself, this year, before it ends, to be at that level among the most beloved to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala if you want to? This is your path — Ibrahim alayhi salam's path. And that's why we always follow Ibrahim alayhi salam in our du'a as well:

We always ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to send blessings upon the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and Ibrahim alayhi salam. Why is that? Because of the same reason — he was the model for being submitted to his Lord subhanahu wa ta'ala.

My dear brothers and sisters, when Ibrahim alayhi salam was commanded to leave his wife and infant son in a desert, in an empty valley, he submitted to the will of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. When Ibrahim alayhi salam was ordered to sacrifice his own son — the one that he had after all these years, seeing him growing up, masha'Allah, to become a strong man — he was asked to sacrifice that child. Ibrahim alayhi salam submitted himself to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. When the Prophet Ibrahim alayhi salam was commanded to build the Ka'bah in the middle of nowhere, when there was nobody there in that area, he didn't question Allah's wisdom. What did he say? "My Lord, we submit ourselves to You."

Ibrahim alayhi salam was the example of submission and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala chose him for that reason. So my dear brothers and sisters, you want to elevate yourself to be closer to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala? Then make sure to make this part of your mission. Alhamdulillah, once again, your presence is a testimony that you are coming to submit yourself to Allah azza wa jal. But how much of that is really in my heart? How much do I believe in that? To always submit to the will of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

The Rituals of Hajj and the Principle of Submission

My dear brothers and sisters, when it comes to Hajj and submission, you could say that the majority of the rituals and the rites of Hajj are built around that principle. Those who've been to Hajj, you've seen it.

So you go and you make tawaf around the Ka'bah seven times. Ever wonder why seven times? Why you go in that direction, not the other direction? Ever wonder when you go and you run between two hills and two mountains and you just keep going back and forth for seven times? Ever wonder why we do that? Ever wonder when it comes to — which is the most iconic aspect of Hajj and, you could say, the most ritualistic aspect of Hajj — when you throw Al-Jamarat? You've been asked to collect 21 pebbles a day during the days of Hajj. And you go and you throw them at concrete pillars. When you look at it, it's the most ritualistic thing. Ever wonder why I do that?

Now I know and I believe — absolutely believe — that there is a hikmah and a wisdom behind every aspect of that ibadah. I might not know it. I might know why some of them are done. For example, when you change your clothes to something simple, that's simply just to make everybody equal before Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Are you reminded that this is how it's going to be when you leave this world? No pockets, no possessions in your hands, nothing. You're going like in a shroud. You prepare yourself to meet your Lord subhanahu wa ta'ala. That's obvious wisdom.

But when you do these Jamarat, what's the hikmah behind it? The ulema give so many reasons. Some say it's just that when you throw these Jamarat, you cast the devil out of your life. You throw all the shahawat out of your life. You submit yourself to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala by throwing all these things away from you. And while you're doing it, you say Allahu Akbar — that my Lord is the greatest.

But if you look at it once again, the principle and the most important thing about it is that you submit yourself to Allah's subhanahu wa ta'ala command, even though you don't see the obvious wisdom behind it. Sheikh ul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah rahimahullah wa ta'ala speaks about the ahkam al-shar'a. Because ahkam al-shar'a kulluha mu'allala — all the rules of the Shari'a have wisdom behind them. They do have wisdom behind them. However, not everybody would know them well. Some are very obvious. Others require some ulema to explain to you. And some rules we would never be able to understand why — because that is the ultimate submission that is required from you when something comes from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. As Allah mentioned, it is not for a believing man or woman — when Allah decrees something — to question that. So if it's coming from Allah azza wa jal, my Lord, I submit myself to You.

The Words of Umar ibn al-Khattab at Al-Hajar Al-Aswad

Umar ibn al-Khattab was heard one time as he was making tawaf, when he came to Al-Hajar Al-Aswad — the Black Stone. And as he approached the Black Stone, what did he say? He said: "I swear I know that you're just a stone. You're not going to help me. You're not going to do anything to me. If I hadn't seen the Prophet ﷺ doing this, I would never have done it."

So what he's saying is: in terms of the meaning, I don't know. I don't see what the meaning is. But I know there's a hikmah and wisdom behind it. And if the Prophet ﷺ did it — and he is better than me — then I will do it ﷺ.

So my dear brothers and sisters, you need to learn to submit your heart to the will of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Hajj as a Cure for the Self-Centered Worldview

Brothers and sisters, why is this so important in our time today? It is so important because we have seen the world these days — the whole world is just promoting that self-centric worldview. Everything is about me. Everything is about what am I getting out of this? This whole culture of individualism and trying to build the self more than anything else is destroying many things in our lives. Destroying marriages, destroying family connections, destroying businesses, destroying morality, destroying societies. Everybody is just focusing on their own selves.p>

And ask yourself, where do you see yourself in your own personal life being so self-centered? Is it between you and your in-laws? Is it between you and your children, between your business, between the people around you? Where is it exactly? Where do you find yourself so self-centered? And how much of that requires from you to delegate things and submit it to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala? How much of that do I need to do?

Brothers and sisters, Hajj is still a reminder for us — it's not about you. It's about everybody else collectively. Because when it comes to Hajj, subhanAllah, everybody comes to Hajj no matter where they came from, what language they speak, and how superior they consider their language to others. When they come there, they drop all of that aside and they all chant one same chanting. They submit all their superiorities, all their advantages, all their supposed privilege. They might drop it on the surface, but if it wasn't dropped from the heart, it still becomes a problem. But Hajj is teaching that you drop all this aside and focus on:

"My Lord, here I am in Your service" — which means I'm here for You. I am here for You, my Lord. So you focus on Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, and suddenly the wave of humanity that you see around you — you just become one of them. That's all. You're not special. You're not someone different.

And wallahi you see that subhanAllah when you come to make tawaf — no matter how rich you are, how smart you are, how knowledgeable you are, even if you're that great alim and scholar, that celebrity that people always want to take pictures with — sometimes in Hajj, people keep pushing you around because they don't even know who you are. This is how invisible you become. And this is how little our egos are when it comes to being self-centered and thinking that you're someone so special.

The True Hajj Begins When You Return Home

Hajj is a reminder. When we come to Allah, we say لَبَّيْكَ اللَّهُمَّ لَبَّيْكَ — my Lord, here I am in Your service, my Lord. Labbayka idha amarta — I'm here for You, ya Rabbi. I respond. I submit when You order. I submit when You forbid. I submit during good times and difficult times. I submit during Hajj and after Hajj. I submit time after time for my entire life. I submit to You, my Lord.

Because as our ulema used to say, the true Hajj — the true Hajj begins when you return back home from that journey. That's the meaning of Hajj. Because it's not just about doing that journey to Mecca and Medina and doing tawaf and sa'i. It's what do you take with you from there? What is it that you carried along with you from the journey of Hajj when you have done all of this for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and submitted yourself to Allah azza wa jal?

So my dear brothers and sisters, I want you to remember — you haven't gone to Hajj this year. But that doesn't mean you haven't gone on a journey to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And the journey is about to finish. You have one extra day. Make sure to sit down and review that. Reflect on Eid. Reflect on the meaning of Hajj. Reflect on Yawm Arafah and find insha'Allah the great lesson of Hajj, which is to submit yourself to the will of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

And if you see some arrogance in you, if you see some extra pride that is not necessary, if you see something that is off from where it's supposed to be — make sure to bring your heart where it belongs. Submit it to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Think about this and make sure when you start your next year insha'Allah, you start with an absolute understanding of your position before Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

May Allah azza wa jal make us among those who learn the lessons of Hajj and submit themselves to the will of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. My dear brothers and sisters, one of the iconic moments of Hajj is Yawm Arafah. And even for those who don't go to Hajj, when you fast — it is a great reminder subhanAllah.