A LETTER ON WAY HOME: MAY HAJJ BE ACCEPTED

As we make our way home from Hajj, there is that nagging hope, and prayer, that may one’s Hajj be accepted by Allah. Interestingly, we have heard and read of stories of accepted pilgrimages without the pilgrim ever setting foot in the Holy Land, or someone who gives up the possibility of ever undertaking the […]

As we make our way home from Hajj, there is that nagging hope, and prayer, that may one’s Hajj be accepted by Allah. Interestingly, we have heard and read of stories of accepted pilgrimages without the pilgrim ever setting foot in the Holy Land, or someone who gives up the possibility of ever undertaking the holy exercise only to find that Allah would open up a door for them to do it.
Like any other article of faith, the pilgrimage can become meaningless if it is regarded as an end in itself rather than a means for the attainment of a meaningful life. We may recall that on this page in the past we had narrated two stories about “The Cobbler’s Hajj” and “Abdullah bin Mubarak’s Hajj”, wherein they used their resources saved for the Hajj to relieve the stresses of others, and Allah, in His usual Unique Ways, showed that those intentions were accepted.
Recently, another story on a similar thread made the rounds in cyberspace – and we shall call it “The Hajj of Sa’eed.” It is likely that it is fictional, but the lesson embedded therein cannot be ignored. The story reminds us of the spirit of Hajj, especially for those who would use their saved resources to make a difference to the lives of others. Enjoy:
Sa’eed was sitting at the Jeddah Airport Departure Lounge after having completed his Hajj. The person sitting next to him introduced himself and said: “I work as a contractor and Allah has blessed me with performing my tenth Hajj this year. Sa’eed said: “Hajj mabroor! May Allah accept it!” The other said: “Amin! Have you performed Hajj before?” Sa’eed hesitated, and then said: “By Allah, it’s a long story and I don’t want to hurt your head with my talk.” The man laughed and said: “Please tell me, as you see we have nothing to do, we’re just waiting for the flight.”
Sa’eed smiled and said: “Yes, waiting is the start of my story. I’ve been waiting years to go to Hajj. After working for thirty years as a physiotherapist in a private hospital, I was able to save enough. On the day I intended to pay for the trip, I came across one of the mothers whose paralysed son I treat. I could see her face was worried and anxious. She said: “I leave you to Allah’s keeping, Brother Sa’eed, this is our last visit to this hospital.” I was surprised at her words and I thought she wasn’t happy with my treatment, and that she was considering moving her son to another hospital. But she said: “No brother, Allah bears witness that you were to my son like a father, and you helped him in his treatment when we had lost hope.” Then she left very saddened.
The man next to him interrupted and said: “That’s strange; if she was pleased with your treatment and her son was improving, then why did she have leave? Sa’eed answered: “That’s what I thought too, so I went to the Hospital Administration to find out what happened. They told me the boy’s father had lost his job and was unable to continue paying for his son’s treatment. The man next to him said: “There is no might and power except with Allah! Poor them, how did you deal with it?
Sa’eed said: “I went to the Manager and pleaded with him to continue treating the boy on the hospital’s expense, but he sharply rejected the suggestion and said, “Sorry! This is a private institution, not a charity!” I left his office sad and broken for this family. Then suddenly, I placed my hands in my pocket which had my money all prepared for Hajj.
“I stood transfixed for a while, then raised my head heavenwards and said: “O Allah, You know how I feel and You know there is nothing more beloved to me than to go to Your house and do Hajj and to visit Your messenger’s Masjid.
You know I have been working all my life for this moment, but I prefer this poor lady and her son over myself!
“I then went over to the accounts desk and paid all I had for the boy’s treatment, which covered the next six months. I begged the Accountant to tell the lady that it was from the hospital’s expense account for special cases. The Accountant was affected by this, and there were tears in his eyes. He said, ‘Baarak Allah feek (may Allah bless you) and people like you!”
The man next to Sa’eed then said: “If you donated all of your money, then how did you go to Hajj?” Sa’eed said: “I went back to my home sad that day for having lost the opportunity of a lifetime for Hajj. But my heart was filled with happiness that I removed a distress from the lady and her son. I slept that night with a tear on my cheek. And then I had a dream and I was making tawaf around the Ka’aba and people were saying Salam to me and they were telling me: ‘Hajj mabroor O Sa’eed, for you have performed Hajj in the heavens before you performed hajj on earth’.
“I immediately woke up and felt an indescribable happiness. I praised Allah for everything and was pleased with His decree. When I got up from my sleep, my phone rang and it was the hospital’s manager. He told me the owner of the hospital wanted to go to Hajj this year and he wouldn’t go without his personal therapist. But then his therapist’s wife was expecting a baby and was in her final days, so he couldn’t leave her. Then he asked: ‘Sa’eed, would you do us a favour? Would you accompany the Boss on this Hajj?’ And the manager had no idea I had intended to go to Hajj, because I hadn’t by then put in an application.
“I made sujood shukr (prostration of gratitude) to Allah. And, as you see, Allah granted me to go to His house without having to pay anything. And all praise to Allah, the owner of the hospital insisted on giving me something for his accompaniment. So I told him the story of the lady and her son, and he demanded that the boy be treated at the hospital as his own personal expense. And he also directed that a donations box be placed in the hospital for the treatment of needy patients. And on top of that, he gave the boy’s father a job at one of his companies. He even returned the money I had initially spent for the boy’s treatment.”
The man next to Sa’eed hugged him and told him: “By Allah I have never felt this kind of shame as I’m feeling now. I would perform hajj one year after another, thinking I was doing something great, and that my place with Allah would be elevated as a result of it. But now I understand that your Hajj is equivalent to a thousand of mine. I went to the House of Allah, but Allah Himself invited you to His House!”
All in all, this year’s Hajj has been fulfilling, tiring, entertaining and, for Guests of the King of Saudi Arabia, luxurious and delicious. May Allah make it possible for all readers to come next year. And my editors too. And despite the enjoyment, may our Hajj be as the Cobbler’s, and as bin Mubarak’s, and as Sa’eed’s, amin.
Labbaik Allahumma Labbaik!